Villainess Review: Janice Perry (Tales from the Darkside)

Who remembers Tales from the Darkside? This series was one of a vast number of horror/suspense anthology shows that had been the rage since (as early as) the mid-to-late 1950s. In a way, we have the film, Creepshow, to thank for this, as Tales from the Darkside was meant to be an answer of sorts to that film, which was a big hit. I myself remember this show and Monsters (both developed by Richard P. Rubinstein) airing in reruns back-to-back as a kid, though the former came first; airing for four seasons between 1984 and 1988 following their 1983 pilot, "Trick or Treat." The show also spawned a movie that came out in 1990, which featured a cast that included Christian Slater, Rae Dawn Chong, and Deborah Harry (among others).

One episode that stays with me is one of the series' last, "Family Reunion," which centers on Robert Perry and his young son, Bobby, who had been living in borderline seclusion for quite a while. The reason for this is simple: Bobby is a werewolf. The episode didn't waste time establishing this, as it was within a few minutes in that the full moon rose as Robert chained his son to his bed, and it was shortly after this point that Bobby started growling and undergoing his werewolf transformation before being sealed up in his room.

Later on, we see Janice Perry, Bobby's mother and Robert's estranged wife, at the office of a social worker, Trudy, discussing Bobby. Janice revealed that about six months prior, the family was on vacation in Ireland, where Janice and Bobby were attacked by an unknown assailant. Janice claimed that Robert abducted Bobby afterwards and kept her from seeing him, and she basically accused Robert of mistreating their son. She voiced her desire to reunite with Bobby, telling Trudy that she and her son were "very close." Remember that line; I certainly did when I first saw this episode around 20 years ago.

Janice and Trudy's attempt to see Bobby was thwarted by Robert, who had to deal with the violent aftermath from his son, and in the climax, the women returned to the house with a court order. The house was in disarray, though Trudy made her way to Bobby's room and located the young boy before asking him to come to her. Bobby does, but to Trudy's shock and horror, he does so while slowly transforming into his werewolf form and howling before lunging at Trudy, who now sees why Robert kept him locked up. Robert enters with a gun in hand, only for Janice to send him flying with just one punch.

Of course, this is followed by the not-too-shocking reveal: Janice is a werewolf as well (I told you to remember that line from earlier). We get a great zoom-in of Janice brandishing fangs, large ears, and a snout as she snarls after knocking out Robert, and following this, the villainess turns her attention to Trudy. With her werewolf form now fully progressed, Janice reached out to Trudy with her hairy and clawed hand, grabbed Trudy by her hair and tossed her to the wall, right before Janice ripped the door off its hinges! In that last moment, Bobby came right to Janice, and with the mother and son werewolf duo now reunited, the pair howled at the episode's end.

"Family Reunion" was the 16th episode of Tales from the Darkside's fourth and final season, and aired on May 22, 1988. Patricia Tallman portrayed the episode's villainess, Janice Perry, and wow...she was quite amazing! Even before the expected revelation, Janice was quite devious. While Robert straddled the "moral pendulum" fence with his actions, he wasn't as horrendous as Janice made him out to be, but even so, that line about her and Bobby being so close boosted my "Spidey Sense." I literally went, "Yeah, she's a werewolf, too," and when Janice turned heel and made her inevitable revelation, it was an absolute delight. Janice was vicious and ruthless in her werewolf form, and she was quite masterful in covering up her villainous persona to Trudy. This episode is one of many reasons why Tallman is a legend in the horror and sci-fi genres; while she excelled in acting out Janice's motherly concern and veiled deviousness, she completely ended up stealing the entire episode with her portrayal of Janice's reveal as a werewolf.

Patricia Tallman is best known for her recurring role of Lyta Alexander on Babylon 5, and has also been seen in all three of the modern Star Trek series (Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, and Voyager). She also played Barbara in the 1990 remake of Night of the Living Dead, and it was two years later that Tallman appeared in Army of Darkness (the third installment in the Evil Dead film trilogy) as the Possessed Witch. Other villainous roles include playing Caroline Dula on Sheena, as well as one I really have to mention. A number of years ago, I learned that Tallman and fellow B5 cast member Claudia Christian had worked together on the Anne Manx series of audiobooks, and while Christian lends her voice to the aforementioned protagonist, Tallman portrays Jean Richmond, an evil detective who viciously opposes Manx. I actually heard a bit of Tallman's performance as the villainess; I loved it!! I truly believe Tallman loves being the villainess; she proved it with the way she provided Jean's evil and ominous voice, and she proved it with this performance as Janice Perry.

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Check out Janice Perry's profile on Villainous Beauties Wiki!