Good afternoon, House of Madness anthologists:
Today I thought it might be fun to delve into the world of anthologies. As a huge fan of the subject, I've always been delighted with the notion of several different ideas crammed into one TV show, as the variety it delivers keeps the show fresh, and devoid of boring story lines nobody gives a shit about. I'd much rather tune in to a completely fresh story with no real connection to the weeks or days previous, than have to try and keep up with why Luke Perry finds Shannen Doherty appealing for ten years. Later in the week I'll probably do a separate list for anthology films, as I'm a huge sucker for those as well. Let's begin!
5. Black Mirror (2011-???): This modern take on the anthology series is quite well done, and has a strong cast to support its existence. Some of the stories are duds, as will happen with every anthology series as they can't all be 'bangers', but the show just doesn't have enough content to bury the duds beneath the studs as well as the others on this list.
4. Tales From the Darkside (1983-1988): When I was a kid, on Friday and Saturday nights I would stay up way past my bedtime on the couch in my parents's basement for the sole reason of maybe getting lucky, and an episode of this coming on between one and two a.m. I found this to always contain the darkest of the stories compared to the other anthology shows, and would definitely be shoulder checking all the way to bed when it was over.
3. Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1955-1962): As with a lot of great shows and movies, remakes and reboots happen all the time. While I do enjoy every version of this show, you just can't beat the original, and there's plenty of tension and scares abound worth recreating in this wonderful series.
2. Tales From the Crypt (1989-1996): Now talk about a star studded cast, this series has them in spades. From Catherine O'Hara to Bobcat Goldthwait, the credibility meter instantly rises when you have reputations willing to partake in the horror facade. From downright silly to creeping your spine until it's numb, there's a little bit for everyone inside this brilliant collection.
1. The Twilight Zone (1959-1964): Was there ever any real doubt? "AHP" may have come first, but "TTZ" took the idea and blasted everyone's tits off. Quite simply, Rod Serling was a maniacal genius who changed television and film forever with his warped sense of entertainment. This man is the reason for many a sleepless nights for myself and many others, and created the most perfect television program ever in my opinion. All hail Mr. Serling!
And there we have it folks, my top five anthology television shows. Honorable mention to "The Outer Limits" and "The Hitchhiker", but on a list of five, tough choices have to be made. Let us know in the comments below what your favourite shows or episodes are! Thanks for reading!
NB
