TV Terrors: Tales From the Crypt

What horror fan doesn't get excited over Tales from the Crypt? The beloved EC Comics based anthology series that ran on HBO from 1989-1996 is a fan favorite and featured many memorable episodes. I've created brief reviews of a few of my favorites, but there are plenty of other great episodes out there. Which ones do you love?



 Television Terror (Season 2, Episode 16)
There's nothing like a good old fashioned haunted house story, and that's just what this episode is, albeit with that fun EC Comics' twist (generally awful people getting their just desserts). The episode features a smarmy TV reporter (Morton Downey Jr., Predator 2) investigating a supposedly haunted house where multiple murders occurred. There are a couple of good creepy moments in this early episode as well, particularly the man in the bathtub and the discovery of the fate of the poor cameraman.



The New Arrival (Season 4, Episode 7)
This is the first episode of Tales From the Crypt that I remember seeing, and it is easily one of the show's best. The episode is directed by Peter Medak (the George C. Scott chiller, The Changeling) and stars genre vets David Warner (The Omen, Grave Secrets) and Zelda Rubinstein (Poltergeist), as well as supermodel Twiggy. In it, Warner plays a radio psychologist who makes a house visit to a frequent caller (Rubinstein), the mother of a particularly difficult child. Needless to say, he lives to regret getting involved in this particular case.









House of Horror (Season 5, Episode 7)
House of Horror concerns that old genre staple, Fraternity Initiation Stunt Gone Wrong, but it spices it up with some stellar performances from the cast, which includes Courtney Gains (Children of the Corn), Kevin Dillon (The Blob), Brian Krause (Charmed), Will Wheaton, and the lovely Meredith Salenger (Lake Placid). This one also packs a fun little twist; I don't want to spoil it, but let's just say ghosts aren't the real problem here.




Creep Course (Season 5, Episode 9)
I love mummies. I'm a sucker for any horror story with a mummy angle, and this episode certainly delivers. Starring Anthony Michael Hall and Jeffrey Jones (not nearly as creepy here as he is in real life) as murderous conspirators and Nina Siemaszko as their not-so-helpless sacrifice to an ancient mummy, this popular episode is a load of fun.




Runners up: Korman's Kalamity (Season 2, Episode 13), Werewolf Concerto (Season 4, Episode 13), Death of Some Salesman (Season 5, Episode 1), Doctor of Horror (Season 6, Episode 12)

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Book Review: How to Recognize a Demon Has Become Your Friend

Image
 I don't know I put off reading this for so long. Linda Addison's How to Recognize a Demon Has Become Your Friend is an excellent collection of horror prose and poetry. My favorite poems were the clever bookending pair of "How To Recognize a Demon Has Become Your Friend" and "How To Recognize Your Friend Has Become a Demon," as well as the beautiful "Demon Dance." "Land Sharks" was another favorite. The stories were all strong, but I had a few favorites among them as well. The collection's two longest stories, "The Power" and "Milez to Go," were companion pieces about two magically gifted cousins, and I could happily read many more stories about both of them. "Excerpts From the Unabridged Traveler's Guide as UFO's in Galaxy A.G.2" was one of the most creative and original stories in the book and made me chuckle more than a few times. Finally, "Boo" absolutely broke my heart. It's rar
Read more

Book Review: The Valancourt Book of Victorian Christmas Ghost Stories

Image
 I have been hearing rave reviews of Valancourt's collections for a long time, but only now got around to picking one up. I am well pleased with my experience and plan to dive into the other collections soon. The Valancourt Book of Victorian Christmas Ghost Stories, edited by Tara Moore, is the perfect book to get you into that spooky Christmas spirit. The collection starts off with Sir Walter Scott's "The Tapestried Chamber." I love Scott's work - Ivanhoe is one of my very favorite novels. His story here about an army general visiting his old friend's haunted estate turned out to be one of my favorites in the book. It also had one of the collection's few legitimately creepy (by modern standards) scenes. Another favorite was the second tale, Elizabeth Gaskell's "The Old Nurse's Story." Gaskell is an incredible writer who I've always meant to read more of, and this story of a vengeful ghostly child was both tragic and haunting. John B
Read more

Book Review: Shirley Jackson's Dark Tales

Image
I just finished reading a collection of Shirley Jackson stories, Dark Tales . I have always been a fan of Shirley Jackson, ever since I first discovered  The Haunting of Hill House  years ago, and We Have Always Lived in the Castle is one of the most gleefully haunting and disturbing books I have ever had the pleasure of reading. Needless to say, I was very excited when I discovered this recently compiled collection of some of her most macabre works. I can also say with certainty that I was not disappointed. Highlights include: "Paranoia" This story is slightly but delightfully mad, concerning a man on his way home from work who is slowly coming to the realization that he is being followed by someone with ill intentions and that there just might be a greater conspiracy at work, with multiple people out to do him harm. This story ratchets up the protagonist's paranoia, and reminds me of that saying, "Just because you're paranoid, doesn't mean they're n
Read more