– Tora Matys
In the spirit of Halloween, let’s throw back to the 90s and remember a classic horror show/movie, Tales from the Crypt. For those who don’t know what this is, you have some homework to do, because you can’t walk this earth and NOT know who the Crypt Keeper is.
Tales from the Crypt was a T.V series that aired on HBO from 1989-1996, running 7 seasons and 93 episodes. The original series won 15 Emmys and had 41 nominations, and between 2005 and 2007 Warner Home Movies re-released and remastered all 7 seasons.
Creator Steven Dodd drew his inspiration from the 1950’s comic series written by William Gaines and Al Feldstein, “Tales from the Crypt” and its sister titles “The Vault of Horror” and “The Haunt of Fear”. At the time, the comics received a lot of flack from the public; parents claiming it left their children shaken and contributed to delinquency. This forced EC Comics to cancel the titles in 1954.
Episodes began with the show’s host, the Crypt Keeper, introducing the episode with as many puns as the writers could come up with. The 30 minute segments were filled with blood, monsters, and sheer terror.
Top 3 episodes to watch.
#1 What’s Cooking, season 4 episode 6 (1992)
Fred (Christopher Reeves) and Erma (Beth Armstrong) are trying to run a restaurant that serves only squid, but it doesn’t seem to be going well for them. When the landlord, ‘Chumley’ (Meatloaf), comes and threatens to evict them for not paying the rent, the busboy steps up to the plate and suggest they try a new approach to the menu with doing steaks and BBQ. His idea works and the restaurant becomes the busiest in town. At the same time as business picks up their landlord mysteriously goes missing. Coincidence?
#2 Television Terror, season 2 episode 16 (1990)
Obnoxious TV journalist Horton Rivers (Morton Downey Jr) decides to push his fate and give a live tour of a haunted house. Despite local legends and physic warnings to stay far away he braves the house to give the performance of a lifetime.
#3 Easel Kill Ya, season 3 episode 8 (1991)
Jack Craig (Tim Roth) is a starving artist hungry for new inspiration. When he stumbles upon a wealthy art collector who is willing to pay big money for morbid artwork Jack tries to capture the beauty of death in his paintings. The only problem is he has to go and find the subjects for his art, and sometimes that can be tricky unless you’re willing to get your hands dirty.
Image courtesy of imdb
