Customer Reviews

Tales from the Crypt: The Complete Third Season

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The Tales From the Crypt series was some of the best television airing back in the final year of the 80s and into the early 90s. Deliberately over the top. Deliberately funny. Deliberately campy at times. Deliberately scary. Deliberately gory. Deliberately one of HBO's finest creations.

The episodes are all based on EC Comics of old...mostly from the self titled Tales From the Crypt, Haunt of Fear and Vault of Horror comic books. But I'd guess that 90% of you reading this already know that, and you're here as I am delighted that it is finally out on DVD.

For those that have not seen these wonderfully entertaining episodes of dark humor and horror...if you're into the genre this collection and any of the other HBO seasonal Tales From the Crypt releases are for you.

Season 3 contains one of the most memorable episodes with Abra Cadaver: Carl (Tony Goldwyn) and Marty (Beau Bridges) are brothers who work at a hospital. When Carl plays a prank on Marty pretending to have a new way of proving that the brain lives after the body dies, the scare delivered in the prank literally gives Marty a heart attack. Years later Marty hasn't forgiven Carl and Marty "executes" a prank of his own. Deadly fun!!!

You'll also get:
-"Deadline": Never commit murder with a CSI in the cast (Marg Helgenberger).
-"The Trap": Michael J Fox directed tale of a guy that fakes his own death...to die for!
-"Loved To Death": Love potion #9!
-"Carrion Death": More like Carrying Death...cuffed to a corpse!
-"Top Billing": Star studded episode about a frustrated hacktor who will do anything to get a part.
-"Dead Wait": Who do that voodoo? Maybe Whoopi Goldberg?
-"The Reluctant Vampire": If you're going to mess with a vampire, don't be long in the tooth!
-"Easel Kill Ya": Death defying portraits?
-"Undertaking Parlor": Video taping the undertaker...lights, camera, hacktion!
-"Mournin' Mess": Boils better watch out for the Ghouls!
-"Split Second": Lumberjack gets jealous and gives the other guy the axe!
-"Spoiled": Soap opera from hell!
-"Yellow": Another star studded episode where Kirk Douglas puts his real life cowardly son into battle and ultimately the firing squad.

Hit the Buy button. Easel kill ya!

The third season is rather special for me because it has two of my favourite episodes of the whole show - "Abra Cadaver" and "Yellow". As we all know "Tales from the Crypt" is one of the best TV-shows ever, and I personally don't ponder whether to buy it or not. Definately yes! I just can't wait till they release all other seasons as well. And here are all the directors and guest stars appearing in the third season:

THE TRAP - dir. Michael J. Fox. Starring: Michael J. Fox.
LOVED TO DEATH - dir. Tom Mankiewicz. Starring: David Hemmings, Mariel Hemingway.
CARRION DEATH - dir. Steven De Souza. Starring: Kyle Maclachlan.
ABRA CADAVER - dir. Stephen Hopkins. Starring: Tony Goldwyn, Beau Bridges.
TOP BILLING - dir. Todd Holland (Don't confuse with Tom Holland). Starring: Louise Fletcher, Sandra Bernhard, Jon Lovitz.
DEAD WAIT - dir. Tobe Hooper. Starring: Whoopi Goldberg, James Remar, John Rhys-Davies.
THE RELUCTANT VAMPIRE - dir. Elliot Silverstein. Starring: Malcolm McDowell, Michael Berryman.
EASEL KILL YA - dir. John Harrison. Starring: Tim Roth.
UNDERTAKING PALLOR - dir. Michael Thau. Starring: Graham Jarvis.
MOURNIN' MESS - dir. Manny Coto. Starring: Ally Walker.
SPLIT SECOND - dir. Russel Mulcahy. Starring: Brion James, Michele Johnson.
DEADLINE - dir. Walter Hill. Starring: Marg Helgenberger.
SPOILED - dir. Andy Wolk. Starring: Anthony LaPaglia, Faye Grant.
YELLOW - dir. Robert Zemeckis. Starring: Kirk Douglas, Eric Douglas, Dan Aykroyd, Lance Henriksen.

