Monsters

Horror, sci-fi, and suspense have all been winners for the anthology TV genre, from earlier series such as Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Twilight Zone, and The Outer Limits, to later entries such as Tales from the Crypt, Tales from the Darkside, and Monsters, which was a bare-bones syndicated production that ran from 1988 to 1991, serving up 72 episodes built around some sort of creature, demon, alien, or boogie man. While the writing was top-notch, the show also featured on-the-cheap studio sets, lighting, and videotaping (the transfers here aren't great), as well as makeup and monster suits that were often silly (Doctor. Who-ish plastic and rubber creations). But none of that matters, thanks to the fact that the episodes were usually dialogue-driven character pieces, often infused with humor or irony (and many boasted twist endings). Monsters had lots of celebrity guest stars who were either on the way up (or way out), ranging from Debbie Harry and Laura Branigan to Steve Buscemi and Lili Taylor. Chris Noth, Tony Shalhoub, Frankie Faison, and Gina Gershon are a few other memorable faces here. A few standouts include “Murray's Monster” (funny) with Joe Flaherty as a murderous psychiatrist, “The Hole” (scary), set in Vietnam, “Mannikins [sic] of Horror” (creepy) from a Robert Bloch story, and “Glim-Glim” (a moving piece) about a misunderstood alien. Sure to delight vintage TV fans, this is recommended. (T. Fry)