User Reviews

Tales from the Crypt: The Secret starts as young orphan Theodore (Mike Simmrin) is adopted by the rich Colbert's (Grace Zabriskie & William Frankfather) much to the relief of the orphanage's owner Mrs Hagstead (Georgann Johnson), the Colbert's take Theodore to their mansion & take him to his toy filled room but lock the door so he can't get out. At first Theodore think he's on to a good thing but the Colbert's go to work all day & are out all night as he is kept locked in his room, however there are plenty of dark secrets that will soon be uncovered...

This Tales from the Crypt story was episode 18 from season 2 & was the final tale from that season, directed by Michael Riva I though The Secret was a good end to the second season. The script by Doug Ronning was based on a story from the 'Tales from the Crypt' comic book (there's a nice homage to William M. Gaines the original creator/publisher of these horror comics as th orphanage is named after him) & is one of those straight ahead horror stories that borrows heavily from classic horror films & literature, I don't really need to go into details but anyone who has read the IMDb's cast list will know what I mean & also have one of the two neat twists at the end spoiled. This episode has a great build up that while not particularly exciting or incident packed it has a certain feel & tone that keeps you watching & you just know there's something bubbling under the surface & it's just a case of waiting to see what it is. The story moves along at a decent pace, the character's are good & while it lacks the humour of some Tales from the Crypt episodes it's still an entertaining one.

This one has great production values & actually looks like a proper film at times, lets just forget about the day-for-night scenes. There's a great atmosphere to The Secret, there are one or two creepy moments & it's nice to see a couple of classic horror creations appear in a tale from the crypt. There's no gore her to speak of but this one concentrates on the story, having said that & not wishing to spoil the entire thing there's some good make-up effects. The acting is pretty good, the Colbert's are suitably weird & Larry Drake appears in his second Tales from the Crypt episode after season 1's And All Through the House (1989).

The Secret is another top tale from the crypt from when it could do little wrong in my opinion, unfortunately things didn't stay that way. Still, lets just reminisce & enjoy the good times shall we?

This last episode of season 2 of TALES FROM THE CRYPT (the longest season in the show) is about Theodore, a 12 year old boy that finally leaves the orphanage thanks to an apparently gentle couple that adopts him. However Theodore notices one thing: every evening and night instead of staying with him they leave him alone with the butler (Larry Drake). One night Theodore goes out of his room and finally discovers their parents' secret: they are vampires that adopt kids for sucking their blood and remain eternally young. After they kill the butler Theodore runs out in the woods and he is chasen by the guard dog. When we see the full moon, we find out also Theodore's secret: he is a werewolf and even manages to tame the dog. And he returns to the orphanage with the dog saying that there will be lots of changes...

The copy I found on Youtube was a bit grainy right in the chasing part and I couldn't see the kid nor the dog while they ran. But I have to say that the shot of his vampire parents flying was quite amazing. And at the ending I even asked myself if that didn't happened with the others that tried to adopt Theodore in the past. A bit incomplete, but still worth a try.

Kind of a cheesy ending, but the build up makes all up for it.

The second season finale is about an orphan named Theodore being adopted by two rich but very odd people. They never want him to leave the house and only spend time with him during the night. They give him all kinds of sweets and you know that there is just something wrong.

Their house keeper, Tobias forms a bond with the boy and tries to rescue him before the Colberts reveal their true nature. Here it comes, wait for it... they are VAMPIRES! Yeah, bad twist after such great build up but it is forgiven by the excellent scenery. However, there is a second twist... Theadore is a WEREWOLF! and he kills the colberts.

Yes, it was a disappointing double twist but the performances, set design and scenery make it a pretty decent and enjoyable Tales... but as a Season finale, it could have been better.

