The 1980’s was an
excellent time for enthusiasts of the anthology format on television. I can
certainly count myself as one of those, as my total inability to follow an
ongoing narrative over twelve or possibly twenty four episodes testifies. It’s
hard to pinpoint where this renewed interest began; perhaps it was the big
screen success of such films as Creepshow
(1982) and Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983). Certainly the latter would have been
instrumental in the resurrection of The
Twilight Zone (1985-89), and the former might have played a large part in
George A. Romero’s thinking when he set up Tales
from the Darkside (1984-88). In addition to The Twilight Zone in colour, we also got to see a re-colourised
Alfred Hitchcock introduce a whole new batch of episodes as Alfred Hitchcock Present (1985-89) made a return.
Other anthology shows that took their bow in the 1980’s included Amazing Stories (1985-87), The Hitchhiker (1983-91), Monsters (1988-91), Tales from the Crypt (1989-96),
Hammer House of Horror (1980),
Freddy’s Nightmares (1988-90) and Friday the 13th – The Series
(1987-90) to name but a few.
