Customer Reviews

Tales From the Crypt [VHS]

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This film is a surprisingly good horror flick from the 70's. The film has great shot angles much like the ones Alfred Hitchcock used to use and many of the plots are just like him as well. You get to see five tales of mayhem and suspense as well as a little comedy in each sequence. Based on the Tales from the Crypt comic books, Tales from the Crypt - The Movie is the one that inspired the hit television series directed by Richard Donnar (Director of the Lethal Weapon Series.) I'd reccomend this hit to any fan of horror films, Tales from the Crypt or just want a good scare!

This 1972 horror anthology incorporates 5 spine-tingling stories from EC's "Tales from the Crypt" comic books. What made this film worth watching is how the stories expose the sinful flaws shrouded in each of the 5 tourists; devious practices of lust, greed and vanity which, of course, ultimately lead the main characters to a horrid demise. Although the first half of the movie was fairly slow, it dramatically picked up the pace as the following tales became increasingly shocking and disturbing.
In "And All Through the House," a greedy housewife named Joanne Clayton (Joan Collins) brutally murders her spouse by smashing his head with a poker. It's Christmas Eve, and after years of meticulous planning, she commits this murder to collect an insurance policy. However, as Joanne attempts to eliminate the body, she is stalked and terrorized by a homicidal lunatic dressed in a Santa Claus costume.
"Reflection of Death" concerns the fate of Carl Maitland (Ian Hendry), a cheating husband who chose to abandon his wife and children in order to begin a new life with his sexy mistress. As the two drive away together, Carl is suddenly killed in a fiery car accident and later on walks the streets as a festering corpse. Upon realizing the horror of his predicament, he wakes up back in his car; to his relief, his death turned out to be nothing more than an awful nightmare. Or was it?
In "Poetic Justice," Arthur Grimsdyke (Peter Cushing) is a charitable garbage collector who enjoys giving toys and candy to the neighborhood kids. However, his life is soon ruined by James Elliot (Robin Phillips), a spoiled, wealthy leech who forces Arthur to sell him his only property. By tarnishing the old man's public image and sending hateful Valentine's Day cards, Mr. Elliot drives poor Arthur to suicide. One year later, on Valentine's Day, Arthur's vengeful spectre rises from the grave to rip James's heart out...literally!
My most favorite tale is none other than "Wish You Were Here," which explains how a married couple try to recover from their financial woes by making 3 wishes on an Oriental statue. When Enid Jason (Barbara Murray) wishes to have a gaggle of money, her husband Ralph (Richard Greene) dies in a terrible auto accident. Then, when the grieving widow wishes her spouse to be how he was before the crash, a group of undertakers report to Enid that Ralph actually died of cardiac arrest. Finally, poor Enid makes the ultimate mistake by wishing for Ralph eternal life; he wakes up screaming in constant agony because the embalming fluid is corroding his arteries and organs! Even when Ralph's writhing body is hacked to pieces, he would never die!
The last scary story told in "Tales from the Crypt" is "Blind Alleys." Major Rogers (Nigel Patrick) is a former army officer hired to run a residence home for the blind. Under his cruel tactics, the patients are freezing cold at night and poorly fed during the day. Later on, when one neglected patient succumbs to illness, all of the abused residents finally had enough. Seeking revenge, they kidnap Rogers and teach him a ruthless lesson on how it feels to be truly blind. Let's just say that the Major's demise includes a half-starved dog and 100 or so razor blades!
What I didn't like about this film is how the Crypt Keeper is wrongly portrayed: Ralph Richardson's interpretation is that of a dignified monk guarding a cobwebbed monastary. (Unlike the EC version, who acts as a morbid color commentator bearing an endless bag of puns and wisecracks.) Also, with his dull dialogue and silly brown robe, the Crypt Keeper could have easily been parodied by Mel Brooks! If you love watching the HBO series and possess reprints of the original comics, this film may take getting used to. Nevertheless, "Tales from the Crypt" is worth seeing, along with "Dr. Terror's House of Horrors."

"Tales from the Crypt", is a seldom seen Amicus Production and was one of that companies famed horror anthologies produced in the early 1970's. Based on the very popular EC comics going by the same name, this movie is often mistaken for the much later television series that told of similiar stories of horror and hayhem. Here is the original movie effort which contains five different stories of varying quality chronicling the deadly deeds possibly committed by five unsuspecting tourists who visit a catacomb in the English countryside. The question is however are these deeds actually from the past? The group wander into and are trapped in a scary sealed chamber where they encounter a sinister elderly man dressed as a monk (Sir Ralph Richardson), who relates their stories one by one and we are treated to some horrific lessons in the consequences of greed, murder, and deceit.

