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| Tales from the Cryptkeeper | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre |
|
| Based on | |
| Developed by |
|
| Written by | Peter Sauder |
| Directed by | Laura Shepherd |
| Voices of |
|
| Theme music composer | Heart Times Coffee Cup Equals Lightning |
| Composer | Amin Bhatia |
| Country of origin |
|
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 39 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | |
| Producers |
|
| Editor | Rick Hickson |
| Running time | 22 minutes |
| Production companies |
|
| Original release | |
| Network | |
| Release | September 18, 1993 (1993-09-18) – December 4, 1999 (1999-12-04) |
| Related | |
| Tales from the Crypt (1989–1996) | |
Tales from the Cryptkeeper is an animated children'shorror television series made by Canada-based studioNelvana. The series was broadcast onABC in the United States, and onITV in the United Kingdom. It is based on the 1950sEC Comics seriesTales from the Crypt and the live-action television seriesof the same name, which aired concurrently onHBO. Intended for children,Tales from the Cryptkeeper was significantly milder than its live-action counterpart, and all blood, gore, profanity and sexual content were completely removed in order to be more appropriate for the target audience.[1] Most episodes take place within the fictional city of Gravenhurst, California.[a]
The series was cancelled on December 10, 1994,[citation needed] and returned to the air in 1999 asNew Tales from the Cryptkeeper.[citation needed] The animation differed from previous episodes, and it transferred toTeletoon in Canada and toCBS in the United States.[citation needed] All three seasons are available to stream on Nelvana's "Retro ReRun"YouTube channel, and are in rotation onPluto TV.
The series details the Cryptkeeper telling more kid-friendly horror stories to the viewers, each with a teachable lesson.
The second season has the Cryptkeeper at constant odds with rivals, and fellow EC Comics horror hosts, theVault-Keeper and theOld Witch, who continually try to steal the show from him as they did not have one of their own, only to have their plans backfire. The Cryptkeeper can be found in different locales than his mansion, as he tries to elude his foes.
The third and final season, under the titleNew Tales from the Cryptkeeper, aired in 1999 on Teletoon in Canada and on CBS in the United States.[citation needed] This season sees the Cryptkeeper taking a more active role, usually by setting up situations to teach frightening lessons to kids with severe character flaws.
| Season | Episodes | Originally released | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First released | Last released | Network | |||
| 1 | 13 | September 18, 1993 | December 18, 1993 | ABC | |
| 2 | 13 | September 10, 1994 | December 10, 1994 | ||
| 3 | 13 | September 11, 1999 | December 4, 1999 | CBS | |
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Written by | Original ABC air date | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "While the Cat's Away" | Manny Coto | September 18, 1993 (1993-09-18)[2] | ||||
Two brothers plan to rob an abandonedmansion, where The Cryptkeeper has set up a monstrous security system to get rid of intruders.
| ||||||||
| 2 | 2 | "Nature" | Juan Carlos Coto | September 25, 1993 (1993-09-25) | ||||
After two brothers tormentants at a picnic, they are shrunk by a mysterious ray and are forced to face the trials and tribulations of the insect world.
| ||||||||
| 3 | 3 | "Pleasant Screams" | James Thomton | October 2, 1993 (1993-10-02) | ||||
Strict teacher Felix Purdy has always been tough on his students, particularly on introverted dreamer Daryl Kregman. All Daryl wants is to transfer into a creative writing class, but Purdy refuses; no one has ever transferred out of his class. Purdy begins to have second thoughts when he is troubled by a series of nightmares which place him - and Jenny - in the middle of all kinds of spine-tingling action.
| ||||||||
| 4 | 4 | "Gone Fishin" | Terry Black David Hines and Jeff Hause | October 9, 1993 (1993-10-09) | ||||
| "A Little Body of Work" | ||||||||
Gone Fishin: A boy tries to warn his uncle, a wasteful fisherman, of the fish that are out for revenge.
