Darkroom is a free, ad-supported streaming service similar to Fawesome and The Roku Channel, though it does not have as much content as those at this point. They claim that they are a “dedicated team of industry folks who – like celluloid archaeologists – discover then share memorable titles throughout the scope of cinema”, and they have a fair amount of movies and TV shows of interest to sci fi and fantasy fans. More so on the former than the latter, but they do have some interesting selections among their genre TV entries. You will have to set up a login to watch, and they do offer an ad-free plan for $1.99 per month. Last week I looked at the 1950s classic Quatermass and the Pit serial which is available there, and below are five more that should be of interest to genre fans. And be sure to keep an eye on this streaming service and send your requests because they could grow into a notable destination for sci fi and fantasy.
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Thriller
Description: This classic anthology delivered stories rife with suspense, the supernatural, and gothic horror, and each episode was introduced by horror icon Boris Karloff.
Aired: NBC, 1960-62, 2 Seasons Totaling 67 Episodes
Notable Guest Stars: William Shatner, Mary Tyler Moore, Elizabeth Montgomery, Bruce Dern, John Carradine, Russel Johnson
Along with The Twilight Zone and The Outer Limits, Thriller is another of the classic genre anthologies from the 1960s, though it seems to have fallen off the radar the last few decades. It did have episodes that were mostly crime and suspense, but many more worked in elements of horror and the supernatural, and this one could truly deliver some creepy moments. And since it did not rely as heavily on special effects, the show holds up better to modern viewing, with the black and white production adding to its moodiness. If this is one that you have not seen in a while or have never seen, it is certainly worth seeking out.
Max Fleischer’s Superman
Description: This collects the shorts produced by animation legend Max Fleischer that first brought Superman to the big screen. Created three years after the release of the first comic, it follows the Man of Steel as he battles flame-throwing robots, mad scientists, underground Nazis, and more.
Aired: 1941, 17 Films
Superman has had many incarnations on the big screen and on television, but this is one of the best representations of the earliest version of the character. These shorts have very much the look and feel of the comic book available on the stands at the time they were released, and Fleischer’s animation is just fantastic. These are pretty straightfoward tales of Superman saving the day, but they are a ton of fun and deliver a great blast from the past.
Bubblegum Crisis
Description: This cyberpunk anime is set in a futuristic MegaTokyo and follows a team of powered-suit-wearing vigilantes known as the Knight Sabers as they battle rogue androids and corporate corruption amid neon-lit streets and techno-driven chaos.
Aired: OVA, 1987-91, 1 Season Totaling 8 Episodes
Voice Cast: Jemila Ericson, Sinda Nichols, Elizabeth Becka, Susan Grillo, Frank Trimble
This is the original OVA series that launched this franchise and has since become somewhat of a sci fi classic. It helped define anime cyberpunk in the late 1980s, blending high-tech dystopian themes with street-level action in a way that felt both stylish and gritty. The series also delivered a female-led action team at a time when the genre was still heavily male-centric, and made them the leads rather than side characters or novelty figures. It is only eight episodes, so it is a quick watch. And if you enjoy this, there are plenty more entries in the franchise to seek out.
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
Description: A witty British sci-fi comedy chronicling the absurd adventures of an ordinary man swept into interstellar chaos after Earth’s destruction.
Aired: 1981, One Season Totaling 6 Episodes
Starring: Simon Jones, David Dixon, Mark Wing-Davey, Sandra Dickinson, Stephen Moore
After the original radio series, this counts as the best version of the first arc of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. It brought over most of the cast from the radio series, and while it was a low-budget BBC production, it still did a pretty good job of adapting the source material to the small screen. This is a sci fi classic and a must-watch series. (You can read more about the show at this link.)
Ultraman Spin-Offs
Description: Following 1966’s Ultraman, many spin-off series were produced in Japan and continue to this day. Darkroom has 1971’s Return of Ultraman, 1979’s animated The Ultraman, and 1996’s Ultraman Tiga, with possibly more on the way.
Return of Ultraman: 1971-72, One Season Totaling 51 Episodes
The Ultraman: 1979-80, One Season Totaling 50 Episodes
Ultraman Tiga: 1996, One Season Totaling 16 Episodes
1966’s Ultraman is well known in Japan and across the world for bringing the cosmic hero to the small screen to battle an endless assortment of Kaiju each week. But not so well known in the U.S. is the fact that the franchise continued on with many sequels and spin-offs that are still coming out today (you can read more about that at Cult-SciFi.com). Return of Ultraman is very much in the spirit of the original 1966 show. The Ultraman delivers an anime saga complete with epic space battles. And Ultraman Tiga continued the franchise into the 1990s. All are worth a watch for Ultraman fans, and there are plenty more entries in the franchise to seek out as well.
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