The first tale which is my personal favourite is titled "All Through the House" and stars a perfectly cast Joan Collins as Joanne Clayton a scheming wife who murders her much older husband on Christmas Eve in order to retrieve a large life insurance policy. Joanne however gets more than she bargained for when after she disposes of her husband's body in the celler she is victimized by an escaped madman dressed in a Santa Claus suit who terrorises her in the house and then when let in by Joanne's unsuspecting daughter Carol (Chloe Franks) murders her.

Story two "Reflection of Death", is perhaps the weakest of the stories and finds an unfaithful husband Carl Maitland(Ian Hendry), preparing to leave his wife and young children and run off to start a new life with his mistres. However things dont go as planned when the pair have a car accident and George suddenly finds himself two years in the future with his girlfriend a blind woman from the accident and himself a terrifying rotting corpse. Waking up in the car George finds he was dreaming it until the situation tragically does play itself out for real.

Story three is "Poetic Justice", and is probably the most eerie of the stories and stars the great Peter Cushing as lovable old vagabond Arthur Grimsdyke who lives alone in an old house with his numerous dogs and the children that visit him everyday. Arthur however is the thorn in the side of neighbour James Elliot (Robin Phillips), who begins a sadistic campaign to rid the area of his horrid neighbour. He causes Arthur to first loose his job and then have his unregistered dogs removed after which he warns the neighbourhood parents about Arthur's real intentions with their children. As the grand finale on Valentine's Day James sends Grimsdyke a whole pile of vicious Valentine cards upon which Arthur commits suicide. However he ends up having the last word on who is the person with the real heart when exactly one year later Grimsdyke gets his own revenge.

Story Four "Wish You Were Here", is based on the terrifying story of the Monkey's Paw and revolves around ruthless and greedy businessman Ralph Jason (Richard greene),who suddenly finds himself bankrupt and badly in debt. Discussing the situation with his wife Enid (Barbara Murray) the pair suddenly notice for the first time an inscription on a valauble and mysterious oriental statue that promises the owner three wishes. Enid makes the mistake of asking for lots of money which does come to her but only after her husband is killed while driving to his financial advisors office. Enid then asks that Ralph be returned to her as he was before the accident which sees a group of undertakers bring in his coffin with the news that Ralph actually died of a heart attack BEFORE the car crashed. Making a final terrifying mistake she wishes that Ralph was alive and would live forever upon which he becomes a screaming monster as he has been filled with burning embalming fluid and can now never die despite the agony he is in.

Story five "Blind Alleys", stars Nigel Patrick as Maj. William Rogers a sadistic ex army officer who is placed in charge of a home for blind men. Very soon he is redecorating his office, and cutting back on fuel and food for the men. Aided by his savage dog he strikes terror into all the men until one of the elderly men dies of the cold and led by George Carter (Patrick Magee), the men take matters into their own hands and after imprisoning both the Major and his dog in cells, set up a deadly plan of retribution that sees the Major become a victim of the very things he used to frighten and deprive the men.

Like many anthology films some of the sections are more effective than others. The Joan Collins segment is especially powerful as it is done with minimal dialogue and with the continual drone of Christmas Carols playing during scenes of murder and mayhem. The image of death with its skeletal face riding Richard Greene to his death in "Wish You Were Here", is also a very powerful image from this film as his his terrible torment when he comes alive but is full of embalming fluid at the conclusion. Along with the classic "The House That Dripped Blood", "Tales", makes great spine tingling viewing if you like mini stories told within the one film. It is also highly recommended for its first rate British cast that really bring these stories of the macabre alive. Amicus and Hammer productions were the leaders in these type of horror tales and their work nowadays is sorely missed. Enjoy.

The fact that this great film is not on dvd in the states is a shame. However, this imo is the best horror anthology ever made.The atmosphere and script are well done.A good story always has morals and this anthology exemplifies this perfectly.There is no dragging pace to this film it just flows.Im not going to spoil this film but if you havent seen it or find it somewhere that still sells tapes get it. Many have tried to make horror anthologies but they just dont compare to this one in terms of originality,terror,or atmosphere.I wish the days were still here when they would play this movie around Christmas or Halloween late at night. Timeless horror movie.Check!

"Tales from the Crypt" is an Amicus horror anthology with five stories that unfold when five tourists stray from their tour and wind up in a sealed catacomb with a mysterious crypt-keeper (Sir Ralph Richardson) who questions them about their lives. Each tourist has a tale of the macabre to tell and as usual, it is a mixed bag, but overall, one of Amicus' best, my top favorite being "Dr. Terror's House of Horrors."