A Little Body of Work: Two hoodlums challenge a boy to a race on the Mustang he's renovating. A car which, unbeknownst to them, has a mind of its own.
| ||||||||
| 5 | 5 | "The Works.... In Wax" | Eric Luke | October 16, 1993 (1993-10-16) | ||||
A boy discovers that statues in his favoritewax museum come to life.
| ||||||||
| 6 | 6 | "The Sleeping Beauty" | Edithe Swenson and David Finley | October 23, 1993 (1993-10-23) | ||||
In a terrifying retelling of the classic fairytale, a self-absorbed prince named Chuck Charming and his nerdy put-upon twin brother Melvin go on a quest to wake the Sleeping Beauty, the slumberingprincess, who, unbeknownst to them, is really a bloodthirstyvampire.
| ||||||||
| 7 | 7 | "Cave Man" | Ed Naha | October 30, 1993 (1993-10-30) | ||||
Peter, the son of a scientist befriends a Neanderthal caveman that has been encased in ice for millions of years after Peter accidentally defrosts him. But trouble starts to rise when the caveman has a hard time adapting to the modern world when the two go to the amusement park for Peter’s birthday.
| ||||||||
| 8 | 8 | "Hyde and Go Shriek" | Dana Olsen | November 6, 1993 (1993-11-06) | ||||
| 9 | 9 | "Fare Tonight" | David Finley | November 13, 1993 (1993-11-13) | ||||
Two girl paranormal enthusiasts, Mildred and Camille, create a homemade vampire detector and use it to hunt for bloodsuckers...only to learn that one of them is right under their nose.
| ||||||||
| 10 | 10 | "Gorilla's Paw" | James Thomton | November 20, 1993 (1993-11-20) | ||||
In a classic retelling ofW. W. Jacobs'The Monkey's Paw, an unpopular kid steals a gorilla's paw in order to be a part of a secret club, and discovers that thegorilla's paw can grant wishes with twisted results.
| ||||||||
| 11 | 11 | "This Wraps It Up" | Peter Sauder | December 4, 1993 (1993-12-04) | ||||
During a class trip to an Egyptian pyramid, a tall girl named Naomi who keeps getting bullied because of her height must save her classmates from a mummy's curse.
| ||||||||
| 12 | 12 | "Grounds for Horror" | Ed Naha | December 11, 1993 (1993-12-11) | ||||
Summer campers befriend aninvisible being who plays pranks on a strict, no-nonsense counselor.
| ||||||||
| 13 | 13 | "Ghost Ship" | Peter Sauder and Eric Luke | December 18, 1993 (1993-12-18) | ||||
Ben and his friend Mike go for a joyride on Ben's father's new yacht and sink it, leaving the two stranded in the ocean until a phantom ship haunted bypirates comes to their rescue.
| ||||||||
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Written by | Original ABC air date | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | 1 | "Game Over" | Peter Sauder | September 10, 1994 (1994-09-10) | |||
Two boys pay for skipping school to playvideo games when the characters come to life. | |||||||
| 15a | 2a | "Cold Blood, Warm Hearts" | John de Klein & Erika Strobel | September 17, 1994 (1994-09-17) | |||
The Cryptkeeper and the Old Witch meet at the beach to swap stories: The old witch tells a story of a woman and a man where find out that they have a lot in common while investigating rumors of a sea monster dwelling in an ocean. | |||||||
| 15b | 2b | "The Spider and the Flies" | Eric Luke | September 17, 1994 (1994-09-17) | |||
The Cryptkeeper and the Old Witch meet at the beach to swap stories: The cryptkeeper tells a story where spiders infest a town. Two siblings find out that a mysterious exterminator is not what he seems to be. | |||||||
| 16a | 3a | "The Avenging Phantom" | Eric Luke | September 24, 1994 (1994-09-24) | |||
After besting the Vaultkeeper in shadow puppets, the Cryptkeeper tells two stories. A young boy named Jimmy wishes he can get revenge on his tormentors like hiscomic booksuperhero "The Avenging Phantom" and gets his wish, but with dire consequences. | |||||||
| 16b | 3b | "Myth Conceptions" | John de Klein (story) Vince Grittani (teleplay) | September 24, 1994 (1994-09-24) | |||
An archaeologist discovers the tomb ofMedusa and learns the hard way why others before him have died trying to find it. | |||||||
| 17 | 4 | "All the Gory Details!" | Erika Strobel | October 1, 1994 (1994-10-01) | |||
A pair of newspaper reporters try to track down an old mad scientist. | |||||||
| 18 | 5 | "The Weeping Woman" | John de Klein (story) Libby Hinson (teleplay) | October 8, 1994 (1994-10-08) | |||
Camille and Mildred from "Fare Tonight" are back, this time investigate the sightings of theghost of a woman who haunts a local inn. | |||||||
| 19 | 6 | "Dead Men Don't Jump!" | Eric Luke | October 15, 1994 (1994-10-15) | |||
The Old Witch, The Cryptkeeper, and The Vaultkeeper return and compete to decide who tells one story. When the Old Witch wins thanks to her magic, she tells the tale of a boy who challenges a demon to a basketball game that could mean the end of his life if he loses. | |||||||
