Tales from the Darkside: The Circus

"The Circus" is the first episode of season three of the horror anthology series Tales from the Darkside and is the forty-ninth episode of the series overall. It was directed by Michael Gornick with a teleplay written by George A. Romero, based on a short story written by Sydney J. Bounds. It first aired in syndication on Tuesday, September 28th, 1986 at 8:00 pm.

Notes & Trivia

 * Tales from the Darkside is an anthology television series that aired in syndication from September 30th, 1984 to July 24th, 1988, spanning a total of four seasons and ninety episodes. The series was developed by horror film icon George Romero and was presented in the same vein as programs such as Tales from the Crypt and Amazing Stories.


 * "TFTD: The Circus" redirects to this page.This serves as a shortcut for users who wish to find the page without typing out the entire name of the series.


 * This episode is included on the Tales from the Darkside: The Third Season DVD collection, which was released by Paramount Home Entertainment in Region 1 format on October 27th, 2009. It is also included in the Tales from the Darkside: The Complete Series boxset collection, which was released on September 6th, 2016.


 * William Teitler is the only production crew member credited in the opening credit sequence of this episode.


 * This is the fourth and final episode of Tales from the Darkside directed by Michael Gornick. He previously directed "Slippage" and "The Word Processor of the Gods" from season one, and "The Devil's Advocate" from season two.


 * This is the third episode of Tales from the Darkside written by series creator George A. Romero. He writes four episodes of the series in total. He previously wrote the series pilot episode, "Trick or Treat", as well as "The Devil's Advocate". His next episode is "Baker's Dozen".


 * British novelist and short fiction writer Sydney J. Bounds wrote "The Circus" as a short story in 1980.


 * Actor David Thornton is credited as David Thorton in this episode.


 * Actor William Hickey would go on to play a character named Drogan in the "Cat from Hell" segment from the Tales from the Darkside feature film. Additionally, he also plays a man named Charlton Webster in "The Switch" episode of the similarly themed series, Tales from the Crypt.


 * Ed French is primarily a special effects and makeup artist. As an actor, this is his second work on the series. He also played the Devil in the pilot episode of the show, "Trick or Treat".


 * This is actor David Thornton's second television appearance. He previously played a character named Lile in the "Rites of Passage" in the iconic 1980s series Miami Vice. This is his first work in the horror genre.


 * This is actor Kevin O'Connor's first work in the horror genre. He is also known for playing a taxicab driver in the 1987 film It's Alive III: Island of the Alive.