Director: Freddie Francis
Writer: Milton Subotsky (Screenplay) Al Feldstein, Johnny Craig, William M Gaines, Graham Ingels, George Evans (Story)
Starring: Ralph Richardson, Joan Collins, Ian Hendry, Peter Cushing, Richard Greene
Plot: Five strangers get lost in a crypt and, after meeting the mysterious Crypt Keeper, receive visions of how they will die.
Tagline – DEATH LIVES in the Vault of Horror!
Runtime: 1 Hour 32 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Verdict: Simple Horror Anthology
Story: Tales from the Crypt starts as we follow a tour group inside the crypt, when the five Joanne (Collins), Carl (Hendry), Elliot (Phillips), Jason (Greene) and Rogers (Patrick) get lose in the crypt, the Crypt Keeper (Richardson) entertains them.
Each one sees how they will die in a vision, showing us that they’re not so perfect lives will take a dark turn when they stop living the honest lives they have built for themselves.
Thoughts on Tales from the Crypt
Characters – Where this film is an anthology we don’t get too much time with each character, Joanne is a married woman with her own desires for life, showing a darker side after killer her husband on Christmas Eve. Carl Maitland is a married man that is planning on leaving his wife and children, he is involved in an accident which brings into a new lease of horror. Grimsdyke is an older man, he has lived with his wife in one home, with her passed away he wants to die in this house and must deal with the snotty neighbours that is trying to force him out. Jason is a businessman that has spent more than he has earnt forcing him to face bankruptcy for his actions. Rogers is the final story as a manager of home, he comes in with his strict ideas struggle to connect with the people he is meant to be caring for.
Performances – By being an anthology the stars only get limited time, Joan Collins gets the ball rolling as is good in her role with us believing how calculated her actions are. Ian Hendry is solid in his role, he is behind the camera for the most part making it hard to believe everything. Peter Cushing shines as the kindly old man that is getting pushed out of town. Richard Greene is solid enough without getting too much time to show us what makes his character unique. Nigel Patrick does make this character one of the more unlikable with ease.
Story – The story here takes us down the horror anthology line, we get to see five stories of five characters deaths, this does give us something different in each side of the horror scale, we know some are shorter than others with Blind Alleys and Poetic Justice being the stand out of the five stories. There is a big twist in the connection to the stories, but if you do know the TV show you will know the outcome. For a horror anthology this is everything you need without being to the extremes they go nowadays. Each short could easily become a longer film which is always positive.
Horror – When it comes to horror we sometimes get to best moments in shorts, anthologies give us a chance to experience different types of horror which will offer something for all horror fans.
Settings – Each film takes us to the world where the character comes from which shows us how the normal lives they live have the darker secrets.
Special Effects – The effects in the film are good through the film they show us what is capable with good practical effects.
Scene of the Movie – Blind Alleys when the door opens.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – Some stories are too short.
Final Thoughts – This is a good anthology for horror, it gets the best moments correct and keeps us guessing to what will happen to the characters involved.
Overall: Simple anthology.
Rating