| 20 | 7 | "The Haunted Mine" | John de Klein (story) Eric Luke (teleplay) | October 22, 1994 (1994-10-22) | |||
After incapacitating Scariff Cryptkeeper in a ghost town, the Vaultkeeper tells the story about a young man who goes to visit his aunt which leads to a trip inside an abandoned mine filled with unusual shapes and a dark secret. | |||||||
| 21 | 8 | "Growing Pains" | Libby Hinson | October 29, 1994 (1994-10-29) | |||
The Old Witch takes over telling another story after turning the Cryptkeeper into ascarecrow. Wendell from "Hyde and Go Shriek" is back and he falls for a new girl named Rose at school with a rather "weedy" family secret. | |||||||
| 22 | 9 | "The Brothers Gruff" | Peter Sauder | November 5, 1994 (1994-11-05) | |||
A boy named Eddie is followed home by atroll after crossing a bridge. Now it's up to him and his friend Sheldon, who knows almost everything about monsters, to defeat the troll when it kidnaps Eddie's older brother. | |||||||
| 23 | 10 | "Uncle Harry's Horrible House of Horrors" | Erika Strobel | November 12, 1994 (1994-11-12) | |||
During a trip to thecarnival, a boy's birthday is being spoiled by his skeptical uncle, but the latter of whom soon has his views of thesupernatural challenged when they take a ride through a frighteningly realistichaunted house. | |||||||
| 24 | 11 | "Hunted" | Peter Sauder | November 19, 1994 (1994-11-19) | |||
A heartless hunter in the Amazon is soon the hunted when ashapeshifting monster named Onnaya starts pursuing him after freeing the captured animals. | |||||||
| 25 | 12 | "Chuck (and Melvin) and the Beanstalker" | David Finley | December 3, 1994 (1994-12-03) | |||
Chuck and Melvin from "The Sleeping Beauty" return as they must steal the treasure of a giantCyclops named Beanstalker. | |||||||
| 26 | 13 | "Transylvania Express" | Peter Sauder | December 10, 1994 (1994-12-10) | |||
Two surfer dudes, none other than Mike and Ben from "Ghost Ship" are back and accidentally get on a train headed forTransylvania, where they must fight back against vampires. | |||||||
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Written by | Original CBS air date [3] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 | 1 | "Sharon Sharalike" | J.D. Smith | September 11, 1999 (1999-09-11) | |
Thirteen-year-old girl Shauna is selfish and does not like to share with her five-year-old sister Katie. When their father, who is inNew York City, sends them adoll as a gift, Shauna steals it for herself. Soon, she learns that the doll does not like it when its owners don't share. | |||||
| 28 | 2 | "Imaginary Friend" | Kim Thompson | September 18, 1999 (1999-09-18) | |
Two teen boys, Leo and Jamie, torment eight-year-old girl Mary-Anne. But Mary-Anne has animaginary friend who gets back at the boys for their actions. | |||||
| 29 | 3 | "Waste Not, Haunt Not" | Peter Sauder | September 25, 1999 (1999-09-25) | |
Two boys named Steven and Richard improperly dispose of toxic waste from their science project into abog, which creates abog monster. | |||||
| 30 | 4 | "Unpopular Mechanics" | Peter Sauder | October 2, 1999 (1999-10-02) | |
Randall "The Vandal" is a kid inventor who has a gift for mechanics, but uses his talent for destructive pranks. When he invents a remote control that can cause machines to go haywire, he gets his comeuppance when the appliances say "No more!" and attack him. | |||||
| 31 | 5 | "Competitive Spirit" | J.D. Smith | October 9, 1999 (1999-10-09) | |
Vincent tricks his rival into thinking a ghost exists in themountains, but a real mountain spirit comes after the boy for his deceptive ways. | |||||
| 32 | 6 | "Trouble in Store" | J.D. Smith | October 16, 1999 (1999-10-16) | |
Two boys named Rob and Derek who are known for stealing end up getting locked in astore during closing hours. They discover that the mannequins don't take kindly to those who steal from their "home". | |||||
| 33 | 7 | "So Very Attractive" | John de Klein (story) Ben Joseph and J.D. Smith (teleplay) | October 23, 1999 (1999-10-23) | |
An insecure fourteen-year-old girl named Julia buys a beauty cream from an abandoneddrugstore that makes her an irresistible force to everything... including animals and the dead. | |||||
| 34 | 8 | "Drawn and Quartered" | J.D. Smith | October 30, 1999 (1999-10-30) | |
An aspiringartist named Ralph finds a magic pencil that brings his drawings to life whenever he draws with it, especially his cartoon character named "Wahoo". He vows to get back at the bullies who torment him by having him torment them back. He then learns that two wrongs don't make a right after things go over-the-top.
