Tales from the Crypt

1972 "DEATH LIVES in the Vault of Horror!"
6.8| 1h32m| PG| en| More Info
Released: 09 March 1972 Released
Producted By: Amicus Productions
Country: United Kingdom
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
Synopsis

Five people find themselves in a tomb. The Crypt keeper explains why they are there through a series of frightening stories. Based on the classic comic book.

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Reviews

2hotFeature one of my absolute favorites!
Dynamixor The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.
Doomtomylo a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.
Jemima It's a movie as timely as it is provocative and amazingly, for much of its running time, it is weirdly funny.
sbijapure This is a collection of five different stories. All of them are so slow paced that you tend to go to sleep. It is slow paced even for the 1970s standard. No horrible getup is used anywhere though the poster shows a horrible skull with a single eye. Even the music is dull. A waste of time. Good actors are wasted. Though the movie is about "as you sow so you reap", in the fourth story, we wonder if the protagonist really deserved what he got.
hellraiser7 I'm a fan of the E.C. comics series "Tales from the Crypt" along with the TV show that got me into the comics and anthology horror in general. This film is one of my favorite anthology horror films that I've seen, let alone comic book adaptation films that are actually good and I personally feel is a bit under the radar.It's true that the only think this anthology lacks is the humor and more of the gore element which were some of the things that made the E.C. Horror comic series, due to the fact this film was going for a more serious approach. But it still retains the scares, morality and the anthology format like in the comics.The production value is solid, the effects were on par we actually got to see a bit of blood in a place or two. I like the music score which is solid as they use the old "Phantom of the Opera" organ theme for the theme of this film which felt right. And also liked certain suspenseful tunes in a place or two.I like Ralph Richerson as the Cryptkeeper, really like that Skull Throne I thought that was cool but also added to his dark presence. He's a really solid horror host, he has a dark and mysterious arroa about him as he seems like a person that is letting on more than he is telling. And each of the main characters in the tales are antagonists that you dislike and hate, and like in all of the E.C. tales you know their going to pay the price.Each of the tales I think are really great in their own way, which ones you love the most are up to you but that's always how it goes with anthologies letting you be the judge, let alone providing you with a wide selection of stories.One of them is of course "And All though the House" this was of course retold in the TV show. But I really love this tale because it was the first or one of the first horror stories that decided to actually have a horror story take place on a holiday, Christmas out of all of them which was a risk move but a good one. I really like the sense of dread as you never know where the killer Santa is going to pop out, the look of the serial killer Santa I thought was creepy as he really dirty looking and has sort of a crazy looking eye; there is always something about evil in the guise of a symbol of innocence that makes the antagonist all the more scary because it really gives a disarming feel.Another of course stared one of my favorite actors Peter Cushing and this film was literally one of his last horror films. In this film he plays a protagonist that you really like, even though he doesn't look like much he's a guy you can be friends with as he is unselfish and always kind, fixing things mainly toys for the kids and takes care of lots of dogs. He's also a widower which makes you feel some pathos for him, Peter Cussing actually put a little of himself on those scenes since his own wife passed on closely before this film. In a way it makes it all the more hard to watch this character go down as some rich frak butt wipe wants to destroy that man's life because he's not upper class like them which in a way makes the perpetrator's scheme a hate crime. You just completely hate the antagonist from beginning to end as he just doesn't let up on his cruel jokes, I guess he never learned the old saying, "joke's over by now." Seeing this you honestly are waiting for the perpetrator to let's just say receive his Hallmark card from Hell.The final tale is my favorite, I really like the blind man protagonist whom you really feel bad for as he and his companion in the home are getting less of what they need. While the former Major whom of course is a Major butt head that runs the joint is practically robbing the home blind (no pun intended) he is using the funds of the home for himself, which isn't right. But also he doesn't give a crap about the blind, the fact that their even disabled, to him disability is complete weakness that gets nothing.And of course something happens which of course means war, and it was great seeing the Blind man protagonist along with his friends, despite the loss of sight there wits are razor sharp. The final part is great as it is to me one of the most suspenseful sequences ever as we see the Major go thought a strange gauntlet, and one of the sections is a wall of razor blades. I'll admit I couldn't help but wince every time the major cut himself it looked and sounded painful.So enter the Crypt, if you dare.Rating: 4 stars
GL84 During a museum tour, five strangers get separated and lost from the others. Trapped inside a strange tomb, they all meet a mysterious monk who begins to tell them of how they are going to die.The Good Story(s): Reflection of Death-After saying he has to go out for the night on business, a man instead heads out to see his mistress. Deadly tired from a long day of work, she offers to drive instead. While sleeping, his nightmares accidentally force them off the road and they crash. Stumbling away from the wreckage, everyone he meets acts like he is the devil incarnate. Making it back to her apartment, he learns that she survived the accident but became permanently blind. Seeing his face on a picture, he realizes that he is a zombie which wakes him up from his dream. This has to be my favorite of the stories, for the punch-line at the end is so well thought out that it simply hits and hits well. This is the one I don't won't to spoil, and is the main reason why this is a recommended.Poetic Justice-After spying on his neighbor, a man is appalled at how well like he is by all the neighborhood kids and frames his dogs digging up a neighbor's roses. After further acts of