The third season may not have a big amount of major stars, but the directors, the directors! Even if you are not a fan of chills and thrills, you'd want to check their works here. Have fun!

This is a pretty great selection of episodes. As with any season some episodes are better then others and there are a few duds. This is actually the best season released so far in my opinion, season 2 is good but there are to many zombie revenge episodes.

You may also notice that the episodes here are noticably longer then in season 1 or 2. Most of these episodes run close to the 30 minute mark (Even a 40 minute episode). In previous seasons the episodes only ran around 20-22 minutes. Also, the introduction that was missing in previous seasons is rightfully included. I recommend this for any fan of the show, the extras on this set are alot better then the ones on season 2.

It should also be noted that the box is different then seasons 1 and 2. This one has 2 small dvd cases inside the box rather then a fold out digipack.

i give the season four stars. but the dvds get 2 stars. what happend!!! The WB got cheap, the new package sucks its higher than the others and not the same inside. That i could handle, but what really sucks is that the picture quality looks like VHS!The first 2 seasons looked great. But the third looks like im actually watching them in 1991! In a way it feels old school, but dam we are in the dvd age and i wish they looked good like the first 2 seasons. i hope they go back to the old packaging and remastering in the 4th season!

I was er...shocked when I recieved my Tales from the Crypt Season 3 Dvds. Why? I'll tell you. For some reason or other, the BEAUTIFUL packaging job that fans i'm sure drooled over in season 1 and 2, is basically GONE! No slip cover, 3 dvd's slammed into 2 thin plastic cases (like every other show does) and no gatefold episode presentations, and to make matters worse, the box stands a little bit higher up then the first 2 seasons. There is a lack of kick ass artwork and the cover isn't even embossed!

They either didn't make enough $$$ or they want to make more $$$, either way, i'm pretty upset. Still a rad show and i'll be buying the other five seasons.

Greetings, boils and ghouls! Are you prepared to feast on the latest boo-fet of blood-curderling tales to tickle your funny bone? Well, I've got just the poison for you: a terrorific total of 14 uncut and uncensored episodes of "Tales from the Crypt." Some creeps say that 3 is a magic number, and there's no doubt that 1991 was THE year of fear for The Crypt Keeper and his many deadtime stories. Even better is the fact that the set's special creature features include interviews, a panel discussion, and a music video of "The Crypt Jam," which was first made to promote the show's original scare soundtrack. So plump up that coffin pillow and settle back your bones. Here are just some of the tales your mother would never tell you.

In "Loved to Death," Andrew McCarthy plays Edward Foster, a freelance screenwriter suffering a gnawing case of writer's block. That changes, however, when he meets Miranda Singer (Mariel Hemingway), an ambitious B-movie actress with a very short fuse. Attracted to her (and envisioning her in one of his naughty celluloid fantasies), Eddie tries to win Miranda over by accepting a powerful love elixer from his sinister landlord (David Hemmings), It was easy to propose a toast and to slip the formula into Miranda's glass of red wine. Unfortunately, the potion works TOO well, and only death can help cure the actress and save poor Ed from her monstrous sex drive.

In "The Trap," Lou Pulloma (Bruno Kirby) is a lazy deadbeat of a husband who beats his wife Irene (Teri Garr) and mooches even his own mother out of every penny she has. In order to escape their financial woes, Lou decides to collect on his life insurance by fabricating his own death, dragging his coroner brother Bill (Bruce McGill) into the scheme. All that was needed was a knife, a poker, a phony death certificate, and a good story. But once the police and grieving relatives believed in Lou's tragic demise, Irene and Bill turn the tables on him by convincing everyone that Lou is an imposter. Because he was stupid enough to leave fingerprints on the alleged weapon, Lou gets arrested and sent to the electric chair for his own murder! Oh, did I forget to mention there's a cameo appearance by actor Michael J. Fox, who just happens to be the episode's director?

