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"Tales from the Crypt" (1989)

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42 comments in total

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21 out of 22 people found the following comment useful :-
Remember, kiddies: hee hee hee!, 26 October 2005
Author: Lee Eisenberg (eisenberg.lee@gmail.com) from Portland, Oregon, USA

There have been many shows that were never intended to be taken seriously, but "Tales from the Crypt" brings the idea to a whole new level. Each episode begins by descending into what appears to be a haunted house, where we get introduced to the delightfully creepy Crypt Keeper. He explains (as sardonically as possible) what we're about to watch. Then, each episode tells a story involving a really nasty situation; some involve monsters, others involve people doing really unpleasant things, but they all make one laugh. I really liked the episode where Don Rickles played a most unusual puppeteer, and also the episode where Christopher Reeve opened a restaurant...of sorts. Granted, this show was kind of ridiculous, but they never lost their timing, even with the Crypt Keeper's silly remarks. Just remember that, kiddies. Hee hee hee!

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19 out of 22 people found the following comment useful :-
Campy for the Creepy, 1 June 2003
Author: ewiddison from Logan, Utah

I saw a few episodes on video, and while I am not a particular fan of the genre, I was quite impressed. It was like the Twilight Zone, but with a strong horror theme (although not all the time), and without the pretentious feel. What really impressed me was the cheesy lines the crypt keeper had. They were so bad that the writers had to have tried for that effect. It was like listening to the worst spook alley script you've ever seen. That's the heart and soul of campy TV. It goes a long way toward helping you appreciate the carefully crafted tales that are being introduced.

The other stand out thing about the show is the actors they get. They don't just dredge up whatever they can get from the local playhouses. They get some top names. On top of that, you get the feeling that these big stars are having a lot of fun telling a ghost story (not that they're about ghosts, but you get the idea).

So, if you thought Rod Sterling didn't include enough dismemberments, or you just like clever stories with deliberately awful introductions, and you aren't squeamish, then this is the show for you.

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18 out of 22 people found the following comment useful :-
Season One: Qualifications To Be Admitted Into The 'Crypt', 27 January 2006
Author: ccthemovieman-1 from Lockport, NY, United States

If you are a somewhat warped person with a dark sense of humor, you'll really like this offering. Obviously I plead guilty because I liked this, although one of episodes turned me off. Nonetheless, it's very entertaining because of the effective mix of comedy, suspense, horror and originality.

You only get six stories from this opening (1989) season of horror-comedy on cable television, but at a fairly cheap price, the DVD set still is well worth it.

In addition to the crazy stories, you get some surprisingly good cinematography. The picture isn't razor sharp but it's well-photographed. Some pretty big directors in the film business - Richard Donner, Robert Zemeckis, Joel Silver, David Giler and Walter Hill - are involved.

Each show features an actor or two who's familiar and they must have had fun making these. You can just see it as they ham it up in their roles. Warning: the language is rough. This is R-rated material....and perhaps only for sick people, as I must be.

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22 out of 30 people found the following comment useful :-
The Best Horror Series On Television Period., 3 January 2002
Author: mjohnson55 from Hamilton, Ohio

Tales From The Crypt was and still is the best horror series on TV period. Sure there was Freddy's Nightmares and Friday the 13th the series, and even the Hitchhiker and Tales From The Darkside, they all fell short of Tales From The Crypt. My two favorites have to be the Santa one (Where the maniac escapes and terrorizes a woman who had just killed her husband on Christmas Eve.) And Til Death ( The one where this guy ODs the girl he wants on a love drug and kills her, then she comes back to life a rotting zombie chasing after him.) Most of the other episodes were much better than the other series offerings. I think Tales From The Crypt can still be seen on the Sci-Fi Channel late nights, and on some local channels on late Saturday nights. Actually with television they way it is now (with mostly stupid sit-coms) In my opinion Tales is one the few good shows on the air. If you by some chance have never seen this series watch a few episodes for yourself you might like it.

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13 out of 15 people found the following comment useful :-
Television's all time greatest horror series, 31 October 1999
Author: Mooby from a house with a secret passageway leading to a bunch of tombs

Not only was every episode meticulously crafted into thirty minutes of ironic terror, but the forces behind it always remained credible enough to deliver star-studded episodes. Jon Kassir's Crypt Keeper remains one of the more sacred pop culture figures of recent years (when's the last time you saw someone trashing the Keeper? He's an icon for chrissakes), and while some of the stories may not have been on caliber with others (most of the "England" episodes never touched the Demi Moore/"if I can't have you, no one will" one), in the end, when the smoke had cleared and the show was over, you looked at it with a refreshing zing, as if you had embraced being had.

Bringing back the EC stories wasn't a simple task. Speilberg tried it with "Amazing Stories" and gave up after two long years. The "Vault Of Horror" got a limited run in 94, but failed. But Tales always stuck around, on its own terms, and gave up swinging.

