Tales from the Crypt

Oh man, I miss this show so very much. I wish upon oh so many stars for them to bring it back. *sigh* There aren't many shows EVER to have a whole new storyline every episode. And for the ones there are, none of them can even begin to compare with this one. It had EVERYTHING; humor, horror, drama, and an amazing, original host to start each episode off: The Cryptkeeper.

There may be other shows that are similar, but none will ever have anything like the Cryptkeeper. When I was younger, I was terrified of him. But as I got older I listened more to what he said and realized how hilarious he was. Not because his jokes were funny, but more because of how corny they are, but yet he thinks they are just the funniest things in the world.

The thing is is that if you haven't seen this show then you definitely need to go out and buy the episodes. And if you don't feel like taking a big step like that, go rent them, then you can buy them. I, myself, am waiting eagerly for them to put the rest of the seasons on DVD so I can have a HUGE marathon of nothing but "Tales From the Crypt"!

I have always been a fan of the series. This is the kind of stuff I grew up on. I loved this show when I was a kid, so much that I even read some of the old comics. There is always a moral to each story. (most of which seem to involve betraying lovers for some odd reason) Although some episodes are so far out there they come off as being lame at times I can't help but love them. Every episode is like it's own little horror movie. I highly recommend the series,especially now that it is coming out on DVD. You get a lot of entertainment for your money. Thats all I have to say about this series and as the crypt keeper would say "Good night boils and ghouls."

This was definitely a show not to be taken seriously...but therein lies the key to great TV entertainment. Anthology series, by definition, can be very fun and addicting because they don't require the viewer to be well versed in some complex arching storyline. Each episode is stand-alone, and with this series in particular the 30 minute time frame flies right by...leading you to watch another! About the time, yes, some episodes feel as though they could have benefited from additional time to contain all of the complex twists and turns. Then again, that is also why it is so much fun! Not time consuming.

Horror fans (especially), but also fans of comedy, or just plain old fashioned (sometimes simple minded even cheesy) storytelling will get a kick out of this series. And the Cryptkeeper? Pop culture icon, with all of those puns! Ever been to Spencer's gifts...remember the lifesized Cryptkeeper animatronic figure they sold for awhile. What other TV shows inspires such worship! If you're familiar with the series and think you would like to revisit it...you will not be disappointed (the DVD's are priced low!). If by chance you've never seen it, check it out...it's a blast. Not even in a category with other shows other than maybe The Twilight Zone, but also uniquely different!

It is without exception the greatest series of all time. The acting by everyone was great and the Cryptkeepers's puns were hilarious (Just goes to show you kiddies, Be very careful what you Axe For Christmas, You Just Might Get it!) (I Call tonight's Putrid Piece "What's Cookin". This series will beat hands down any of the crap out there today. It was kind of like the Twilight Zone of the 90's. All the big and Upcoming stars were in the episodes. You had Lou Diamond Phillips, Priscillia Presley, Larry Drake, Ed Begley Jr, Judd Nelson, Christopher Reeve, Joe Pesci, Jeffrey Jones, Alan Ruck, Cheech Marin, Martin Sheen, Billy Zane, Anthong Michael Hall, Brooke Shields, and many others. The episodes were true to the comics and didn't try to change anything. The Best thing by far was John Kassir doing the Cryptkeeper's voice. That was fantastic and timeless.

If you are a somewhat warped person with a dark sense of humor, you'll really like this offering. Obviously I plead guilty because I liked this, although one of episodes turned me off. Nonetheless, it's very entertaining because of the effective mix of comedy, suspense, horror and originality.

You only get six stories from this opening (1989) season of horror-comedy on cable television, but at a fairly cheap price, the DVD set still is well worth it.

In addition to the crazy stories, you get some surprisingly good cinematography. The picture isn't razor sharp but it's well-photographed. Some pretty big directors in the film business - Richard Donner, Robert Zemeckis, Joel Silver, David Giler and Walter Hill - are involved.

Each show features an actor or two who's familiar and they must have had fun making these. You can just see it as they ham it up in their roles. Warning: the language is rough. This is R-rated material....and perhaps only for sick people, as I must be.