Monsters...80's TV's most underrated series

On October 22, 1988, the television airwaves were taken over by creatures from our most frightening nightmares, and just in time for Halloween. Monsters creeped onto our TV's and ran for three seasons ending on April 26, 1991. During that time creators Richard P. Rubinstein and Mitchell Galin scared and humored audiences with seventy-two half hour episodes that featured special creature effects supervised by FX master Dick Smith. Keeping up with the horror traditions of Tales from the Darkside and Tales from the Crypt, the show focused its attention on big surprise here, a particular monster. Alien space rats, giant blood sucking worms, fever monsters, dragons, killer spores, a killer bed, and a tap-dancing disembodied leg joined traditional monsters like vampires, trolls, werewolves, and zombies. Even the devil made an appearance. The show featured campy stories that would have stood out on the horror (or comedy) shelf in your local video store, but you didn't need to go out on Saturday night to find your horror fix, just tune in to this late-night classic.

Despite being on television, the campy show pushed the limits of blood, eroticism, and frightening images. Of course, it typically filled the late-night time slots, generally between 11pm and 3am, but it was clear that the talented writers and directors who created the episodes were willing to see just how far the envelope could be pushed. Monsters also featured a nice list of A and B list actors, many of which were regulars in the horror genre. So be ready to see some familiar names as I work through this list of my favorite Monsters episodes.

The show certainly lived up to its name and brought some of the most memorable (and laughable) special make up FX creatures to their audience.

Below I have made a list of some of my favorite episodes from the show. Be sure to leave a comment and share some of your favorites as well. And if by chance you have not seen the show yet, do yourself a favor and go to Amazon and get your copy today, you will not be disappointed!

Favorite episodes in the airdate order:

Holly's House

directed by Theodore Gershuny

starring: Marilyn Jones, Perry Lang, Pamela Dean Kelly

Original Airdate: October 29, 1988

Maniacal mechanical doll with a huge head and a selfish attitude. This was one of the creepier episodes because it features dolls and a children's show gone awry. Some folks have accused this episode as being a rip-off of Child's Play, the first film in the successful killer "Chucky" doll series, but what they fail to realize is that this episode aired in October 1988 and the Child's Play film was not released for another two weeks on November 8th. So, that shoots down that theory. "Holly's House" was about a lovely kids show host, played by Marilyn Jones, who is ready to move on with her life and leave the mechanical puppet star, Holly, behind. She is about to get married and have a child of her own, but Holly has other plans. Is Holly possessed?

Sleeping Dragon

directed by Mark Rezyka

starring: Beth Toussaint, Russell Johnson, Kin Shriner

Original Airdate: December 10, 1988

Who doesn't love dragons? Well, this one is kind of mean. It likes to eat people. A meteor is found and brought to a museum for examination. There seems to be something alive inside, you don't need a PhD to know what is inside. We don't get a real good glimpse of the dragon until the end, but it was a nicely designed creature and had quite the appetite for human flesh. Plus, the Professor from Gilligan's Island was in it and how can you go wrong with a resident castaway? Beth Toussaint was another highlight to this episode. She is a fetching beauty and put on a great performance.

Pillow Talk

directed by David Odell

starring: Mary Woronov, John Diehl, Ruth DeSosa

Original Airdate: December 24, 1988

Remember that killer bed I mentioned earlier? Well, here it is. A famous writer has a real problem with women, whenever he brings one home for a little roll in the hay, he has to sacrifice them to an ancient monster that disguises itself as a bed! In return he gets the fame and fortune that comes with being a successful writer. Heck of a deal, huh? I will admit I am a little biased on this one because I am a huge Mary Woronov fan. She is a potential bed partner who has a little secret of her own. Trust me, you'll love it. Plus, an episode about a killer bed is just classic fantasy horror. This was one of the fun episodes that didn't feature an actual "monster".

