A long-forgotten horror anthology series from the early 1980s is finally getting a chance to reach a new audience. Kino Lorber has announced the Blu-ray release of Darkroom: The Complete Series, bringing all seven episodes of the cult 1981-82 series to disc for the first time in a new 4K restoration.
Darkroom: The Complete Series is scheduled to be released on October 13, 2026.
If you’ve never heard of Darkroom, you’re not alone. The short-lived anthology series aired in 1981 and 1982 and has remained something of a buried treasure for horror and television fans. Inspired by classic anthology shows like The Twilight Zone and Night Gallery, Darkroom presented standalone tales of mystery, suspense, and horror.
The series was hosted by screen legend James Coburn, who introduced the show’s stories with an ominous warning:
“You feel something beckoning you, drawing you into the terror that awaits you in the Darkroom.”
And now, more than four decades after the series disappeared, Darkroom is coming back in high definition. Kino Lorber’s new special-edition Blu-ray includes all seven episodes, each receiving a new 4K restoration from the original camera negative.
The series featured a surprisingly impressive collection of guest stars, including David Carradine, Billy Crystal, Brian Dennehy, Helen Hunt, June Lockhart, and Rue McClanahan. Darkroom also featured contributions from writers including Robert Bloch, the author of Psycho, as well as Peter S. Fischer, who would go on to create Murder, She Wrote, and Christopher Crowe, who worked on Alfred Hitchcock Presents. Directors included Rick Rosenthal, the director of Halloween II, Prom Night director Paul Lynch, and Curtis Harrington, the filmmaker behind the cult favorite Night Tide.
Kino Lorber has packed the release with new audio commentaries for every episode. The new commentaries include:
- Episode 1 with director Paul Lynch, moderated by filmmaker Daniel Kremer
- Episode 1 with film historian and screenwriter Gary Gerani
- Episode 2 with Made for TV Mayhem co-host Amanda Reyes
- Episode 3 with film historians Steve Mitchell and Nathaniel Thompson
- Episode 4 with film historian David Del Valle
- Episode 5 with Amanda Reyes
- Episode 6 with David Del Valle
- Episode 7 with entertainment journalists and authors Bryan Reesman and Max Evry
The release also includes Under-Exposed But Well-Developed: Director Paul Lynch Revisits Darkroom, a 19-minute featurette in which Lynch looks back at the series. Optional English subtitles are also included.
Darkroom: The Complete Series will be released on Blu-ray by Kino Lorber on October 13, 2026. For fans of classic horror anthologies, obscure television, James Coburn, or discovering forgotten genre gems, this is one release worth keeping an eye on. Will you be adding this one to your collection? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
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