The Best of Tales from the Crypt, by Nick Montelongo

I discussed E.C. Comics again recently and said that I would provide my list of favorite episodes the HBO tv series that ran from 1989-1996. The 90s was an interesting time for kids, in particular because there were so many franchises that were originally oriented to adults that tried to appeal to kids too. Tales from the Crypt was one of those. The tv series made horror history with its over-the-top performances by a who’s who of actors who wanted to be a part of the project and standout voice acting by John Kassir as the Crypt Keeper. Some episodes were genuinely freaky while others were just silly. Some were more tasteful and subdued while others were downright sleazy. Here’s my list of what I think are the best:


And All Through the House-taken from a Vault of Horror story, this one is about a wife who murders her husband on Christmas eve, but she’s unable to dispose of his body because there is a homicidal maniac on the loose who happens to be dressed like Santa Claus. To me, this is a quintessential horror story, with plenty of suspense, tension, and terror with a real snapper of an ending. Larry Drake made an appearance as none of other than ol’ Santy himself.


The Thing from the Grave-adapted from an early Tales from the Crypt story, this one is about a love affair, a murder, and revenge from the grave. This one is the template of many E.C. Comics stories and this episode was handled well.


Fitting Punishment-I believe this one is from Vault of Horror. This story is about a miserly undertaker who badly abuses his nephew, then kills him. This story ends with some appropriate and grisly irony.


The Secret-adapted from The Haunt of Fear. This one is about an orphan who is taken in by some seemingly nice people, but it turns out that they have a nefarious plan in mind for him. Larry Drake appears again, this time as a kindly butler.


Carrion Death-adapted from Shock Suspenstories. This one is about a criminal on the run, who is pursued into the desert. The cop who’s chasing him managed to cuff them together before being killed. This one is a tale of survival horror as the crook tries to travel the desert, a hunted man, yet shackled to dead weight. This one made me leery of vultures.


The Reluctant Vampire-adapted from The Vault of Horror. A vampire (played by Malcolm McDowell) is the security guard at a blood bank. It’s a cushy job until he realizes that he needs to replenish the supply.


Werewolf Concerto-adapted from The Vault of Horror. A cozy hotel in the woods has a werewolf on the loose. I love settings like this. This one starred Timothy Dalton.


Strung Along-adapted from The Vault of Horror. This one involves an unfaithful wife and her husband who is an aging puppeteer. Stories of animated puppets are ageless when it comes to finding ways to unsettle people and this one stuck in my mind for a long time.


House of Horror-adapted from the first issue of Haunt of Fear, this one is about a fraternity who sends their pledges into a creepy house. It’s considerably different from the original story, but that’s ok.


Maniac at Large-adapted from an issue of Crime Suspenstories, this one involves a mousy librarian who is trying to deal with the anxiety of being at her job after-hours while there is a serial killer on the loose.


Honorable Mentions: Television Terror, ‘til Death, Four-Sided Triangle, The New Arrival, Mute Witness to Murder, Came the Dawn, Halfway Horrible, The Ventriloquist’s Dummy, Creep Course, Two for the Show.


Overall, I still love the series, although you will note that I didn’t mention any episodes from the last season. I have a lot of fond memories of watching this show on regular tv (I didn’t have cable, so I ended up seeing the edited versions the first time around). I remember that the episodes came on Saturday night, even though I think new episodes premiered on Friday. I came to like the comics more as I read them and I still do, but the HBO series came out at a time when cable shows were learning to push the limits that were normally imposed on public programs. As a result, we got something that was edgier than was normally offered when it came to violence and sex. In this sense, it was innovative, but to me, I could do without a lot of the graphic elements. I’ve done a lot of growing since I started watching this show at 10 or 11. Still, now that I’ve reminisced about the series, I think I’ll go back to watch some of my old favorites.

Written by Nick Montelongo