MovieChat Forums > Tales from the Darkside (1983) Discussion > Anniversary Dinner

Anniversary Dinner

posted 11 years ago by borg1005-1
11 replies | jump to latest

I thoroughly enjoyed this one (Season 1, Episode 13).

Sure the plot was telegraphed and predictable, but Alice Ghostley and Mario Roccuzzo neatly played off one another, with Fredrica Duke being as delectable as ever (pun intended).

Loved the scene when Elinor comes up to the spa and dumps in a few vegetables for Sybil, already blitzed on sherry and oblivious to her fate, to snack on. Then a few minutes later, dumps in a whole sackful. The look on her face is priceless.

The glances and double entendres reminded me of "Terror on the Menu" in that the old folks are talking on one level (the kids "are always a part of you", etc. and the pending dinner) while the main course is oblivious and in fact eats some of the veggies that will be served with her.

An unintentional funny bit, which dated the movie a bit in a nice innocent way was when Sybil (Fredrica) apologizes that he swim suit is kinda small. When you see it, it is a far cry from the thongs and string Bikinis so prevalent today and would now be considered "stodgy" - much as we view the swim suits of the early 1900s.

All in all, an enjoyable episode, one where you sit down and say to yourself, "OK, let's see how these actors handle this."

[–] Woodyanders 11 years ago

Yeah, that was an enjoyable episode. Ghostley was terrific in her role.

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[–] wallacesawyer 11 years ago

Meh. The old man's bickering got on my nerves. And I don't like that they killed innocent people. The cannibalism thing, I saw that a mile away, but I figured they would've adopted the girl and ate the boyfriend or something. I'm the type who usually prefers happy endings, or at least something where the villain gets their just deserts. The only real villain were the old folks.

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[–] michael-watkins-laj7 10 years ago

but that's exactly what i appreciated about Tales from the Darkside. it wasn't about morality plays. this is the darkside. happy endings should not be expected.

[–] borg1005-1 10 years ago

I figured they would've adopted the girl and ate the boyfriend . . .
Males are too tough and stringy - or so I have been told.

. . . I prefer something where the villain gets their just desserts.
Not only was Fredrica/Sybil the main course, from the looks of her, she WAS the desert as well.

Sorry, I'm just in THAT mood today.

[–] specter19 9 years ago

that girl was insanely dense.. she say all these clues,.. even the giant wooden spoon,.... but she continued to giggle when they tossed in veggies,,.. even though she didn;t have that much to drink.... just one dense girl..

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[–] borg1005-1 9 years ago

that girl was insanely dense

Yeah, I had to laugh as the "kindly old folks", who were all but sending up flares, indicating she was on the menu. It's a wonder she didn't rub herself with spices before she got in.

It reminded me of all those movies where the clueless 20-somethings all go to some secluded area and then wonder why their friends are disappearing one by one. The REAL entertainment is watching them make one suicidal decision after another.

[–] michael-watkins-laj7 9 years ago

well she already agreed to go backpacking w/ a sociopath. she was screwed either way.

[–] theblackestmagic 9 years ago

She was obviously a terribly naive young woman(some would argue just downright stupid). She was clearly in need or in search of some parental figures in her life, probably more so than she was with young people her own age even. Thus she fell for this older couples' 'kindly charms' and 'inviting hospitality'!

The character of the young woman in this episode is actually quite a familiar one within the annals of numerous dark storytellings and fairy tales written throughout the centuries. She's the young, innocent and, perhaps most problematic, curious traveller who ventures into strange and unfamiliar parts of the country, and one whose naive and trusting nature is what ultimately leads to her very own doom.

"Life IS pain highness. Anyone who says differently is selling something".

[–] borg1005-1 9 years ago

Nicely put. I was a tad tongue-in-cheek on my last comment, as without her being so trusting, the tale wouldn't click.

There were lots of signals, a common theme in these types of stories, which made it enjoyable from the wink-wink-nudge-nudge angle. The viewer is in on their fate while the victim blithely cruises to her destination. I tried finding it online, to no avail.

Two ironic changes I would have made:
Have her muse that the place was so nice that she could stay there the rest of her life.
Have her wash and cut up the veggies that Elinor dumped in the hot tub.

If you haven't already seen it, Terror House is another "kindly old folks with an, um, peculiar appetite" story http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0069362/?ref_=fn_al_tt_2.

[–] theblackestmagic 9 years ago

And you know I always wondered what Henry and Elanor ever did about the wine glass that fell into their 'dinner jacuzzi'. I mean did they ever even realise that there was an actual wine glass mixed in among all those delicious vegetables? It certainly would have been quite dangerous for either of them to have accidently chopped down on any of the numerous shards of broken glass while eating the unbeatable combo of healthy protein and human flesh!

Thanks for the link also btw.

"Life IS pain highness. Anyone who says differently is selling something".

[–] soggybottom 9 years ago

Good point, and they also needed to get that "small" swimsuit off of her too (I can't imagine that tasting too well).

And they MIGHT also want to break up the "meat" and "bones" into smaller chunks at some point (for chewing).

All I can say is that was sure a helluva lot of stew for just 2 people!

I'm thinking that "jacuzzi stew" oughtta last them for the next year (and that's assuming they'll eat out of there EVERY meal!)