| Tales from the Crypt | |
|---|---|
_logo.svg){kind=logo} | |
| Genre | |
| Created by |
|
| Based on | |
| Voices of | John Kassir |
| Theme music composer | Danny Elfman |
| Composers | |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original languages |
|
| No. of seasons | 7 |
| No. of episodes | 93(list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | |
| Running time | 22–39 minutes |
| Production companies |
|
| Original release | |
| Network | HBO[1] |
| Release | June 10, 1989 (1989-06-10) – July 19, 1996 (1996-07-19) |
| Related | |
Tales from the Crypt, sometimes titledHBO's Tales from the Crypt, is an Americanhorroranthology television series created byWilliam Gaines and Steven Dodd that ran for seven seasons on the premium cable channelHBO, from June 10, 1989, to July 19, 1996, with a total of 93 episodes. The show's title is based on the 1950sEC Comics seriesof the same name, published byWilliam Gaines and edited byAl Feldstein. Despite the show's title, episodes were not only adapted from stories fromTales from the Crypt, but also other EC Comic series includingThe Haunt of Fear,The Vault of Horror,Crime SuspenStories,Shock SuspenStories, andTwo-Fisted Tales.
The series is hosted bythe Cryptkeeper, a wisecracking corpse performed by severalpuppeteers and voiced byJohn Kassir. FilmmakersRichard Donner,David Giler,Walter Hill,Joel Silver, andRobert Zemeckis formed the show's team of executive producers.
Because it was aired on HBO, a premium cable television channel,Tales from the Crypt did not have to be censored by thestandards and practices of most networks. As a result, HBO allowed the series to include content that had not appeared in most television series up to that time, such asgraphic violence,strong language and explicitsex/nudity. Reruns of the series were edited for basic cable,broadcast syndication, and when the broadcast networksFox andCBS re-aired episodes in the late 1990s. While the series began production in the United States, the final season was primarily filmed in the United Kingdom, resulting in episodes revolving around British characters.
Each episode begins with a tracking shot leading to the front door of the decrepit mansion ofthe Cryptkeeper, the show's host. Once inside, the camera tilts down from the foyer to the hallways and stairways, finally descending into the basement. The Cryptkeeper then comes out from his coffin, cackling wildly. Green slime pours down over the screen as the main title appears. The Cryptkeeper is depicted as an animated corpse, as opposed to the original comics in which he was a living human being.
The wisecracking Cryptkeeper, performed by a team ofpuppeteers such asVan Snowden,[2] Mike Elizalde, Frank Charles Lutkus,Patty Maloney, David Arthur Nelson, Anton Rupprecht, Shaun Smith, David Stinnent, Mike Trcic, andBrock Winkless, and voiced byJohn Kassir, then introduced the episode with intentionally stereotyped jokes and mostly puns,e.g., his frequent greeting to viewers: "Hello, Boils and Ghouls" or "Hello, Kiddies". Each episode was self-contained, and was bookended by an outro sequence, again involving the Cryptkeeper. Comic book cover art was created byMike Vosburg andShawn McManus.
The success of the series ledUniversal Pictures to make a three picture deal with the Crypt Partners to produce three Crypt-branded feature films.
The first Crypt-branded feature wasTales from the Crypt Presents: Demon Knight (1995). Directed byErnest Dickerson from a screenplay by Ethan Reiff, Cyrus Vorhis and Mark Bishop, it became a commercial success. Three weeks before starting prep onDemon Knight intended follow up –a psychological thriller calledDead Easy–, Universal changed its mind, canceledDead Easy and had the creative team makeTales from the Crypt Presents: Bordello of Blood instead.
The filmRitual (2002) was not produced as aTales from the Crypt film, but is considered to be a third entry in theTales series.[3]
In 1993, a Saturday morning cartoon calledTales from the Cryptkeeper was spun off from the HBO series. Produced by the Canada-basedNelvana forABC in the United States andYTV in Canada, the violence of the prime-time series was substantially toned down and the gore was omitted. Nelvana employed a child psychologist to review the scripts to ensure the episodes would be suitable for young viewers.[4] The Cryptkeeper puppet was considered as the host for the series,[4] but it was ultimately decided that it might frighten youngsters, so instead an animated version was created.John Kassir reprised his role.
Kassir later stated "Nelvana created a kinder, gentler personality for the children's Cryptkeeper, and it feels a little uncharacteristic at times".[4] In addition to the Cryptkeeper, EC Comics' mascots The Vaultkeeper and The Old Witch made frequent appearances, often fighting with the Cryptkeeper for control of the show's hosting duties. The series lasted three seasons on ABC with 39 episodes. The third season was onCBS in 1999, with 13 episodes, under the titleNew Tales from the Cryptkeeper.
