Tales from the Crypt

Horror anthologies are invariably a mixed bag and Tales from the Crypt is no different in that respect. Five horror stories of fluctuating quality, it is however one of the best of the bunch and arguably the best from the house of Amicus.

The wrap around has five people taking a tour of spooky catacombs who get lured into a hidden crypt where a cowl wearing man reveals to them exactly why they are there.

Stories 3 & 5 are the better efforts here, boosted considerably by top grade lead character performances from Peter Cushing and Patrick Magee, but as always with anthology movies, there's something for everyone. So roll the dice horror fans and take a chance, this is great fun, a real popcorn and wine night in by the fire. 7/10

Tales From the Crypt is a movie, that is different than most horror movies. It starts out with people wandering through a tomb on a tour, they stray away and end up locked in a crypt with a strange man in it. He tells them stories about what happened or what is about to happen to them.

The movie itself is stylishly made, and somewhat suspenseful. The acting in it is above par, and although the film itself never goes to being a triumph, it does stay entertaining till the end, to a shocking final twist. But I must say even though the film is PG, it's like JAWS, it has quite a bit of violence and blood in it, and parents should be warned that if this was released now it would be PG-13.

So if you're a fan of thrillers that are intelligent, scary, and stylish, Tales From the Crypt is one for you. And if you're one that just wants to waste a couple of hours, this is a fun movie, that you won't regret seeing.

Five strangers lose their way while on a tour of a catacomb and find themselves in the company of a strange crypt keeper (Sir Ralph Richardson) who predicts each person's future… or so they think.

The five stories are as follows: And All Through The House: Joan Collins plays murderous wife Joanne Clayton, who bashes her husband's head in with a fire poker on Christmas Eve, but gets her just desserts when an escaped homicidal maniac dressed as Santa pays her home a visit. Easily my favourite of the five (and not just because Joan is smokin' hot in this!), the first story offers genuine atmosphere and scares with a really neat twist (admittedly, Joanne misses a trick by not calling the cops and blaming her husband's death on the lunatic in the Santa suit, but she's acting under a lot of pressure). My only real complaint is this one is over all too soon.

Reflection of Death: Carl Maitland (Ian Hendry) leaves his wife and family to start a new life with his sexy young mistress Susan Blake (Carry On babe). While asleep in the passenger seat, he wakes from a terrible nightmare shortly before the car careers off the road, in what proves to be a dream-within-a-dream style story. A decent central performance by Hendry and a cool POV sequence makes this one fun despite the well-worn circular nature of its narrative (which dates way back to 1945 when it was used in the classic anthology Dead of Night).

Poetic Justice: I first saw tale three as a child, when I sneakily caught part of the film on TV; it gave me nightmares! Peter Cushing plays kindly old man Arthur Grimsdyke who is hounded so badly by his neighbour that he commits suicide (the final straw being a pile of hate-mail delivered on Valentine's Day). One year later, Arthur crawls from his grave to exact revenge. The memorable mouldy reanimated corpse and a classic EC-style payoff makes this one a winner.

Wish You Were Here: Enid (Barbara Murray), the wife of bankrupt businessman Ralph Jason (Richard Greene), realises that her Chinese jade statue has the power to grant 3 wishes, but finds that being precise with her words is of the utmost importance. OK, so this is basically a derivative of the classic 'Monkey's Paw' tale, but the ways in which the final wish backfires is so wonderfully twisted that one can't help but have fun with it (I particularly enjoyed the shot of glistening intestines and severed hand—pretty gory stuff for an Amicus film).

Blind Alleys: Unfortunately, the last story is also the weakest… Major William Rogers (Nigel Patrick), callous superintendent at a home for the blind who probably wishes he had been a bit kinder when he is forced to take a walk down a narrow corridor lined with razor blades where an even nastier surprise awaits him at the end. This one takes way too long to get going and, just as it looks as though one's patience will be rewarded, it robs the viewer of Roger's grisly demise, making it a bit of disappointment.