The Match Game

directed by Michael Brandon

starring: Ashley Laurence, Tori Spelling, Byron Thames

Original Airdate: April 15, 1989

This may be the scariest episode of the show. Four teens gather to play a story telling game, and all hell breaks loose. Of course, in the middle of "hell" breaking loose, who better to have than the beautiful and talented Hellraiser alum scream queen, Ashley Laurence. The point of the is to strike a match and tell a scary story. Well, the bumbling teens (or in this case, twenty-somethings) bring a corpse back from the dead which seeks vengeance on the trespassers who have disturbed him. This episode features one of the goriest death scenes in the series. What you are seeing above is the creature playing with all that remains of actress Tori Spelling. It was a real mess. Great episode!

Rain Dance

directed by Richard Friedman

starring: Teri Copley, Kent McCord

Original Airdate: April 22, 1989

While this may not be the best bloodiest or even scariest episode in the series, it does feature one of my all time favorite actresses in it, Teri Copley. So, it made it onto my favorites list. Plus, it was a really good episode with a solid story.

Creepy little Native American rain god comes alive and stalks the gorgeous Teri Copley and her annoying husband, to be fair, I may have been a little biased against him. I had a bit of a crush on Miss Copley.

After an ancient totem is brought home, poor Teri starts to suffer from dryness of the skin as she protests the creepy little bugger's existence. It's a classic case of never mess around with ancient spirits.

This is one of the episodes I could have watched as a feature film. It was far too short and moved way too fast, but it was most enjoyable. I must say that the rain god was a bit creepy too.

All in a Day's Work

directed by Allen Coulter

starring: Adrienne Barbeau, James Morrison

Original Airdate: May 6, 1989

Couldn't find an image of the creature for this episode, which is unfortunate because it was pretty silly. So, we have to settle for an image of the lovely Adrienne Barbeau. (whose gonna complain?) This was a tale of witchcraft, doppelgangers, and devils, and anyone who knows me, knows that I love witches and stories of witchcraft. They filled this one with some fun subjects. Not a scary episode, but it had a good sense of humor, and it was nice to have a goofy episode to shake things up a bit. And Adrienne was awesome as always. So, it makes my list.

Mannikins of Horror

directed by Ernest Farino

starring: William Prince, Glynis Barber

Original Airdate: May 20, 1989

This episode made my list for three reasons. One, I love stop motion clay-animation, ever since I saw the original Clash of the Titans (1981) when I was a kid. The effects in this episode were top notch. Second, I like the setting of a mental hospital because it was super creepy. And lastly, Glynis Barber is a knockout and was excellent as the heroine against corruption and mini monsters who have a thing for sharp objects. The story was a little predictable (we saw this same type of storyline in the original film version of Tales from the Crypt) but that didn't take away from its appeal.

La Strega

directed by Lizzie Borden

starring: Linda Blair, Rob Morrow

Original Airdate: May 27, 1989

I will be completely honest; the only reason this one made the list is because I am a die-hard Linda Blair fan. Not that it was a bad episode. It was good. Your basic witchcraft redemption "I will make you fall in love with me" type of story. (and who wouldn't fall in love with Linda B?) But it wasn't a blow me away episode, other than the presence of one of my all-time favorite actresses. So, there you have it. I am weak. When it comes to Linda Blair, I admit my inability to be unbiased. The make-up effects in this were pretty solid too.

Perchance to Dream

directed by Paul Boyington

starring: Sarah G. Buxton, Raphael Sbarge

Original Airdate: February 4, 1990

This was a more psychological episode and did not feature an actual "monster" but don't let that deter you from watching this interesting segment. A person's dream world can be both exciting and terrifying at the same time. This episode played like a scene right out of A Nightmare on Elm Street, only missing the famed clawed killer. I liked this episode because it was different and it featured Sarah G. Buxton as Megan, the lovely lady pictured to the left. Her presence certainly helped carry the episode through a world of insane dreamscapes that her boyfriend has been suffering. I really liked the randomness of the dream segments to really stay true to how a dream actually is. It was a nice change of pace.