Amen! Now that's what I call a good f****n' ending!!! I really love this one because a lot of its themes make it seem almost like a kind of dark fairytale at times. The cold stepparents, the Gothic castle-like mansion, the room like a toy store that's really a prison, with all the sweet treats to fatten him up he could ever want that quickly lose their charm, and of course the great twist in the tale! It's kinda like "Hansel and Gretal" meets "Curse of the Werewolf", and though the story is maybe a little simplistic, Thanks to the fantasy tone I find it captivating. I thought the kid was likable and interesting, I like how it manages to establish in the limited time given that you actually feel for him being taken away from his orphanage home and all his friends and into the icy clutches of creepy garish rich strangers. It's got Larry Drake in it too! In his second and final Crypt appearance he plays it a tad more subtle than his earlier epic role as the killer Santa in "And All Through the House." I really like his role in this as the kind-hearted butler, and again I like how the little friendship between him and "Theodore" is established well enough that you actually feel bad when he gets done in! With his quietly competent performance, I really think he steals the show from the rest of the cast. I prefer him as a villain, but I'm such a big fan that I love him in whatever role he's playing, and I haven't seen him in a bad part yet. My favourite part is the double 'twist' ending where Theodore spectacularly turns the tables on his would-be destroyers. The beautiful ethereal Gothic blue lighting that's used for the sequence so perfectly captures the kind of comic book magic the series aimed for. And it's so awesome how rumbling and infernal his voice becomes as he reveals his pretty impressive lupine form! And it is actually scary there for a second as he rushes the vamps and hunts them down! I guess they probably should have turned into bats and flew away or something instead of standing around being all cruel and superior... For me it's one of the most gloriously over the top and macabrely brilliant moments of the whole series! One of the things that I found a bit too muddled and confusing was that Theodore didn't seem aware that he was a werewolf, and I just don't see how that could be possible. Maybe he uh, he only became fully aware of it when he came of age, maybe? They should have developed that part a little better! ::: This one's a little more innocent and lighter in tone than the average episode, but it has a great atmosphere and is truly one of my favourites because the good guy wins with the help of one memorable twist, and the antagonists get what they deserve. An inspired season finale, long live the werewolf!!!

They did a good job with the build up in this episode. I kept wanting to know when the big reveal would come and what it would be, but once it came it was a huge letdown.

Vampires was one thing, but the kid being a werewolf? That is a bit too much for me. Not bad by any means, but weak by Tales from the Crypt standards.

Orphan boy Theodore (well played by Mike Simmrin) is adopted by rich eccentric Mrs. Colbert (the always terrific Grace Zabriskie vamping it up with delicious lip-smacking aplomb) and her equally odd husband Mr. Colbert (a sturdy turn by William Frankfather). This quirky twosome are harboring a very dark secret. Director Michael Riva, working from a clever and engrossing script by Doug Running, relates the compelling story at a steady pace, does an ace job of creating and sustaining a pleasingly spooky and mysterious atmosphere, brings a real classy style to the already nifty proceedings, and expertly stages the tense and exciting conclusion. The big surprise twist at the end is a real doozy. This episode further benefits from uniformly sound acting from the capable cast, with Larry Drake a definite stand-out as friendly butler Tobias. Moreover, there's a fair amount of warmth to be found amid all the creepiness; the scenes between Theodore and Tobias are genuinely sweet and touching. The opulent and eye-popping mansion main set rates as another major plus. Elliot Davis' glossy cinematography boasts a few gnarly askew camera angles. David Kitay's eerie score likewise hits the shivery spot. A worthy closer to the superior second season.

We've hit the last episode of season 2 of Tales from the Crypt. Are you still out there reading?

This is based on one of the most reused plots in EC Comics: an orphan gets adopted by potentially evil parents but the twist ending changes it all up for everyone.

The Crypt Keeper starts it off by saying, ""What?! So where's the twist? And I had such great expectations. Ah, now here is a story you can sink your teeth into. A toothsome tale of tommyrot guaranteed to scare the dickens out of you! Lean in, fright fans. I'm going to let you in on "The Secret.""

Theodore (Mike Simmrin) has left the Gaines Orphanage - get it? - and adopted by Colberts (Grace Zabriskie and William Frankfather) who give him whatever he wants but never let him leave his room. His only friend is the butler Tobias (Larry Drake) who was also an orphan. They've been sweetening his blood because, well, they're vampires. But the secret is that he's really a werewolf.

This episode was directed by J. Michael Riva, who only directed one other thing - an episode of Amazing Stories - and was mainly a production designer. It was written by Doug Ronning, who only wrote this script and one other episode of the show. It's the second appearance of Larry Drake, who was memorably Santa in the second episode.

The story comes from "The Secret" which was in Haunt of Fear #24. That story was written by Carl Wessler and drawn by George Evans.

This is a wonderful episode to close the season out on. I'll be back next week with the first episode of season three, "Loved to Death."