Tales from the Darkside: The False Prophet (1985)
Season 1, Episode 23
3/10
Another bizarre Tales from the Darkside episode...
30 September 2007
Warning: Spoilers
Tales from the Darkside: The False Prophet starts as Cassie Pines (Ronee Blakley) takes a break from travelling by bus to Texas & stops off at a roadside café, Cassie is a big believer in astrology & she has undertaken her journey to Texas because of a machine called 'Madame X' which gives out people's fortunes said she should. In the café sit's the son of Madame X which goes by the name of Horace X who also gives out people's fortunes, Cassie decides to double check his mom's predictions & is shocked to find that Horace says the opposite. Who is Cassie to believe?

Episode 23 from season 1 this was the last story from the first season of Tales from the Darkside, the second Tales from the Darkside episode to be directed by Jerry Smith after the splendid A Case of the Stubborns this is yet another poor story that didn't do anything for me. The script by Jule Selbo is just awful, it makes no sense, I have no idea what the ending is all about & it's utterly dull, boring & predictable. What on Earth are those mechanical astrology machines all about? That's just a dumb idea right off the bat & I've never seen one in real life, the character's are stupid & I'm just fed up with this series right now. I've watched a few back to back & the last few have been simply terrible, I have no idea why this series is so highly rated & I really hope the quality of the series improves with season 2.

Like most Tales from the Darkside episodes this features a very small cast & a single location, sometimes it's effective while at other's it just looks cheap. I've seen every episode from season 1 now & most are distinctly average while some are just silly like Answer Me & If the Shoes Fit... & some are just plain awful like The Tear Collector & Grandma's Last Wish although there are some really good stories as well like Trick or Treat, Inside the Closet, A Case of the Stubborns & Madness Room so overall season 1 is a very mixed bag. The acting here is OK although I thought Blakley was irritating.

The False Prophet is another poor episode that isn't scary & doesn't even try to be, I simply don't understand who this series is meant to appeal to. I hope season 2 is an improvement over season 1, I really do.
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