Amazing Stories (1985)

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Amazing Stories (1985 TV series) - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

Amazing Stories was an American speculative anthology series in the vein of The Twilight Zone, only it tended towards humor and happy endings. It was Stephen Spielberg's brainchild. You can watch it online by googling "amazing stories + (episode name) + dailymotion." I haven't seen too many, but the ones I have seen are very good. Highly recommended.

Standouts so far:

"The Amazing Falsworth": a psychic man senses a murderer, only doesn't know what the latter looks like
"Mirror, Mirror": a horror novelist is haunted by a monster in reflections
"Vanessa in the Garden": a man finds a way to reach his deceased wife through paintings
"Lane Change": a woman meets an older lady who knows about her past
"Thanksgiving": a farmer's stepdaughter discovers some gift-giving beings live in their well
"The Pumpkin Competition": a mean old lady will stop at almost nothing to win the titular event

Of note: There has been a 2019 reboot. It's terrible.

Trivia: One episode, an entirely animated story, "The Family Dog," became a series.
Also, Spielberg's film, Batteries Not Included, was originally conceived as an episode.

 

[BAYLOR]

Amazing Stories (1985 TV series) - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

Amazing Stories was an American speculative anthology series in the vein of The Twilight Zone, only it tended towards humor and happy endings. It was Stephen Spielberg's brainchild. You can watch it online by googling "amazing stories + (episode name) + dailymotion." I haven't seen too many, but the ones I have seen are very good. Highly recommended.

Standouts so far:

"The Amazing Falsworth": a psychic man senses a murderer, only doesn't know what the latter looks like
"Mirror, Mirror": a horror novelist is haunted by a monster in reflections
"Vanessa in the Garden": a man finds a way to reach his deceased wife through paintings
"Lane Change": a woman meets an older lady who knows about her past
"Thanksgiving": a farmer's daughter discovers a gift-giving being lives in a well
"The Pumpkin Competition": a mean old lady will stop at nothing to win the titular event

Of note: There has been a 2019 reboot. It's terrible.

Trivia: One episode, an entirely animated story, "The Family Dog," became a series.
Also, Spielberg's film, Batteries Not Included, was originally conceived as an episode.

Check out the episode Mummy Daddy That one is hysterical funny. It's also great send up of Universals classic mummy movies.

 

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Check out the episode Mummy Daddy That one is hysterical funny. It's also great send up of Universals classic mummy movies.

Will do!

 

[BAYLOR]

Tv seres you should check out Cliffhangers Ran for one season 12 episodes in 1979. Each episode had 3 stories

1. Stop Susan Williams
2. Dracula
3. The Secret Empire which is remake of the old Gene Autry serial The Phantom Empire

They did mange tie up all three stories in the last episode.

It was done in the style of the old fashioned movie series of the 1930's , 40's and early 50's

 

[BAYLOR]

Episodes of further interest on amazing stories

Dorthy and Ben
The Mission
Without Diana

 

[BAYLOR]

No Day At the Beach

 

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No Day At the Beach

I liked that one

 

[BAYLOR]

I wish the network had given this show more of a chance.

 

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"Without Diana" and "The Doll" (by Richard Matheson, no less) are the most touching episodes I've seen so far. Matheson also wrote the stories "One for the Books," which I liked, and "Miss Stardust," which I didn't.

 

[BAYLOR]

Mr Magic with Sid Caesar He plays a down and out old time magician who get hold of a miraculous deck of playing cards . Sid Caesar even this late in his career hadn't lost a step.

 

[KGeo777]

I haven't seen it since the 80s. I didn't care for most of the episodes.


He was given 2 years of funding, $1 million an episode which was unheard of.
Big names like Eastwood and Scorsese involved (behind the camera).

But the writing was not memorable. I remember the Scorsese episode because it used a clip from Plague of the Zombies and the "surprise" ending.

"Go To The Head of the Class" came out on Halloween but despite the spfx, it is not much of a story really.

Nothing NIGHT GALLERY worthy in imaginative surprise. Mark Hamill is drifting aimlessly through life with no friends and in the end becomes rich because he hoarded cheap merchandise in pristine condition. Is that Hollywood's version of Scrooge?

Starlog magazine had an article interviewing William Dear (one of the lesser known directors on it) which mentioned "and he made an Amazing Stories that didn't suck."

"Mummy, Daddy."
He changed the ending on that--originally it was supposed to end with the guy arriving at the hospital and his wife saying "what took you so long?"

The real mummy was left out so they added the scene with the film crew.

 

[BAYLOR]

I haven't seen it since the 80s. I didn't care for most of the episodes.


He was given 2 years of funding, $1 million an episode which was unheard of.
Big names like Eastwood and Scorsese involved (behind the camera).

But the writing was not memorable. I remember the Scorsese episode because it used a clip from Plague of the Zombies and the "surprise" ending.

"Go To The Head of the Class" came out on Halloween but despite the spfx, it is not much of a story really.

Nothing NIGHT GALLERY worthy in imaginative surprise. Mark Hamill is drifting aimlessly through life with no friends and in the end becomes rich because he hoarded cheap merchandise in pristine condition. Is that Hollywood's version of Scrooge?

Starlog magazine had an article interviewing William Dear (one of the lesser known directors on it) which mentioned "and he made an Amazing Stories that didn't suck."

"Mummy, Daddy."
He changed the ending on that--originally it was supposed to end with the guy arriving at the hospital and his wife saying "what took you so long?"

The real mummy was left out so they added the scene with the film crew.

The ending where the one of the local who have no idea he an actor in suite seeing him his in the hospital with his wife and newborn child ' Your never too old " I love that bit, its hilarious .