| |||||
| 35 | 9 | "All Booked Up" | Deborah Goodwin and J.D. Smith | November 6, 1999 (1999-11-06) | |
A thirteen-year-old boy named Greg Davis hates to read books and wants nothing to do with them. One day, he and his class get assigned to write a book report on one of them given to him and he gets trapped in a library. Thanks to the Cryptkeeper, he gets sucked inside a book that takes him on a journey to the dark world of classic literatures such asFrankenstein,The Man in the Iron Mask, andTom Sawyer. | |||||
| 36 | 10 | "Town Gathering" | J.D. Smith | November 13, 1999 (1999-11-13) | |
A fourteen-year-old girl named Erin who is known for her pranks must convince her mother that a group of businessmen are actuallyaliens bent on eating the townspeople. | |||||
| 37 | 11 | "It's for You" | J.D. Smith | November 20, 1999 (1999-11-20) | |
A fourteen-year-old boy named Gary gets his own phone line as aChristmas present that he wanted for a long time. However, he abuses his privilege and goes against his parents' wishes by making severalprank calls after he made an agreement with them saying he wouldn't. The problem gets worse when he accidentally makes a prank call to a mysterious old woman who begins to stalk him over the phone. | |||||
| 38 | 12 | "Monsters Ate My Homework" | J.D. Smith | November 27, 1999 (1999-11-27) | |
A boy named Evan lies to his teacher by saying that monsters ate his homework in order to avoid getting into trouble. All goes well until problems escalate when real monsters actually come after Evan by coming out under his bed and they want to go after hishomework. | |||||
| 39 | 13 | "Too Cool for School" | John de Klein (story) Erika Strobel (teleplay) | December 4, 1999 (1999-12-04) | |
Two girls, Stephanie and Jan, hate following rules. One day, they mess around with the objects in the school science lab and inadvertently create some half-dinosaur/frog creatures after refusing to clean up frog eggs and a serum containing dinosaur DNA off the floor. After the situation gets more haywire, they then learn the hard way that it's important to obey rules. | |||||
In North America, the series was premiered onABC, but later onTeletoon andCBS. In August 2012,Fearnet aired reruns in their "Funhouse" block, only on weekends. Spanish-dubbed episodes of the series aired onTelefutura, as part of theToonturama block on Saturday and Sunday mornings as "Cuentos de la Cripta" from 2002 to 2005.
In October 2021, the live streaming television Filmrise Kids began airing the whole series every day.
Outside of North America, the series aired onCanal+ andM6 in France,Kindernet in the Netherlands, andITV in the United Kingdom.
| Name | Release date | Episodes | Region | Additional information |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stacks of Fear | September 28, 2004[4] | 3 | 1 | Includes Season 3 episodes:All Booked Up,Town Gathering andUnpopular Mechanics. Bonus feature includes:Stay Safe Halloween Tips and trailers. |
| Pleasant Screams: The Complete First Season[5] | September 18, 2007 | 13 | 1 | Includes the complete first season. |
| All the Gory Details: The Complete Second Season | September 16, 2008 | 13 | 1 | Includes the complete second season. |
| Myth Conceptions | September 10, 2013 | 6 | 1 | Includes the first six Season 2 episodes: Game Over, Cold Blood, Warm Hearts/The Spider and the Flies, The Avenging Phantom/Myth Conceptions, All the Gory Details!, The Weeping Woman and Dead Men Don't Jump! Also released under the title "Myth Conception" with a different cover. |
| Transylvania Express | September 10, 2013 | 7 | 1 | Includes the last seven Season 2 episodes: The Haunted Mine, Growing Pains, The Brothers Gruff, Uncle Harry's Horrible House of Horrors, Hunted, Chuck (and Melvin) and the Beanstalker and Transylvania Express. |
| Season 1 | 2014 | 13 | 1 | Includes the repackaged complete first season. |
| Tales from the Cryptkeeper: The Complete Series | 2024 | 39 | 4 | Includes the complete 39 episodes from all three seasons on six discs. |