hatred against him leave the man even more humiliated, he simply vanishes on Valentine's Day after suffering his greatest humiliation. Wondering where he is, he goes over to check and see that he has hung himself in the bathroom. On the anniversary of his wife's death, the man returns for his final vengeance. What really sold this one was how well Cushing did in portraying Arthur. He really brought out a certain kindness and sympathy in his role. I not in the remotest a sentimental person for movie roles, but I really did feel a little sad for him during the movie. This was a very real performance, as it was a short story that he appeared in. I can't speak enough about how well Cushing was in this story, and is a major reason for watching this particular one. The story might be a little cliché and can be seen coming a mile away, the supernatural vengeance here seems the most appropriate based on the treatment within, and the finale's pretty tense as well.Blind Alleys-Inheriting a retirement villa, a former Army Major runs it so shabbily that the residents are appalled at their treatment. Deciding to get rid of him, they build a giant tunnel full of razor wires that he has to successfully get through in order to live. Even though it is the longest of the stories, nothing of real importance happens until the very end. This is where the famous still shots of the movie come from, and it is a real famous one too, which means that I won't spoil it for you.The Bad Story(s): And All Through the House-After murdering her husband on Christmas, a woman tries to hide it from her daughter. While trying to dispose of the body, she hears an announcement that a killer has escaped from a mental institution and is on the loose. Realizing that the killer is right outside her door, she tries to hide both the body and herself. After an attempt to break into the house, she finally hides the body in the basement and cleans up the crime scene. After a strange set of keys on the table alerts her that the killer is on the house, who is dressed as Santa Claus, her daughter inadvertently lets him into the house. What ruins this for me is that the Christmas music that is blaring throughout the entire story, while appropriate, is completely intrusive on the rest of the action. Suspense is shattered when music plays during scenes where tension should be. Instead, the happy Christmas sounds take you right out of the moment anything happens. It is, in fact, so loud that all other sounds except for a small amount of other noise is drowned out by it being played at the same volume as well. When she is three rooms away from the radio, we still hear it at the exact same level.Wish You Were Here-In danger of declaring bankruptcy, a man finds a rare Chinese statue on his mantle-piece of acquisitions and learns that the statue is very similar to a monkey's paw. A wish is made for him to come into money, but on the way to receive it, he is accidentally killed. His wife wishes him alive again, but he is in so much pain that he can't stop screaming. Trying to hack him to pieces, she realizes that her wish was for him to be alive forever. What ruined this one was that it really only served to me as a way of introducing a swift punch-line at the end. It never gave me a jump as the other one's did, and I never really felt any emotion other than boredom during this story. It does have a cool gore scene when she hacks him up and we can see his insides, but it is so obviously a set of pig intestines used. It is recommended only for that one cool scene, but it sticks out from the other scenes for its fake-ness.Today's Rating/PG-13: Violence and Adult Situations.
utgard14 Great horror anthology film based off of EC Comics from the 1950s. Five people who are part of a tour group to view ancient catacombs become lost and meet a mysterious hooded figure (Ralph Richardson), who tells them each about their fate. There are five stories. The first story is "All Through the Night," which stars Joan Collins as a wife who murders her husband on Christmas Eve. A homicidal maniac escaped from an asylum, dressed as Santa Claus, happens upon her home at this time and tries to force his way in. She can't call the police without exposing her own crime. The first story is one of the most famous EC stories. Collins is fun to watch and the whole thing is directed quite well. As a kid, this was my favorite segment.The second story is "Reflection of Death." It's about a man (Ian Hendry) who abandons his wife and kids to leave with his mistress, only to crash his car along the way. He pulls himself from the wreck and tries to make his way home, but everybody he meets is horrified. This is a short segment, and not particularly strong. Still, it's enjoyable enough. The third story is "Poetic Justice." A man and his son (David Markham, Robin Phillips) are a couple of snobs who hate their elderly neighbor (Peter Cushing), a garbage man who is kind to animals and children. Hoping to drive him out of the neighborhood, they begin a smear campaign against him that ends with tragic results. The best segment in the film. Peter Cushing's performance as the sympathetic Arthur Grimsdyke is excellent, as is his makeup in the final part."Wish You Were Here" is the fourth story, about a struggling businessman and his wife (Richard Greene, Barbara Murray). They use a Chinese figurine that's supposed to grant three wishes and get more than they wished for. This is a variation on the classic Monkey's Paw story. Nothing really surprising here and, despite an attempt at a gruesome finish, it's pretty slight. The final story is "Blind Alleys," about a former army major (Nigel Patrick) who becomes the new director of a home for the blind. He runs the place ruthlessly, which leads to the blind taking matters into their own hands. One has to assume that they believed when putting this movie together that the final segment was the best, but it really isn't. It's overlong and mean-spirited. It does have some nice claustrophobic moments but it's probably my least favorite segment. After the final story, the film returns to where it started with the hooded figure and the five lost people, who now know their fate. This linking story is amusing but weak, with a twist that you see coming before the movie starts.Despite its problems, this really is a good anthology film made with style by a great genre director, Freddie Francis. The cast is great and the stories are, for the most part, solid. Is it an ideal representation of EC Comics or Tales from the Crypt? Not really. It largely misses the black humor and sometimes cheesy gags that made those stories so much more than simple horror tales. These stories are more serious and straightforward. But they are fine entertainment and can be enjoyed as such.