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Back from the Crypt! Why TALES FROM THE CRYPT's Shudder Revival Feels Like a Horror Miracle

By. Davalyn Baker 

 

Shudder made an exciting announcement for horror fans, both young and young at heart. The campy horror anthology series TALES FROM THE CRYPT will make its streaming debut on May 1st, restored and released weekly per season.

The series originally premiered in 1989 on HBO. When HBO Max debuted, I gave it a full year before I tweeted that I wanted to see the show on its original platform. I didn’t think anyone would actually respond, but some attentive social media intern replied! Alas, it never came to be, and I bounced from YouTube channel to YouTube channel trying to watch low-res, chopped versions of what I could find until I eventually gave up.

 

 

The truth? The licensing surrounding the series is messy and bewildering. Many of the episodes were based on the pulp comics created by EC comics, with their story rights being sold individually. There’s also the issue with the music copywriting. Most importantly, the Crypt Keeper’s rights are also complicated. And what is a TALES FROM THE CRYPTseries without the Crypt Keeper? A reboot was attempted twice, once helmed by M. Night Shyamalan in 2017, sans Crypt Keeper, but both attempts failed.

 

Shudder acquiring the rights to air the series is nothing short of a miracle, and I cannot wait to see where the future of Tales from the Crypt is headed with the streaming platform.

 

The show was known for its tales of the macabre, a creepy theme created by composer Danny Elfman, a plethora of celebrity cameos, and the delightfully devilish ghoul, the Crypt Keeper. My memories of the series as a child start with the show’s introduction. The anxiety that would creep up around my shoulders and send a chill down the back of my spine had nothing to do with the episode. It was the build-up being led through this dark, dilapidated castle to the Crypt Keeper popping from the coffin with his high-pierced cackle. I had nightmares about that laugh, though my sister, who was a baby at the time, would laugh along with him, imitating him as best she could.

 

Each episode begins with the Crypt Keeper introducing us to an ill-fated character that’s just beginning their steep downhill journey into despair. The ending could be either good or terrible, depending on the character’s own decision-making skills. Though the Crypt Keeper did not make an appearance in any of the episodes (except for one), nor did he interact with any of the characters featured in the weekly episodes, he was the backbone of the series. A reboot without his presence would have been unsuccessful, in the same way The Twilight Zone needs Rod Serling’s story introduction.

 

With its new addition to streaming, I’m excited to rewatch these episodes, and run down the memory lane of early childhood scaries. I missed the early seasons because I was very young when this show premiered. When I became older, I would sneak and watch syndicated episodes on Fox. I had the benefit of getting the frights without all the gore and sex!

 

As I recall my childhood, being a kid of the 90s and wholly unattended for much of my TV time, there were a few episodes that genuinely stick out to me the most, so I’ve made a short, spoiler-free list of those five.

1.     Food for Thought – Starring Ernie Hudson and Joan Chen. Ernie Hudson plays a jealous circus clown who wants to kill his psychic wife’s (Joan Chen) lover. I genuinely remember being completely taken aback at this episode because a Ghostbuster was being cruel and disgusting. Seeing a childhood hero be grotesque altered the chemistry in my young brain. (Season 05, Episode 04)

 

2.     Fitting Punishment – Moses Gunn stars as a mortician who steals from the dead and abuses his newly orphaned nephew. This is the episode that terrified me the most as a child! The ending scene is truly a fitting punishment, but you suffer right along with his nephew before you get your just desserts. (Season 02, Episode 13)

 

3.     Werewolf Concerto – An episode in the style of a classic Agatha Christie murder mystery with a supernatural twist, starring Beverly D’Angelou and Timothy Dalton. This was my favorite episode as a kid. A whodunit about a werewolf, it could not get any more creative than that. I thought it was crafted so brilliantly, and the plot twist was simply amazing. (Season 04, Episode 14)

 

4.     The Third Pig – An animated Tales from the Crypt spin on The Three Little Pigs. The third pig is framed and convicted for the murder of his two brothers. He spends the episode planning his revenge on the actual murderer, the wolf. I’m sure when I rewatch, this won’t be in my top 5, but as a kid of the 90s, I was drawn to the gory, dark animation. I was watching Ren & Stimpy for fun, after all. (Season 07, Episode 13)

 

5.     Death of Some Salesman – A con artist salesman (Ed Begley) meets his match when he tries to scam an eccentric family, played in multiple roles by the great Tim Curry. By default, I was frightened by Tim Curry. He’s been haunting me since I started engaging in media. I only knew him as Pennywise at this time in my life, but I could never forget his face. It takes talent to take on multiple characters as one actor, and to do so in a frighteningly horrifying but also hilarious manner. Tim Curry aces it. (Season 05, Episode 01)

 

If you don’t have Shudder, you should definitely give it a try. They offer a 7-week free trial, and now is the perfect time to engage in their revival of the cult classic. In the meantime, if you’re interested in anthology series that are seemingly related, Tubi has Freddy’s Nightmares, which, you guessed it, features tales of the macabre with an introduction given to the audience by the legend himself, Freddy Krueger. There’s also the cult classic anthology series Monsters, which, in my opinion, is a severely underrated show with some hidden gems in its brief run.

 

TALES FROM THE CRYPT comes to Shudder on May 1^st. Buckle up and enjoy the ride, boils and ghouls!

 

For more articles from Davalyn Baker check out her thoughts on the Weapons prequel HERE