A kids' game show calledSecrets of the Cryptkeeper's Haunted House was featured onCBS from 1996 to 1997. The Cryptkeeper, again voiced byJohn Kassir, was the announcer of the show. He would often break into the action with wisecracks, and contestants competed in physical challenges on a variety of elaborate haunted house sets atUniversal Studios Florida. In addition to The Cryptkeeper, the series showed off an original character named Digger the Skeleton, voiced by Danny Mann.
In 2000, severalTales from the Crypt "radio shows" were recorded for Seeing Ear Theatre, an online subsidiary ofThe Sci-Fi Channel, and were offered free as streamingRealAudio files on their website,[5] as well as for sale onAudible.com. Although 13 episodes were planned, with forthcoming episodes listed as "TBA", only eight stories were recorded.[6] Seven of the eight shows were released onCD in 2002 byHighbridge Audio[7] "This Trick'll Kill You" was omitted from the CD set.[6]
In 1991, theFox television network aired a pilot forTwo-Fisted Tales, a spin-off based on the 1950s EC action comics. When Fox passed on the pilot, Cryptkeeper segments were put down onto the three stories, "Yellow", "Showdown", and "King of the Road", and HBO ran them asTales from the Crypt episodes.
After the original series ended, a spin-off calledPerversions of Science premiered in June 1997 on HBO, this time being based more on sci-fi instead of horror. The series was unsuccessful and lasted for a short run, ending only a month after it had begun airing. This iteration of the franchise featured a stylized female robot host in place of The Cryptkeeper.
A variety of notable guests have starred in episodes ofTales from the Crypt. These includeAcademy Awards-winning actors,A-list celebrities and highly recognizablecharacter actors.[8]
Some of the most famous people to have starred in episodes are listed below:
In 1991, Big Screen Records released a soundtrack album featuring assorted music from the series.[9] The album includes the theme music, suites from 11 episodes and an original song titled "Crypt Jam" performed by The Cryptkeeper,John Kassir. A music video for "Crypt Jam" was filmed and is available as an extra on theRegion 1 Season 3 DVD.[10]
| Track | Title | Composer | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Tales from the Crypt (Main Title) | Danny Elfman | 2:27 |
| 02 | Three's a Crowd | Jan Hammer | 3:50 |
| 03 | Cutting Cards | James Horner | 3:45 |
| 04 | Loved to Death | Jimmy Webb | 3:19 |
| 05 | Dead Wait | David Mansfield | 4:04 |
| 06 | Undertaking Palor | Nicholas Pike | 3:10 |
| 07 | Carrion Death | Bruce Broughton | 3:32 |
| 08 | Ventriloquist's Dummy | Miles Goodman | 3:32 |
| 09 | The Thing from the Grave | David Newman | 2:53 |
| 10 | The Man Who Was Death | Ry Cooder | 4:22 |
| 11 | Reluctant Vampire | Cliff Eidelman | 3:50 |
| 12 | Deadline | Steve Bartek | 3:32 |
| 13 | The Crypt Jam | Chuckii Booker | 4:30 |
In 1994, a Christmas album,Have Yourself a Scary Little Christmas, was released by The Right Stuff, a subsidiary ofCapitol Records. Most of the songs are spoofs of holiday standards performed by The Cryptkeeper, such as "Juggle Bills" (Jingle Bells), "We Wish You'd Bury the Missus" (We Wish You a Merry Christmas) and "Deck the Halls with Parts of Charlie" (Deck the Halls), with narration and a few original songs mixed in. The CD booklet includes a black and white reprint of the comic "And All Through the House".
| Track | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 01 | Intro to Album | 0:51 |
| 02 | Deck the Halls with Parts of Charlie | 1:55 |
| 03 | Juggle Bills | 3:17 |
| 04 | We Wish You'd Bury the Missus | 2:20 |
| 05 | Moe Teitlebaum | 2:32 |
| 06 | A Christmas Card for the Cryptkeeper | 0:51 |
| 07 | Christmas Rap | 3:22 |
| 08 | Intro to Cryptkeeper's Family Christmas | 0:32 |
| 09 | Cryptkeeper's Family Christmas | 2:03 |
| 10 | 'Twas the Fright Before Christmas | 3:55 |
| 11 | Twelve Days of Cryptmas | 3:42 |
| 12 | Intro to Revenge of the Cryptkeeper | 0:24 |
| 13 | Revenge of the Cryptkeeper | 2:18 |
| 14 | Have Yourself a Scary Little Christmas | 2:21 |
| 15 | Should Old Cadavers Be Forgot | 3:38 |
In 2000, Capitol Records released another album titledTales from the Crypt: Monsters of Metal.[11] This album is a compilation of horror-themed songs from popularheavy metal bands with wraparound narration by the Cryptkeeper (John Kassir).