NP: The Bobcat Goldthwait episode: only animated Tales ever: takeoff...Three Little Pigs

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8 out of 9 people found the following comment useful :-
miss it!, 3 March 2007

Author: luckyfoshizzle from United States

Oh man, I miss this show so very much. I wish upon oh so many stars for them to bring it back. *sigh* There aren't many shows EVER to have a whole new storyline every episode. And for the ones there are, none of them can even begin to compare with this one. It had EVERYTHING; humor, horror, drama, and an amazing, original host to start each episode off: The Cryptkeeper.

There may be other shows that are similar, but none will ever have anything like the Cryptkeeper. When I was younger, I was terrified of him. But as I got older I listened more to what he said and realized how hilarious he was. Not because his jokes were funny, but more because of how corny they are, but yet he thinks they are just the funniest things in the world.

The thing is is that if you haven't seen this show then you definitely need to go out and buy the episodes. And if you don't feel like taking a big step like that, go rent them, then you can buy them. I, myself, am waiting eagerly for them to put the rest of the seasons on DVD so I can have a HUGE marathon of nothing but "Tales From the Crypt"!

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6 out of 7 people found the following comment useful :-
One of the best TV shows ever made and one of HBO's finest..., 9 April 2006
Author: SSJAniFan from Pine Valley, California

Based on the gruesome EC comics of the same name, Tales From the Crypt showcased a wide ranged of talent in both in front and behind the screen. And despite the name, not every episode was pure horror... some could be laugh-out-loud humorous, and some were even dramatic that could put you to the verge of shedding tears. The makeup on the series was excellent, and made the scenes that were gruesome very hard to watch. And of course, let's not forget the the dead one himself, the Cryptkeeper. John Kassir was absolutely perfect as the voice of the ghoulish host. For people who missed the series, I truly think you should purchase the DVD sets and check it out. Be warned though, there are some scenes that you may have a tough time stomaching.

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6 out of 8 people found the following comment useful :-
Season 1, 10 September 2005
Author: movieman_kev from United States

OK, the Cryptkeeper, I remember him fondly, as I knew whenever I say him I knew he'd be preceded by a great tale of horror. OK maybe in the first short season, it wasn't as apparent as the superb later seasons would be, but this did lay the groundwork (side note: none of the tales in the first 6 episodes of this series actually came from the "Tales From the Crypt" comic series technically). Not to say this season wasn't good, quite the opposite as the maniac Santa story of "And all through the House" and the black comedic "Collection Completed" are classic episodes, even if the other 4 are not really up to snuff. Even the second season would get so much better by leaps and bounds.

My Season one grade: B

Season 1 Extras: New introduction from a now heavily bandaged Cryptkeeper; the cool "Tales from the Crypt: From Comic Books to Television" documentary and the not nearly as cool 5 and a half minute "Crypt Keeper's History Of Season 1"

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3 out of 3 people found the following comment useful :-
Classic Campy horror fun, 27 April 2006

Author: mr_vistor from United States

I have always been a fan of the series. This is the kind of stuff I grew up on. I loved this show when I was a kid, so much that I even read some of the old comics. There is always a moral to each story. (most of which seem to involve betraying lovers for some odd reason) Although some episodes are so far out there they come off as being lame at times I can't help but love them. Every episode is like it's own little horror movie. I highly recommend the series,especially now that it is coming out on DVD. You get a lot of entertainment for your money. Thats all I have to say about this series and as the crypt keeper would say "Good night boils and ghouls."

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8 out of 14 people found the following comment useful :-
A great show...took the place after the loss of another., 23 November 2005

Author: Tommy Nelson from Long Beach, California

stars: John Kassir as the Cryptkeeper.

Usually great horror anthology show hosted by the Cryptkeeper, a rotting corpse done through animatronics. It's hard to rate it as an entire series, because the episodes went from really bad, to excellent. I will review the first and second season(out on DVD now) Season one-6 episodes. 160 mins. This was obviously the starter season, so there were some glitches. The first is the Cryptkeeper, who really didn't look all that great this season. He didn't yet evolve with his facial movements yet. As for episodes, the classics were Man Who Was Death and Dig that Cat hes Real Gone. The really good ones were Collection completed and All Through the House. Then there was Only Sin Deep and Lover Come Hack to Me. My rating-B plus.

Season 2-18 episodes. 470 mins. The Cryptkeeper has evolved to great lip and eye movement. As for the series, this season has some good ones. I'm not going to go into all of them, but they are good. Some of the classics are Television Terror, Korman's Kalamity, Cutting Cards, The Switch, For Crying Out Loud, The Ventiliquists Dummy and Lower Berth. Great season. My rating-A.

My rating of the series in all-A. episode lengths-(approx.)27 minutes with no commercials. TV:MA:LVS

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