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A paperboy is imprisoned by a woman (Deborah Harry) who plans to cook and eat him, but he’s able to delay her meal by telling her three tales of terror. Tales from the Darkside: The Movie is a somewhat underwhelming horror anthology that kicks off with a tale called “Lot 249,” adapted from Arthur Conan Doyle. Steve Buscemi, Christian Slater, and Julianne Moore co-star in the segment, which features a dorky college student who resurrects an ancient mummy to exact his revenge. The second story, “Cat from Hell,” is a Stephen King tale adapted by George Romero, about an rich old recluse (William Hickey) who lives in fear of a supernaturally-endowed black cat. Despite the star power and famous penmanship, the first two stories are mediocre at best. The film definitely saves the best for last. “Lover’s Vow” is an original story by Michael McDowell (who also worked on Beetlejuice and The Nightmare Before Christmas). James Remar (Dexter) stars as a down-and-out artist who watches his best friend get murdered by a hulking, winged demon. The creature promises to let Remar live if he vows never to tell anyone about what he has seen. After falling in love (with Rae Dawn Chong) and having a family, the demon’s curse comes back to haunt him. In comparison to other horror anthology films, this one’s better than most Hammer and Amicus films, but doesn’t hold a candle to King and Romero’s Creepshow.