| Track | Title | Artist | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | The Cryptkeeper Intro #1 | John Kassir | 0:30 |
| 02 | Heaven and Hell | Black Sabbath | 6:54 |
| 03 | Creepy Feelings | Armored Saint | 5:21 |
| 04 | Five Magics | Megadeth | 5:41 |
| 05 | The Cryptkeeper Intro #2 | John Kassir | 0:14 |
| 06 | Cemetery Gates (Demon Knight) | Pantera | 5:47 |
| 07 | Eyes of a Stranger | Queensrÿche | 4:40 |
| 08 | Hallucinating | Apartment 26 | 3:40 |
| 09 | The Cryptkeeper Intro #3 | John Kassir | 0:35 |
| 10 | Dead Inside | Arch Enemy | 4:11 |
| 11 | Beyond the Realms of Death | Judas Priest | 6:53 |
| 12 | Snap Your Fingers, Snap Your Neck | Prong | 4:12 |
| 13 | The Cryptkeeper Intro #4 | John Kassir | 0:16 |
| 14 | Don't Talk to Strangers | Dio | 4:52 |
| 15 | Bordello of Blood | Anthrax | 4:12 |
| 16 | The Bell Witch | Mercyful Fate | 4:34 |
| 17 | The Cryptkeeper Intro #5 | John Kassir | 0:21 |
| 18 | Wolverine Blues | Entombed | 2:10 |
| 19 | Hollow Ground | The Haunted | 4:10 |
| 20 | Beyond the Black | Metal Church | 6:22 |
| 21 | The Cryptkeeper Ending | John Kassir | 0:46 |
Warner Home Video has released all seven seasons on DVDRegion 1. The DVDs for the first three seasons feature all-new Cryptkeeper introductions and segments. No new segments were filmed for seasons 4–7. In June 2017, all seven seasons were reissued in a box set entitledTales from the Crypt: The Complete Series. ARegion 2 version of the whole series was released by '84 Entertainment in June 2010.
Until mid-2020, the series was available through the streaming platformVudu.[12]
| Season | Episodes | Discs | Release date | Extras | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | 2 | July 12, 2005 |
| |
| 2 | 18 | 3 | October 25, 2005 |
| |
| 3 | 14 | 3 | March 21, 2006 |
| |
| 4 | 14 | 3 | July 25, 2006 |
| |
| 5 | 13 | 3 | October 31, 2006 | Death of Some Salesmen: Virtual Comic Book | |
| 6 | 15 | 3 | July 24, 2007 | Whirlpool: Virtual Comic Book | |
| 7 | 13 | 3 | October 23, 2007 | Fatal Caper: Virtual Comic Book | |
| Complete series box set | 93 | 20 | June 6, 2017 | ||
Reruns aired onFox from 1994 to 1995 under the namePrimetime Tales from the Crypt; episodes also aired in 1994 in a late-night time slot. It aired late night onCBS in 1997–1998. It also aired on other channels, such asSyfy,Chiller, andFearnet.
In theUnited Kingdom, the series aired Fridays onITV. Sky1 Satellite and cable channelHorror Channel, then Zone Horror, aired the series in both late night and daytime slots. The daytime versions were billed as "cut". However, they remained uncut.
As of July 2025,Tales from the Crypt is not available onWarner Bros. Discovery's streaming serviceHBO Max reportedly due to licensing issues. It was also unavailable onHBO Go andHBO Now for the same reason.[13]
Tales from the Crypt won the following awards:
In July 2011, it was announced thatGilbert Adler, who produced the original series, was working with Andrew Cosby to develop a newTales from the Crypt series. It was said to be a continuous story, rather than an anthology, and would omit The Cryptkeeper. The series was unsuccessfully shopped to several major networks.[14]
In January 2016,Entertainment Weekly reported thatM. Night Shyamalan would helm a series reboot as part ofTNT's new two-hour horror block.[15] The network ordered a 10-episode season that was slated for fall 2017.[16] The series was to keep the episodicanthology format, but without The Cryptkeeper.[17] In June 2017, it was announced that TNT would not move forward with the series due to legal issues concerning the rights for the characters from Tales from the Crypt Holdings.[18]
