'Tales from the Crypt' is a superb and tremendously creepy British horror anthology film which features five chilling tales that will get under your skin. Comprised of a fantastic cast and an imaginative premise, this outstanding Amicus Studios outing astounds in its stylish and atmospheric production and visually macabre set pieces. From iconic moments to murderous mayhem this movie has it all.
The Plot = Five strangers ends up getting lost inside a crypt they're exploring. They meet up with the mysterious Crypt Keeper (Ralph Richardson), who tells each of them a story of how they will die.
Based upon the EC comic titles from the 1950's such as 'Tales from the Crypt', 'Vault of Horror', & 'Haunt of Fear', this movie does a wonderful job of bringing these stories to life with the overall look and feel of each tale being diverse and well thought out and featuring a nice combination of zombies, psychopathic killers, and the supernatural. The movie manages to move at a good pace and features some amazing production design and compelling visuals that gives everything a haunting vibe.
The first segment "And All Through the House" stars the legendary Joan Collins who does a fantastic job in the lead role here and sets the tone perfectly for what's to come, it's very intense, tightly paced, eerie, and highly influential as it's an early slasher that keeps you on the edge of your seat throughout.
"Reflection of Death" which is the weakest segment of the bunch which has the shortest runtime so thankfully it doesn't outstay it's welcome, the concept was interesting and the central performance by Ian Hendry was solid, the twist at the end of it was way too predictable and I didn't feel any investment in this story.
"Poetic Justice" is thankfully a vast improvement and ranks up there with the best of best as far as horror segments go. Peter Cushing's performance here is incredible as he brings a real sense of sadness to the role. The emotional hook here is fantastic with some incredible horror imagery and an unsettling atmosphere, this is simply perfect.
The 4th segment "Wish You Were Here" is another strong outing with its intriguing premise, fantastic performances, and disturbing finale. This one felt a little too short and lacking in depth, but overall, it's still a decent segment.
The 5th and final segment "Blind Alley" the longest story and mark a great ending to this saga with stellar performances from Patrick Magee & Nigel Patrick, an interesting narrative, disturbing imagery and features a lot of emotional depth to it. The wraparound segments round everything off perfectly with its haunting atmosphere, creepy visuals, and standout performance from Ralph Richardson as The Crypt Keeper.
Overall 'Tales from the Crypt' is a definite must see for horror fans and in my opinion ranks as one of the greatest horror anthologies of all-time.
The Plot = Five strangers ends up getting lost inside a crypt they're exploring. They meet up with the mysterious Crypt Keeper (Ralph Richardson), who tells each of them a story of how they will die.
Based upon the EC comic titles from the 1950's such as 'Tales from the Crypt', 'Vault of Horror', & 'Haunt of Fear', this movie does a wonderful job of bringing these stories to life with the overall look and feel of each tale being diverse and well thought out and featuring a nice combination of zombies, psychopathic killers, and the supernatural. The movie manages to move at a good pace and features some amazing production design and compelling visuals that gives everything a haunting vibe.
The first segment "And All Through the House" stars the legendary Joan Collins who does a fantastic job in the lead role here and sets the tone perfectly for what's to come, it's very intense, tightly paced, eerie, and highly influential as it's an early slasher that keeps you on the edge of your seat throughout.
"Reflection of Death" which is the weakest segment of the bunch which has the shortest runtime so thankfully it doesn't outstay it's welcome, the concept was interesting and the central performance by Ian Hendry was solid, the twist at the end of it was way too predictable and I didn't feel any investment in this story.
"Poetic Justice" is thankfully a vast improvement and ranks up there with the best of best as far as horror segments go. Peter Cushing's performance here is incredible as he brings a real sense of sadness to the role. The emotional hook here is fantastic with some incredible horror imagery and an unsettling atmosphere, this is simply perfect.
The 4th segment "Wish You Were Here" is another strong outing with its intriguing premise, fantastic performances, and disturbing finale. This one felt a little too short and lacking in depth, but overall, it's still a decent segment.
The 5th and final segment "Blind Alley" the longest story and mark a great ending to this saga with stellar performances from Patrick Magee & Nigel Patrick, an interesting narrative, disturbing imagery and features a lot of emotional depth to it. The wraparound segments round everything off perfectly with its haunting atmosphere, creepy visuals, and standout performance from Ralph Richardson as The Crypt Keeper.
Overall 'Tales from the Crypt' is a definite must see for horror fans and in my opinion ranks as one of the greatest horror anthologies of all-time.