If you kiddies think "House" is frightening, then it's nothing when compared to the antics of "Abra Cadaver." Doctors Carl (Tony Goldwyn) and Martin Fairbanks (Beau Bridges) are bickering brothers whose only common passion is playing practical jokes. Carl even goes so far as to shock his brother by 'reviving' a corpse in the hospital morgue...and giving Martin a heart attack that leaves him paralyzed on one side, ruining his medical career. To get his revenge, Martin poisons his brother to stop his heart and inject an experimental drug into his bloodstream, causing Carl's brain to remain alive even after clinical death. As a result, he can still see, hear, and feel sensations while being unable to move, leaving Carl defenseless on the embalming table! Of course, all this turns out to be a harmless joke...right? Well, not when Carl loses function in his heart a second time and gets sawed open in a routine autopsy.

"Top Billing" concerns comedian Jon Lovitz as a starving actor named Barry Blye who is falling down society's poverty line. After many years of trying to earn a living on the stage, he loses both his decrepit apartment and his girlfriend in one day. Desperate to make it big, Barry auditions for the lead role in an independent production of "Hamlet" lead by Dustin Halliwell, the cast's creepy and kooky director (John Astin). But when the part is given to his suave and handsome rival Winton Robbins (Bruce Boxleitner), the jealous Barry strangles him with a piece of rope, only to discover the playhouse is run solely by escaped homicidal maniacs!

In "Dead Wait," a petty thief named Red Buckley (James Remar) travels to a Carribean island to steal a priceless black pearl from ailing millionaire Duvall (John Rhys-Davies). With little hesitation, Red sleeps around with his sexy vixen wife Kathy (Vanity) and together they plot to swipe the pearl out from under the owner's nose. This dark and grisly chess game is complicated when Red is followed and warned by a voodoo guide named Peligree (Whoopi Goldberg), whose only real motive is to grab Red's precious locks of hair...by any means necessary!

One of my personal favorite 1991 tales is "The Reluctant Vampire," which is set in a local blood bank happily watched over by Donald Longtooth (Malcolm McDolwell), a compassionate bloodsucker whose job as a security guard allows him easy access to the bank's supply of A+ and O-. The reason he does this is because despite his killer instincts, taking human life for self-nourishment isn't exactly his favorite hobby. On top of that, he's in love with Sally (Sandra Dickenson), an innocent co-worker who is repeatedly harrassed by the bank's lecherous boss (George Wendt). To replenish the bank's plasma storage and prevent workers from losing their jobs, Donald takes a bite out of crime by targeting burglars and carjackers, all the while having a mysterious vampire hunter (Michael Berryman) on his tail.

"Easel Kill Ya" is an artistic episode that exudes dread and hopelessness though every brushstroke. Tim Roth portrays a lonely, withdrawn oil painter named Jack Craig who has a rather difficult time striving toward his goal while dealing with the world around him. One night, after his downstairs neighbor accidentally falls off a balcony, Jack finally finds his secret talent by making a portrait of the bloody aftermath. Jack's style is even further displayed after he pushes an old woman down a flight of stairs. The only individual interested in his work is a savvy but morbid art collector (Malcolm Mayflower), whose generous cash offering is equal to that of a Faustian contract. Putting his freedom and life on the line, Jack goes out to spill more crimson onto to his canvas in exchange for more gory greenbacks.

"Mournin' Mess" is a tasty morsel of a tale centered on a womanizing newspaper columnist named Dale Sweeney (Steven Weber). It seems a psychotic killer is preying upon the homeless, and one of them has been framed for the crimes (Vincent Schiavelli RIP). The man eventually forces Dale to investigate the murders, and the red trail soon leads to the Grateful Homeless Cemetary. There, over six feet underground, a covert group of balding ghouls with razor-sharp teeth harvest the corpses for one purpose...LUNCH!

