Revisiting Tales From the Crypt

“Greeting, boils and ghouls!”

                It’s probably been twenty years since I heard my old fiend the Crypt Keeper greet me with that pun, and then follow it up with his cackling laughter as he introduced another episode of the Tales of the Crypt. 

                For those of you who don’t know, or never had the privilege of watching Tales From the Crypt, you’re missing out on one of the greatest horror anthologies television has ever produced.  Premiering in 1989, Tales From the Crypt combined campiness and horror as it retold stories from the old E.C. horror comics line with titles like, Tales from the Crypt, The Haunt of Fear, The Vault of Horror, and Crime SuspenStories. 

Crypt Keeper as Elvis

The episodes were hosted by the Crypt Keeper, who filled the intro and outro with his pun-filled monologues.  The stories may have been able to stand alone, but the Crypt Keeper definitely made the series stand out from its contemporaries like The Dark Side or the remakes of The Outer Limits and The Twilight Zone.  He made each episode fun and stamped it with a signature, much like Rod Serling did with the original Twilight Zone.  Did I just compare the Crypt Keeper to Serling?   Yes.  Yes, I did.

How could you not love this mug?

                Anyway, though some of the special effects seem a bit dated now, the show holds up well overall.  I think part of the reason for this, is they didn’t go overboard trying to produce truly hideous monsters or creatures.   Like I said, the Crypt Keeper himself is a puppet, and an obvious one.  If they had tried to use computers to portray him, it would never hold up today.  We focus instead on his personality. 

                The episodes themselves vary in theme, from the truly horrific and straight up slasher flicks, to Hitchcockian (Al actually makes an appearance in an episode) twists and turns.  Every episode is different, and there-in lies its charm. 

                Like I said, the show first aired in 1989 and ran to 1996, and it is a very 90’s show.  You’ll see a lot of familiar faces from that era, and not all of them come from horror backgrounds.  Arnold Schwarzenegger directed an episode, and some of the stars include Bobcat Goldthwaite, Leah Thompson, Morton Downy Jr., John Lovitz, and a host of others (way to many to name here).   The list of directors is as long as impressive as the actors.  I mentioned Schwarzenegger (not that he’s known as a director) but others include Tobe Hooper, Michael J. Fox, and Robert Zemeckis (who also served as a producer).

Don Rickles and his hand in the memorable episode "The Ventriloquist's Dummy"   

                Tale From the Crypt was produced by HBO (why they don’t stream it, I’ll never understand), so they were able to get away with a lot of the violence and sexual content other anthologies from the era weren’t allowed to show.  I watched this show as a kid when my parents let me stay up late (or when they had already gone to bed) but I wouldn’t call this a show for kids.  While the cartoonish Crypt Keeper may assuage some of the edge of the horror series, with his puns and comical innuendos, the show is very much for adults. 

                The other side of that argument is that its based on old horror comics.  The producers probably grew up with these comics as kids, and knew that kids like me would be pulled into their show by the host, and stay tuned for the thrills provided in each story.  Watching Tales From the Crypt was fun, because it felt like you weren’t supposed to be watching it.  Much like reading those old EC Comics.  The love of the show has stuck with me for over twenty years now, and if I had kids, I might let them stay up late on Friday nights to watch another tale brought to them by the Crypt Keeper.

                If it causes nightmares?  Well, then I guess it means the show aged well.  Unlike the Crypt Keeper.  Heeeeyahahaahaaa!!!!!