Les contes de la crypte

It is without exception the greatest series of all time. The acting by everyone was great and the Cryptkeepers's puns were hilarious (Just goes to show you kiddies, Be very careful what you Axe For Christmas, You Just Might Get it!) (I Call tonight's Putrid Piece "What's Cookin". This series will beat hands down any of the crap out there today. It was kind of like the Twilight Zone of the 90's. All the big and Upcoming stars were in the episodes. You had Lou Diamond Phillips, Priscillia Presley, Larry Drake, Ed Begley Jr, Judd Nelson, Christopher Reeve, Joe Pesci, Jeffrey Jones, Alan Ruck, Cheech Marin, Martin Sheen, Billy Zane, Anthong Michael Hall, Brooke Shields, and many others. The episodes were true to the comics and didn't try to change anything. The Best thing by far was John Kassir doing the Cryptkeeper's voice. That was fantastic and timeless.

I have always been a fan of the series. This is the kind of stuff I grew up on. I loved this show when I was a kid, so much that I even read some of the old comics. There is always a moral to each story. (most of which seem to involve betraying lovers for some odd reason) Although some episodes are so far out there they come off as being lame at times I can't help but love them. Every episode is like it's own little horror movie. I highly recommend the series,especially now that it is coming out on DVD. You get a lot of entertainment for your money. Thats all I have to say about this series and as the crypt keeper would say "Good night boils and ghouls."

If you are a somewhat warped person with a dark sense of humor, you'll really like this offering. Obviously I plead guilty because I liked this, although one of episodes turned me off. Nonetheless, it's very entertaining because of the effective mix of comedy, suspense, horror and originality.

You only get six stories from this opening (1989) season of horror-comedy on cable television, but at a fairly cheap price, the DVD set still is well worth it.

In addition to the crazy stories, you get some surprisingly good cinematography. The picture isn't razor sharp but it's well-photographed. Some pretty big directors in the film business - Richard Donner, Robert Zemeckis, Joel Silver, David Giler and Walter Hill - are involved.

Each show features an actor or two who's familiar and they must have had fun making these. You can just see it as they ham it up in their roles. Warning: the language is rough. This is R-rated material....and perhaps only for sick people, as I must be.

There have been many shows that were never intended to be taken seriously, but "Tales from the Crypt" brings the idea to a whole new level. Each episode begins by descending into what appears to be a haunted house, where we get introduced to the delightfully creepy Crypt Keeper. He explains (as sardonically as possible) what we're about to watch. Then, each episode tells a story involving a really nasty situation; some involve monsters, others involve people doing really unpleasant things, but they all make one laugh. I really liked the episode where Don Rickles played a most unusual puppeteer, and also the episode where Christopher Reeve opened a restaurant...of sorts. Granted, this show was kind of ridiculous, but they never lost their timing, even with the Crypt Keeper's silly remarks. Just remember that, kiddies. Hee hee hee!

This was definitely a show not to be taken seriously...but therein lies the key to great TV entertainment. Anthology series, by definition, can be very fun and addicting because they don't require the viewer to be well versed in some complex arching storyline. Each episode is stand-alone, and with this series in particular the 30 minute time frame flies right by...leading you to watch another! About the time, yes, some episodes feel as though they could have benefited from additional time to contain all of the complex twists and turns. Then again, that is also why it is so much fun! Not time consuming.

Horror fans (especially), but also fans of comedy, or just plain old fashioned (sometimes simple minded even cheesy) storytelling will get a kick out of this series. And the Cryptkeeper? Pop culture icon, with all of those puns! Ever been to Spencer's gifts...remember the lifesized Cryptkeeper animatronic figure they sold for awhile. What other TV shows inspires such worship! If you're familiar with the series and think you would like to revisit it...you will not be disappointed (the DVD's are priced low!). If by chance you've never seen it, check it out...it's a blast. Not even in a category with other shows other than maybe The Twilight Zone, but also uniquely different!