Tales from the Crypt (1972)

Awesome Movie

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

Not sure how, but this is easily one of the best movies all summer. Multiple levels of funny, never takes itself seriously, super colorful, and creative.

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

This is a collection of five different stories. All of them are so slow paced that you tend to go to sleep. It is slow paced even for the 1970s standard. No horrible getup is used anywhere though the poster shows a horrible skull with a single eye. Even the music is dull. A waste of time. Good actors are wasted. Though the movie is about "as you sow so you reap", in the fourth story, we wonder if the protagonist really deserved what he got.

As I stated in a previous review I did of "Tales From The Crypt Presents: Demon Knight" I have been a fan of TFTC since I was a little kid. While this is markedly different from the Tales that most people know, its still great fun. Five individuals are lured away from a tour group and greeted by the cryptkeeper (NOT the one most of us love and are familiar with) and not allowed to leave as five different tales about their deaths are woven. As is with most anthology movies, the stories that are told can be hit or miss. My personal favorites are the first one (Which, coincidentally, is the same story they used as the first episode in the first season of HBO's Tales From The Crypt) where a deranged Santa stalks a murderous housewife,the third one, in which a sad, lonely but kindly old man is wronged greatly, commits suicide, and then seeks revenge from beyond the grave,and the fourth, which is a variation of the old "Monkey's Paw" story. The other two stories, the second and fifth, are just OK. The second story could have been better, if it were longer, but its the shortest one in this collection. All in all, this is a neat old horror flick, and if you're a fan of all things Tales From The Crypt, you should enjoy it.

As most of you may know, this movie is based off the E.C. Comics. The anthology is filmed in good quality, acted wonderfully, has good effects for the time, has a wonderful music score, and contains very tasteful little jaunts through the horror that is E.C. Comics. Premise:When five people visiting a crypt suddenly find themselves face to face with the eerily gregarious crypt keeper (Ralph Richardson), they are regaled with 5 tales. The question is, what do these stories mean for our unfortunate friends? Brief Synopsis and Description of the Tales:1. "And All Through the House" (Joan Collins) - In this story, set at Christmas, a beautiful and conniving woman follows through with her plan to take her husband's insurance money when she's suddenly met with a not so holly jolly surprise. This one will have you locking your doors and windows every Christmas from now on haha. 2. "Reflection of Death" (Ian Hendry) - In this story, a man leaves his wife and kids behind as he flees town with his mistress, but there's an unfortunate accident along the way. As he attempts to find his way back home, he's met with strange reactions. I love the suspense of this one. It lends itself to one's imagination. 3. "Poetic Justice" (Peter Cushing) - When a snooty, heart-less, rich fellow sets his sights on removing the kind, caring old man across the street, he gets more than he bargained for. Valentine's Day will never be the same. The finale of this one is very much worth the ride. 4. "Wish You Were Here" - A spin-off of the old Monkey's Paw by Poe, this story focuses on a woman who loses her husband and uses her three Monkey Paw wishes for some rather shockingly unexpected results. Just goes to show that you should always think carefully, but choose even more carefully. 5. "Blind Ally" - In this story, a new director at a home for the blind begins to neglect the needs of his tenants as he redirects the home's finances toward his wallet to fulfill his own. When the tenants finally take a stand, things don't work out so well for the new director. When you watch this, you'll most likely struggle with believing that the people are blind. It's still enjoyable nonetheless. And so, we're brought back to the ending of the wrap-around segment and it's a very fitting and somewhat unexpected ending if I do say so myself.

This was the first, and in my opinion, the best of several horror anthologies that Amicus Productions created in the 70s based off the stories from EC Comics. For those not familiar with some of those name a little history. Amicus Productions was a Brit film studio that was the closest competitor to the legendary Hammer Studios, so the movies always felt a great deal similar to the work from Hammer that more people are familiar with in horror. EC Comics really kept horror alive during the 40s and 50s when the studios weren't producing as many horror films by bringing monsters and mutilations to the kids in comic book form. Many of these stories were originals and some were re-workings of popular stories from pulp mags like WEIRD TALES. These stories were so influential that most horror directors for decades to come would point to them as early inspirations. As a result, horror fans often see these same stories reworked in many TV shows and films so much that they feel familiar, but most originated in these comics. Most often these stories involved some reprehensible person who got his "comeuppance" in the end through some ironic twist death. Sorry for the history lecture. I get a bit geeky about this stuff. On to the movie....As with any anthology, there are uneven ups and downs as not every segment is of the same quality. Overall, though, this is an excellent movie that is a lot of fun both for fans of modern horror as well as the old school monster fans.The wraparound story involves the Crypt Keeper introducing these stories to each of 5 people, with a conclusion that gives us one last little twist. There isn't much meat to the wraparound, but it does a fine job of tying things together and bringing some atmosphere and tone.AND ALL THROUGH THE HOUSE is probably my favorite segment. It's got everything you can want; multiple murders, an evil Santa, a sexy as hell Joan Collins and excellent directing. Francis really keeps the dialog to a minimum here and let's the creepy story do the work. I could watch over and over.REFLECTION OF DEATH may be the weakest, but is also the shortest. A character is essentially reliving the same nightmare over and over. There is a typical twist, but only the dullest viewer won't see it coming.POETIC JUSTICE features one of the best roles I've seen Peter Cushing play as it's so different from his usual. It's a heartbreaking story in a lot of ways as he see some neighbors ruin the life of a kind old man. Naturally, he gets his vengeance in the end with some fairly good zombie makeup to boot.WISH YOU WERE HERE is a take on the old story "The Monkey's Paw" which is your basic "you get 3 wishes, use them wisely" tale. There is some flawed logic in the story, which I usually don't let detract too much in a fun horror tale, but mostly it's just dull for not using the premise nearly as fulfilling as it could have been done.Finally, BLIND ALLEYS is the longest segment and a good one. An army officer takes command of a home for the blind and treats his residents all too poorly. As with all EC tales, he is going to pay for his sins, but it's the retribution forced on him by the blind denizens of the home that is worth the wait, though one can't help but have wanted a little more grue.If you've seen the HBO show, you're probably familiar with a few of these stories. Anyone who loves those old horror comics or stuff like CREEPSHOW and TALES FROM THE DARKSIDE will surely enjoy this memorable movie.