Traditional fairy tales are so creepy. And that’s why we love them. The eye-gougings, the princes that suddenly turn into ravens, the witches burnt to death in ovens, all of it speaks to something primal within us. Adaptations of classic fairy tales by Disney and others tend to dumb down their violent and scary aspects, creating something fluffier and less offensive, but somehow less compelling as well.

The Storyteller, a television series directed and produced by Muppeteer Jim Henson in the late ’80s, does no such sweetening. Each of the nine live-action 22 minute episodes retells a traditional folk tale, usually German, and is narrated by the great John Hurt, practically unrecognizable in his fantasy makeup but retaining his customary gravitas. The tales themselves are also given a majestic weight, with screenplays by Oscar winner Anthony Mingella, and fantastic character actors such as Brenda Blethyn, Miranda Richardson, and Jennifer Saunders (years before Ab Fab). Both acting and production values are of such top quality that each episode is like a mini-movie instead of a disposable kids’ show.

And what tales, full of horrific happenings! Sapsorrow, a Cinderella-like tale in which a princess is ordered to marry her own father; the Luck Child, in which an infant is thrown bodily off a cliff (and survives!). You may not recognize the narratives, but you will recognize their mythic weight. Oh, and speaking of myths, there’s a second four-episode Storyteller series that takes on Greek myths. Both the original Storyteller and the Greek myths version aired on NBC, and, in the late ’90s, on HBO. These days both are available on DVD, as well as free for Netflix members on Netflix’s Watch Instantly.

POSTED IN: Movies
TAGS: brian henson, fairy tales, hbo, jim henson, john hurt, nbc, series, storyteller, television