George A. Romero's The Circus ("Tales from the Darkside" episode 3.1)

“The Circus”, the third and final episode to be scripted by George A. Romero for his syndicated anthology series “Tales from the Darkside”, debuted as the third season opener in September 1986. Directed by former Romero cinematographer Michael Gornick (CREEPSHOW II), it’s indisputably an honorary Romero work.

It stars Kevin O’Connor (THE BRINKS’ JOB) as a quarrelsome, prudish journalist investigating the inner workings of a circus run by one sinister-sounding Dr. Nis (William Hickey, also to appear in the TALES FROM THE DARKSIDE: THE MOVIE). Nis’s carnival features various monsters of the night: a bloodthirsty vampire, a werewolf, a mummy, a Frankenstein monster, and – this being Romero - a lumbering zombie (practically savored over for a final camera punch-in).

There’s really not a lot of genuine horrific scenes to speak of, save for a vampire tearing into the neck of a lamb (special FX make-up provided by Ed French, who also plays the bloodsucker) as it’s more of a two-person play heavy on the dialogue, with Hickey standing in for the filmmaker while O’Connor’s garrulous wordsmith makes a crude representation of either a film critic or a member of a censorship board. For O’Connor sees no positive merits in what Dr. Nis (or Romero) presents to the public; he’s here to shut him down, no questions asked, his preconceived notions already arrived at before Dr. Nis’s private show begins. Hickey’s quietly reserved barker lets the results speak for themselves, content to let O’Connor become increasingly upset over the realistic effects (and we all see where this is going in the juvenile twist: the effects are quite real indeed).

In one particular telling moment, after an outburst by O’Connor, Hickey speaks up:

“Despite your professional skill and phrase-making, I think you will never find the words to sufficiently express all that has been aroused in you today.”

What else is this but a pointed retort to Romero’s detractors of his then-sensationalistic gory works, such as DAY OF THE DEAD?

Hickey continues – speaking for Romero:

“So, perhaps my circus does provide some useful service. And, for the children, what better time to develop a sense of wonder then in one’s youth – before it is too late?”