User Reviews

Chatty out-of-towner from Iowa follows the advice of a "matronly" astrology machine named Madame X, on a bus to Lubbock, Texas to find a tall, handsome Sagittarius. Cassie Pines (Ronee Blakley, in one of her usual weirdo characterizations), stops off at a bus depot to eat a burger and is introduced by one of the owners to a new astrology machine, Madame's "son" Horace X. Horace X takes a shine to her, and when a smooth-talking, hands-on priest, Heat Jones (Justin Deas), probably under a disguise because he certainly is aggressive and "touchy-feely", making the moves on Cassie, it isn't particularly happy. Heat has a confidence and swagger, knows what he wants and goes after it. So it is either Horace or Heat, a jealous machine that tells you your horoscope or a lascivious priest who won't take rejection. Hmm, choices, choices. Blakley fans will probably cherish her performance as a talkative, long-winded, bubble-headed, easily manipulated, flighty Midwesterner, completely, wholly dependent on astrology for every aspect of her life. She wants to know the future while Heat lives in the present and practically demands Cassie to be his girl. This episode is just strange. It takes place entirely in the bus station, and Blakley is the center focal point of everything that happens. If you aren't part of the Blakley cult, this may not be to your liking. The twist regarding how Horace utilizes Cassie's dependency on him for advice (she has to press her hand against a bright screen on the machine as a curtain closes behind her)to capitalize on his obsessive desire for her is more than a bit out-there.

....Mostly for that very short miniskirt the chick was wearing..at 18 years old I had no complaints...imagine my surprise to find out decades later that the chick was played by the actress who played the mother in the original Nightmare on Elm Street movie. Since this ep was almost certainly filmed AFTER Wes Craven's famous 80's hit, it's just all the more surreal...I guess the miniskirt does make them seem a bit younger after all. It does feel like the ending had been cheapened a bit, giving the poor girl a sorry fate that she did not really deserve... Yes, I know it's called Tales from the Darkside for a reason, but still, what did this girl ever do to deserve that?

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.

We've come to the end of season one of Tales from the Dark Side but before we close out, we have The False Prophet, a really odd episode all about Cassie Pines (Ronee Blakley, Barbara Jean in Nashville and Nancy's mom from A Nightmare on Elm Street). Cassie has followed teh advice of Madame X, a fortune telling machine, all the way from Iowa to Texas looking for her true love.

What she finds is not just a man named Heat (Justin Deas), but Horace X, another automatic fortune teller that just might be her quarter operated lover.

Directed by Gerald Cotts (who did four episodes of this show and three episodesof Monsters) and written by Julie Selbo with the story credit to Larry Fulton, this is just a weird one, stuck inside one closed down bus station in the middle of nowhere yet packed with some off-putting menace. It doesn't get silly or preachy, unlike so many episodes, and is content with just being odd. Well done.

What's next after season one of Tales from the Dark Side? You're going to have to come back next week and find out.

Sweet, yet flighty and gullible Cassie Pines (a vibrant and charming performance by Ronee Blakley of "Nashville" and "A Nightmare on Elm Street" fame) depends on a sinister astrology machine named Horace X (ominously voiced by Bill Fiore) to determine what she should do with her life. Director Gerald Cotts, working from an offbeat script by June Selbo, relates the engrossing idiosyncratic story at a snappy pace and maintains an intriguing mysterious tone throughout while making the most out of the enjoyably outré premise. Blakley's sterling and spirited portrayal of an endearingly chatty kook keeps the show buzzing; she receives fine support from Justin Deas as handsome preacherman Heat Jones and Ann Hillary as folksy bus depot attendant Wanda Sue. Moreover, this episode makes a valid point about the perils of not thinking for yourself and allowing others to dictate your life for you. The surprise downbeat ending is a doozy. A worthy closer for the first season.