Far Below

directed by Debra Hill

starring: Barry Nelson, John Scott Clough

Original Airdate: February 25, 1990

This was another one of my stand out favorite episodes. It is super scary with great acting, awesome creature effects, and a compelling story. Underground albino dwellers that have a taste for human flesh; how cool is that? Directed by the very talented Debra Hill, who was known for her collaborations with John Carpenter, this episode really captured the essence of the show. The monsters were something straight of a nightmare and placed in a setting that would make you stop and think twice about entering. A city bookkeeper shows up one night to the headquarters of a "monster defense squad" to be sure that funding for the little set up is worth the taxpayer's money. Of course, he turns out to be a thorn in the side of the defense stations overseer and conflict among chaos ensues as the monsters up the game and levels of attack. It is what makes for a good story.

Micro Minds

directed by Anthony Santa Croce

starring: Belle Avery, Troy Donahue

Original Airdate: March 4, 1990

Never trust a pesky spore, that is what I always say. Oh well, life on this planet being wiped out by something microscopic would make sense. People wouldn't notice the danger until it was too late. That is what this little gem was about. However, that is not why I chose it. While I love watching slime covered inflated garbage bags chasing people around, my attention was drawn to the show stealer, Belle Avery, whom you see caught in the cross hairs to the left. She gave an excellent performance and surely had the audience on her side, up until her untimely demise. She was both beautiful and tough, and she was a knockout in that white tank top, especially when it got wet. (Yes, I know I am pig) Veteran actor Troy Donahue also gave a solid performance as the mad scientist who values the unknown more than human life.

Stressed Environment

directed by Jeffrey Wolf

starring: Kathleen McCall, Carol Lynley

Original Airdate: September 30, 1990

This is another episode that featured excellent clay-animation work, and the rats were hilarious, oh did I mention this one was about rats. Well, it is. They were meant to be scary, but I just couldn't do it. They were ridiculous. Fun, but ridiculous. This episode made my list because it was silly, and it was the first time that a network show had attempted to sneak a bare breast on the air. The gorgeous Kathleen McCall stripped down and gave us a glimpse of her womanly charms, and it got censored. Of course it did! But kudos to them for trying. The good thing is that with DVD release we got to see it the clip uncensored, and well, I don't know what all the fuss was about. It was quick and done tastefully, I think. But it made for a memorable episode. That and those damn rats! The story is about how lab experiments can go awry. Push those pesky critters to hard and they will fight back; with spears and other primitive weapons they made with their own little paws. I told you it was ridiculous. But silly monsters can be just as entertaining as the scary ones.

The Waiting Game

directed by Bruno Spandello

starring: Doug McKeon, Carrington Garland

Original Airdate: December 9, 1990

Doomsday is upon us and life as we know it is gone. The remaining survivors have found an answer to their prayers to "live" on.

A vampire.

I have seen many a vampire film in my life, but this one was rather unique. The story can be very claustrophobic, because the survivors are trapped in doomsday shelters with only their trusty walkie-talkies to communicate. Carrington Garland gives a great performance as a military Lieutenant who looks really good in her uniform and then becomes the most gorgeous undead survivor of them all. I mean just look at that face (to the right) It took a little bit for the story to build up in this one, but that was by design to drag the audience into the isolation that the characters are feeling. But once the action kicked in, oh boy, it got fun.

A Face for Radio

directed by Bruce Feirstein

starring: Laura Brannigan, Morton Downy Jr.

Original Airdate: February 3, 1991

The last episode to make my favorites list features the talents of Morton Downey Jr., Laura Brannigan, and that handsome devil she is holding above. The story follows a shock jock who has a thing for freaks and weirdos. A beautiful guest joins his show with a rather bizarre tale to tell. It seems she was abducted by aliens, and they got a little frisky with her. Can't blame an alien there, Laura Brannigan was not just one of the best singers of the 80's, but also one of the loveliest. Well, Downey Jr. is his usual annoying self, as he harasses and mocks his guest, but as one might expect, he gets his just desserts as the show comes to an end. Brannigan gives a great performance as the unlikely villainess. Plus, that thing she carries with her is just creepy.

There you have it! My favorite Monsters episodes. But the ones that didn't make this list were just as enjoyable. I can count on one hand how many episodes I didn't like out of the 72 that were made.

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