Watch Tales From the Crypt

Name: Tales From the Crypt
Genre: Horror & Suspense
Released: 1989-06-10
Cast: John Kassir

TV-MA
1989
7 Seasons
8.0 (26,341)

Tales From the Crypt is a horror anthology television series that aired on HBO from 1989 to 1996. The show is based on the EC Comics series of the same name and is hosted by the Crypt Keeper, a rotting corpse who introduces each episode with his macabre wit and humor. The Crypt Keeper was voiced by John Kassir and quickly became the show's most popular character.

Each episode of Tales From the Crypt tells a standalone horror story with a twist ending. The stories range from traditional horror tropes like ghosts, zombies, and vampires to more contemporary themes like technology gone awry and social commentary on modern society. The show was known for its morality tales, where the villain often received their comeuppance at the end of the episode.

One of the unique features of Tales From the Crypt was its use of well-known actors and directors. The show attracted big names in Hollywood like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Tom Hanks, and Brad Pitt, who were all eager to try their hand at directing an episode. The show's producers also cast established actors like Demi Moore, Joe Pesci, and Steve Buscemi in their episodes, which helped to elevate the quality of the show.

Another aspect of the show that made it stand out was its use of practical effects. The show's production team relied heavily on prosthetic makeup, animatronics, and puppetry to create the show's sinister creatures and monsters. This gave the show a distinct visual style and created a sense of terror that CGI effects could not replicate.

Tales From the Crypt was divisive among critics and viewers during its run. Some praised the show's dark humor and gruesome violence, while others criticized its repetitive formula and lack of originality. However, the show's impact on the horror genre cannot be denied. It inspired a new generation of horror filmmakers and paved the way for other horror anthology shows like American Horror Story and Black Mirror.

Overall, Tales From the Crypt is a cult classic that has endured long after its original run. It remains an icon in the horror genre and a beloved show for fans of all ages. The Crypt Keeper's signature cackle and catchphrases like "Greetings, boils and ghouls!" have become a part of pop culture history, and the show's influence can be seen in countless horror movies and TV shows that followed.

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13. The Third Pig

July 19, 1996

In this twisted tale of the "Three Little Pigs" and the series' only animated episode. The first and second pigs are killed by the big bad wolf and the third pig, Dudley is accused and sentenced to death. Dudley builds a Franken-Pig to kill the wolf. Franken-Pig eats up the wolf, but the wolf escapes and eats Dudley.

12. Ear Today... Gone Tomorrow

July 12, 1996

An aging safecracker is wanted dead by the mob, but is given another chance. The mobster's wife gets the safecracker to get ear surgery so he'd have the hearing of an owl and he and the wife can run off with the money. Unfortunately, it was all a setup. The man is killed by the mobster and the surgeon who gave him the hearing.

11. Confession

July 5, 1996

A screenwriter is interrogated by a hard-nosed cop who thinks he's a serial killer who slices the head off women. The man ends up confessing to the crime. When the cop goes home, he opens his refrigerator and there are the heads of the women on the shelves.

10. About Face

June 28, 1996

A priest discovers that he has two long lost twin daughters: beautiful Angelica and ugly Leah. The twin sisters kill a woman that their new dad has had an affair with. Jonathan, the priest, thinks it's his wife so he kills her. Leah attacks him with a knife and the priest kills her. But he’s shocked to see that the ugly twin and the pretty twin were Siamese twins.

9. Smoke Wrings

June 21, 1996

An ad executive hires a man who knows nothing about advertising to work for her firm. The man is actually working for the ad company's founder who was fired years ago. The man is given a device that alters people's thoughts and makes them buy certain products. Unfortunately, the ex-employee was controlling the man the whole time and was just a lab rat to pitch the machine.

8. Report from the Grave

June 14, 1996

Elliot invents a machine that reads the thoughts of the dead. He tries to read the thought of a murderous serial killer Tymrak. The man's girlfriend is killed during the experiment and she becomes Tymrak's slave. He tries to bring her back with his invention but brings Tymrak back too.

7. Kidnapper

June 7, 1996

A pawnbroker falls in love with a pregnant girl. But after the child is born, he gets jealous. He gets a sleazy baby broker to kidnap the baby, after this the woman goes insane. He tries to make her feel better by stealing another baby in the park but is beaten to death by an angry mob but he discovers that the baby he tried to steal was really his lady friend's baby all along.

6. Cold War

May 31, 1996

Cammy is tired of Ford so she decides to leave him after a robbery backfires. Cammy goes to a bar where she meets an attractive black man, Jimmy Pickett. Ford rushes in and attempts to kill the man, but Jimmy has a secret: he's a vampire but Ford and Cammy also have a secret: they're zombies. After a scuffle, all three of them fall out of a window. Ford and Cammy live but they're so mangled they can't be seen in public.

5. Horror in the Night

May 24, 1996

Jewel thief Nick double crosses his partner and hides out in a hotel. He starts hallucinating after he meets a mysterious woman. She reveals to him that she's a ghost of a woman he killed years ago. The thief sees the killing reenacted in front of him and is shot by his presumed dead partner.

4. Escape

May 17, 1996

An English WWII traitor finds himself confined to a prison camp. One of the men he betrayed is transported to the camp. Badly scarred, he promises to reveal the traitor's identity. When he recovers, the traitor kills the patient before he can rat him out. Along with another prisoner, the traitor plans to escape by hiding in a coffin and be taken out to the graveyard where they can make their escape. Unfortunately, it was all a set up and he is killed.

3. A Slight Case of Murder

May 3, 1996

After being irritated by her nosy neighbor, a writer finds out she is getting stalked by her jealous ex. He accuses her of cheating on him with the nosy neighbor's son. As her son plans to do away with Sharon's ex, she comes alive and everyone kills each other. Before the writer dies, the nosy neighbor comes in and tells her that it was set up for research on her new book.