"Deadline" is a noir-style thriller about Charlie Mackenzie (Richard Jordan), a washed-out reporter with an uncanny addiction to alcohol (one that would inevetably drive him insane). In his last chance to stay sober and regain his status, Charlie searches for a juicy murder story, preferably a crime of passion. Along the way, he gets smitten with Vicki (Marg Heleberger), a young prostitute who refuses to indulge in long-term relationships. Later on, when he learns that Vicki was cruelly toying with the emotions of her Greek diner husband, and that he throttled her behind the bar, Charlie seizes his opportunity to interview the sobbing spouse. But Vicki isn't dead...at least not yet as far as the reporter was concerned.

There are many classic Tales from the crypt episodes in Season Three. Season 3 was originally aired in 1991 on HBO.
The Episode listing for the set is as follows.
season 3.
01 - Loved To Death.
02 - Carrion Death
03 - The Trap
04 - Abra Cadaver
05 - Top Billing
06 - Dead Wait
07 - The Reluctant Vampire
08 - Easel Kill Ya
09 - Undertaking Parlour
10 - Mournin' Mess
11 - Split Second
12 - Deadline
13 - Spoiled
14 - Yellow

There are many great Cryptkeeper Intro's and exits, and the atmosphere and story lines to these tales are excellent.
The 3rd season of "Tales From The Crypt" is a must have for any fan of the show. I have been a massive fan of the show ever since I was a little kid, so I will be getting a copy.
Season 3 is one of the shows finest seasons and featured stars such as Whoopie Goldberg ( Dead Wait ) and Dan Aykroyd ( Yellow ). A Classic Set

Special Features Include:
"Crypt Jam" Music Video
Tall Tales Panel: A never-before-seen dissected look at Tales from the Crypt Season 3
Tales from the Crypt Reunion: A Panel Discussion

Based on stories from the deliciously depraved E.C. horror comics (TALES FROM THE CRYPT, VAULT OF HORROR, HAUNT OF FEAR, etc.) of the 1950s, TALES FROM THE CRYPT was a TV horror anthology that, like most TV anthologies, had a lot of both hits and misses. Originally airing on HBO and then later in syndication, some of the episodes fell short, but when a story was a hit, it was usually dead on (excuse the pun). The critical and popular success of the first two seasons on HBO meant that a third season inevitable, and this three-disc set features all 14 episodes of the third season in their original uncut form (in syndication, episodes were edited to remove non-cable no-nos like nudity, severe profanity, and "excessive" gore).

Season three continues the trend of featuring well-known and highly talented stars--episodes here offer performances from Teri Garr, Michael J. Fox, Mariel Hemingway, comedian Jon Lovitz, Beau Bridges, Oscar winner Whoopi Goldberg, Tim Roth, Michelle Johnson, and Kirk Douglas, to name but a few--and since the bulk of these scripts are derived from E.C. stories that are actually darker, more ironic, and less "comicy" than those of the previous two seasons, this is arguably the best season of the three. Nonetheless, some episodes still stand out above the others, and the cream of this crop includes:



"Top Billing" stars the delightful comedic actor Jon Lovitz as a frumpy, struggling thespian who will kill to get a part. And when his handsome and longtime rival (Bruce Boxleitner) usurps his role in an urban repertory company's production of HAMLET, Lovitz literally strangles the competition to reclaim the part. However, when reporting for rehearsal, the homicidal ham discovers that his role in the play is not the one for which he auditioned.

"Easel Kill Ya" features Tim Roth--genre fans have seen him in films like Tim Burton's 2001 remake PLANET OF THE APES and 2005's DARK WATER, among others--as a starving artist who starts on the road to fame and riches after he inadvertently kills a neighbor and then decides to paint his interpretation of the bloody aftermath. He attempts to abandon his gory aesthetic at the request of a new girlfriend, but when she becomes the victim of a hit-and-run accident, he finds that he must create one more murderous work of art in order to cover the cost of the operation that can save her life.

