It’s Time to Bring Back ‘Tales From the Crypt’
By Jeremy Dick
From 1989 to 1996, Tales From the Crypt ran on HBO for seven seasons. Hosted by a talking corpse called the Crypt Keeper, the show featured a different horror-themed story each week. In that regard, it was similar to The Twilight Zone and The Outer Limits, with the primary difference being Tales From the Crypt was much more adult in nature, with no shortage of violence, language and nudity.
More from 1428 Elm
- Shudder Original Terrified: Poltergeist or Dimensional Beings?
- Godzilla Minus One makes the King of the Monsters terrifying again
- A Creature Was Stirring scares up yuletide frights
- Unwrapping the Unhappy Holidays collection on Shudder
- Holiday Horror viewing guide: 20+ movies to stream this Christmas
Each episode began with an iconic intro video where viewers would take a tour of a dilapidated house through the point of view of the camera. The Crypt Keeper (voiced by John Kassir) would pop up out of a coffin at the end, laughing maniacally whilst green slime oozed down on the screen behind the title of the show. The theme song itself was pretty amazing too, as it was done by the very talented Danny Elfman.
Some episodes of Tales From the Crypt were comical in nature while others were downright frightening. However, every episode was always fun to watch. The stories would usually involve an unexpected twist at the end, and it was always interesting to guess what would happen. And no matter how scary any particular tale was, the Crypt Keeper was always sure to give you a chuckle at the end with his “so bad, they’re good” puns.
Tales From the Crypt has always been one of my favorite TV shows, and I’ve got to wonder why this one hasn’t made a return in the midst of every other horror franchise getting a revival. There were rumblings of a reboot several years back, but nothing ever came to fruition. I’m surprised they haven’t given it another try after other shows like The Walking Dead and American Horror Story have given horror TV some prominence again.
More from Horror on TV
- Recap and review of What We Do in the Shadows season 5 episode 9: A Weekend at Morrigan Manor
- 31 Days of Horror: Netflix’s Dear Child is a twisty turney German mystery thriller
- Recap and review of What We Do in the Shadows season 5 episode 8: The Roast
- Classic SpongeBob episodes to binge for Halloween
- Highlights and review of What We Do in the Shadows season 5 episode 7: Hybrid Creatures
I think an updated Tales would be successful, but only if it manages to keep the same charm as the original. For starters, you’ve got to bring back the Crypt Keeper, otherwise it just wouldn’t be Tales From the Crypt. You’re also going to want a subscription channel like HBO to air the series again, because a TV-MA rating is vital for the show; the adult content was what gave Tales From the Crypt its edge. I’d also want to see plenty of celebrity cameos and guest stars as well, as that was another great part about the show. Several notable names appeared on the original series, including Michael J. Fox, Whoopi Goldberg, Daniel Craig, Tim Roth and even Arnold Schwarzenegger (who also directed his episode).
Will we ever see a new Tales From the Crypt? I really don’t know, but considering the original comic series from the 50’s had its own revival in 2007, then it’s certainly possible, boils and ghouls!
Next: Five Nights at Freddy's Movie to Use Real Animatronics