Fortunately, with four of its five tales of the macabre being above average (or better), this 1972 Amicus production—based on publisher William Gaines' infamous horror comics of the '50s—should prove to be a ghoulish treat for fans of the anthology format.

A vintage horror film financed by Amicus from producers Max Rosemberg and Milton Subotsky with a Great British Cast and formed by several episodes full of creepy events , chills, thrills , gore and guts. It stars with five strangers visiting eerie and old catacumbas .Later on , they find themselves at a grotto with the sinister Crypt Keeper , Ralph Richardson , the mysterious host tells them how each of the strangers will die . As they receive fantastic visions about their future . And now ...who is next....

It deals with 5 segments titled: All through the house, Reflection of death , Poetic Justice , Wish you were here, and Blind alleys , all of them are filled with mystery , suspense , terror , grisly killings , twisted events and horrible happenings . The British star-studded results to be pretty good with a plethora of notorious actors as Joan Collins , Richard Greene who a bit later on he passed away at the age of seventh four ,Ian Henry , the great Peter Cushing as a widower who often used an ouija to talk with his deceased wife , Roy Dotrice , Nigel Patrick , Patrick Magee and Ralph Richardson as the creepy Crypt Keeper who shot this major role in a day . Most stories previously appeared in American comic books as Tales of Crypt from EC comics as well as in The haunt of fear. Colorful , adequate cinematograhy by Norman Warwick , shot at Shepperton studios . It was compellingly accompanied by a thrilling and suspenseful musical score.

The motion picture was well and professionally directed by Freddie Francis . He was an expert cameraman who photographed prestigious films such as The straight story , Cape fear , Glory , Dune, The elephant man , Night must fall , The innocents, Room at the top and Hell in Korea . He also directed some movies , many of them terror films such as Dark tower , Doctor and the devils , The ghoul , Legend of werewolf , The creeping flesh , Trog , Torture garden , The skull , House of horrors , The evil of Frankenstein , Nighmare , Paranoiac , The brain and directed Tales of the Crypt TV series , episode 2 season 7 , titled Last respects. Rating : Above average . The motion picture will appeal to terror movies fans .

"Tales From the Crypt" (1972) is one of seven horror anthology pictures released by Hammer rival Amicus over an eight-year period. "Tales" had been preceded by "Dr. Terror's House of Horrors," "Torture Garden," "The House That Dripped Blood" and "Asylum," and would soon be followed by "Vault of Horror" and "From Beyond the Grave." The five stories dished out in the "Tales" omnibus have as their linchpin Sir Ralph Richardson as the urbane Crypt Keeper (a far cry from the cackling HBO demon so many folks might be expecting), who looks into the minds of a group of lost tourists and sees their gruesome stories: In "And All Through the House," a particularly gorgeous Joan Collins plays cat & mouse with an escaped psycho Santa. "Reflection of Death" shows us what happens to philandering husband Ian Hendry after he and his mistress are involved in a nasty car wreck. Horror icon Peter Cushing, in "Poetic Justice," plays a kindly old man victimized by his neighbors, but who manages to deliver one horrible Valentine's Day surprise. In "Wish You Were Here," a variation of the old "Monkey's Paw" tale, a widow learns that it really is imperative to be careful for what you wish. And in "Blind Alleys," Patrick Magee and the other sightless residents of an old-man's home take a particularly grisly vengeance on their new martinet superintendent, played by Nigel Patrick. All five of these tales feature some startling and horrific bit of business; indeed, the film is memorably shocking in parts, and I was amazed at how much of the picture I recalled, after not having seen it for over 35 years. The impressive cast of British actors seems to be enjoying itself immensely, and that spirit of fun is certainly communicated to the viewer. Indeed, while watching "Tales" for the first time in all those years, I found myself happily grinning from ear to ear. From the opening strains of horror-film standard Bach's "Toccata & Fugue in D Minor" to its creepy final query from the Crypt Keeper himself, the film is nothing deep, nothing demanding, nothing innovative; just good fun. And oh...look out for that fire poker!