In "Split Second," when a gruff lumberjack foreman (the late Brion James) weds a beautiful young barmaid (Michelle Johnson), he soon becomes a violently jealous husband who harasses his workers for ogling his wife, even though it is she who incessantly flirts with and teases the loggers. When the foreman discovers his spouse in bed with a new employee (Billy Wirth), he flies into a rage and blinds the young man during the ensuing brawl. But fellow loggers, fed up with the foreman's behavior, arrange for the young man to get his revenge. A fun episode that is also notable for shots of the very sexy Ms. Johnson sans blouse and bra.

"Yellow" stars Kirk Douglas as a stone-hearted, by-the-book WWI General, and Eric Douglas (Kirk's real-life offspring) portrays the General's son, a craven Lieutenant who is under the General's command during a critical battle in France. Embarrassed by his "yellow" progeny, the General engages his son in an insidious course of action that will save the young man's reputation as well as allow the General himself to save face. Although the ending is easy to foresee, the acting is top-notch and the depiction of WWI is fairly gruesome, and it all adds up to an engaging and suspenseful drama. Directed by Oscar winner (1994's FORREST GUMP) Robert Zemeckis.



This DVD set from Warner Home Video offers fairly clean digital transfers of these delightful episodes of this popular show. The packaging is a little better than that of the previous two seasons--instead of hard-plastic disc cradles attached to fan-fold cardboard, this set has two slim-line DVD cases that fit into a superfluous cardboard sleeve--but the extras (two featurettes documenting TFTC staff appearances at a comic con and a lame rap video) aren't quite as exciting. Still, TALES FROM THE CRYPT--THE COMPLETE THIRD SEASON is a must-own for all serious horror fans.

The third season of HBO's Tales From the Crypt proved to be another excellent and fright filled season of the show based on the classic EC horror comics, and like the season before it, season three featured more star studded episodes both in front of and behind the camera. Standouts of the third season include the Michael J. Fox directed "The Trap", in which a con man who fakes his own death gets more than he bargained for, as well as "Carrion Death" in which a con on the run (Kyle MacLachlan) runs in to the law, and drags it along with him (literally). The Stephen Hopkins directed "Abra Cadaver" finds sibling doctors (Tony Goldwyn and Beau Bridges) on different sides of a terror filled prank, and Texas Chainsaw Massacre maestro Tobe Hooper contributes "Dead Wait" with Whoppi Goldberg. "Top Billing" is a standout as Jon Lovitz plays a struggling actor who gets the role of a lifetime, and it costs him plenty. Malcolm McDowell is a hoot in "The Reluctant Vampire", while the season closes with one of the series' absolute best episodes "Yellow", directed by Robert Zemeckis and featuring Kirk Douglas in World War II supervising his cowardly son (real life son Eric Douglas) whose fear of dying gets the better of him. All in all, the third seaon of Tales From the Crypt is yet another superb collection of horror yarns, and believe it or not, things even get better yet.

I have to admit that owning the first two volumes of Tales from the Crypt have been a prideful boast of mine. However, with the release of Volume 3, Warner has decided to skimp on packaging and ignore what was great about the first two editions and their shelf appeal. I was not surprised as Warner has often chosen to forgo great packaging to save a buck. Anyway, the content proves to be in the same vein as those that precede it with some of the highlights including Andrew McCarthy's episode, Anthony LaPaglia's turn as a cable repairman, and Kirk Douglas and late son Eric in the final episode of the collection entitled "Yellow". The series now seems to tread in deep water as it tries to maintain its edge after satiating its audiences with original appeal for the first two seasons. Some of the episodes this go-round fall a little flat. But knowing what I recall of the series' later years, more excitement is yet to come! And in the meantime, don't miss Whoopi Goldberg as a voodoo priestess in this one. Classic!