My favorite, by far, is the first with Joan Collins as a sinister, sexy, swingy wife who murders her husband on Christmas for his insurance policy as a homicidal maniac disquised as Santa Claus stalks her home. This tale is beautifully executed with a minimal of dialogue. As Christmas carols play and hubby contentedly reads the paper, Collins hits him over the head with a poker and then is left to dispose of his body as her daughter Carol (the always superb Chloe Franks) awaits Santa impatiently upstairs. The color in these films is wonderful and the mod 70's decor is well suited with psychedelic pictures and white and apricot walls, a white shag rug -- great vivid colors that go with the bright red stage blood. And Collins is in her youthful prime here, for those who only know her from "Dynasty." She was quite a beautiful babe. She also has the delicious toughness that would have made her a wonderful actress in film noir and works well here. This segment moves beautifully to its creepy climax and the sinister Father Christmas, tall and angular like one of those wooden decorations, is fantastic.

Each member of the cast has committed some sort of sin, so ostensibly the cryptkeeper is giving them their day of reckoning. All in all, great fun.

This film scared the you-know-what out of me 30 years ago and engraved itself in my memory. It's still an absolute trip. Superb example of what I consider real horror with roots in the Boris Karloff/Vincent Price/Peter Cushing, et al genre. Creative, imaginative, thinking person's horror as only the British can produce. Watch it at night, perhaps alone. If you're really brave, wait until a midnight snowstorm next winter... heh-heh...

Amicus Films ( Hammers main rivals in the 60's and 70's ) produced 8 anthologies from 1964 to 1974. This aruguably being their best and by far the most disturbing.
Five strangers find themselves in in some kind of ruined castle inhabited by the late Sir Ralph Richardson who reveals their futures in five tales.
The first sees Joan Collins murdering her much older husband on Christmas Eve while an excaped lunatic dressed as Santa is loose in the neighbourhood. The choir voices from the radio while all this is going on is quite effective.
The second stars Ian Hendry who deserts his family to run off with his lover but is involved in a car crash which disfigures him. He eventually finds his own way back home to discover his lover is blind from the accident and that he is not too good shape himself when catching a glimpe of himself in a glass table.
The third stars the excellent Peter Cushing in a touching and even tear jerking performance as an old man who commits suicide after his rich neighbout attempts to drive him out of his house. A year later he takes his revenge in a superb climax to the story.
Story number 4 Richard Greene goes bankrupt and his very silly wife decides to use an old Chinese figurine that grants three wishes to get the money back. Things don't go to plan of course and Greene ends up dead. Won't ruin the film by telling you what happens next. But this is perhaps the most psychologically terrifying sequence i have ever seen. Really gets you thinkin.

The final story has Nigel Patrick as a chief of a home for the blind. He treats the inhabitants terribly one of them being the superb Patrick Magee and they exact a very clever revenge on Patrick that includes razor blades and a starved alsatian ( nuff said )
The ending is not pleasant either but then again won't spoil it for those of you who haven't seen it.
Classic 70's chiller and any fan of classic horror will lap it up.

amicus studios was in it's prime with this wonderful little shocker about 5 people lost in a crypt and the old man they meet and the future he tell's about each one.
1.a woman killes her husband on christmas eve as thr radio tells of an escaped mad man in the area.
2.a man runs off with his mistress and they have a wreck. as he tries to get help people just run away in horror.
3.nasty young man wants his neighbor, an old widowed man, gone so after many dirty tricks the old man kills himself,one year later the young man gets a suprise.
4.a man goes bankrupt,but find a piece that grants 3 wishes,but at a most heavy cost.
5.a retired soldier takes over a home for blind soldiers. taking money away from the soldiers to feather his own nest,he finds that justice will win out every time.
and the wrap around story which you must watch to see.
another great anthology from amicus studios

One of the few rare gems in horror. If you deem yourself a horror fan you simply cannot miss this movie. Rent it or better yet, buy it but most definitely, do not miss it!!! For those reviewers who have been asking for the movie on dvd, check out this site: www.monstersinmotion.com and search for the movie... you'll be pleasantly surprised.

Best horror flick of all time. Not a lot of gore, like the useless so called horror films of today. The storyline was easy to follow, unlike horror films of today, which some of them can be very difficult to follow. You can watch the film two, three, times and it still doesn't make sense. Back in the seventies, creative writers were abundant and was good at the craft- making a good ol' scary flick. Horror films of today are just a waste of time and money, plain and simple.