Tales from the Crypt (film)



In 1972, five tales from EC Comics were adapted into the anthology film Tales from the Crypt by the British Amicus Productions. In spite of the name, only two of the stories came from the actual Tales from the Crypt comic, with the others coming from The Haunt of Fear and The Vault of Horror.

In 1973, Tales from the Crypt was followed up with a sequel The Vault of Horror. As before it features five different stories, taken from various EC works. Ironically, not a single one actually came from the Vault of Horror series.

Currently, only the Bowdlerized PG version of The Vault of Horror is available on DVD.

"Carter: "With all due respect, sir, we are not soldiers. Blind people are not like people with sight. We have lost one sense but the loss of that sense only tends to sharpen the others. Do you know what that means? We feel things more acutely! If food tastes bad it tastes worse to us, if a room is dirty we feel every speck, if an insect scurries across the floor we hear it, and if it's cold we feel the cold more. Why don't you sell that painting and buy us fuel or extra blankets?""
 * All Just a Dream / Dreaming of Things to Come
 * Amnesiac Dissonance: The memories of the people in the framing stories have been rolled back to the point before they committed their misdeeds. They're all pretty shocked and confused about what they did.
 * Asshole Victim: All the main characters really, but especially Major Rogers, James Elliot, and Vault's Arthur Critchit.
 * Back From the Dead: Carl Maitland does this without realizing it in his story.
 * Beat Still My Heart: For something like eight or nine hours, actually.
 * Be Careful What You Wish For
 * The Dead Have Eyes: Notably averted in "Poetic Justice" (even if the makeup effect is a little primitive).
 * Dead to Begin With: Everyone in the framing story.
 * Disability Superpower: Invoked in "Blind Alleys", but it's definitely a Blessed with Suck situation.


 * Disposing of a Body: Joanne Clayton needed to find a way to do this before she could call the police about the Serial Killer outside her house.
 * Disproportionate Retribution: Sure, they did terrible things, but the people in the framing story cannot actually remember committing their various misdeeds at all. Nevertheless they still get sent to Hell.
 * Well, they're already dead, and therefore presumably beyond any chance of repentance or atonement.
 * Driven to Suicide: Grimsdyke.
 * Faking the Dead: Vault of Horror's Maitland.
 * Fan Disservice: The wife in "The Neat Job" mixes up the underwear drawers at one point. Terry-Thomas is not flattered by pink women's panties.
 * Framing Device: The characters are all learning why they're in Hell/paying for their sins by being forced to relive their stories.
 * Fridge Logic: If Ralph Jason is immortal thanks to his wife's wish, how can the Crypt Keeper send him to Hell?
 * Genre Savvy: The characters in "Wish You Were Here" are familiar with "The Monkey's Paw" and try to wish accordingly. (Not that it does them any good...)
 * The Grim Reaper: Shows up to give Edward Elliott a heart attack.
 * Hey, It's That Guy!: The Fourth Doctor as a disgruntled painter.
 * And Alexis Carrington as a murderous wife.
 * F. Alexander as a vengeful blind man.
 * Hollywood Voodoo: "Drawn and Quartered".
 * Horror Doesn't Settle for Simple Tuesday
 * Neat Freak: Critchit.
 * The Neidermeyer: Rogers was one of these, and runs the Home for the Blind in exactly the same way.
 * Paedo Hunt: A trumped-up one of these helps drive Grimsdyke to suicide.
 * POV Cam: Used for part of the "Reflection of Death" segment.
 * Reality Subtext: Peter Cushing plays Grimsdyke, a widower who attempts to contact his wife via Ouija board. Cushing's own wife had died shortly before he took the role, and he evidently insisted that he would be perfect for it. Ouch.
 * The picture Mr. Grimsdyke is talking to? That's a picture of Cushing's late wife.
 * Spooky Seance: Averted. Grimsdyke actually has a rather sweet relationship with his deceased wife.
 * Sympathetic Magic: Used with paintings in "Drawn and Quartered."
 * Theme Serial Killer: Likes to wear a Santa suit. Got a kid who can open the door? Uh-oh.
 * Your Cheating Heart: Leads Carl Maitland to abandon his family.