Tales from the Crypt, sometimes titled HBO's Tales from the Crypt, is an American horror anthology television series created by William Gaines and Steven Dodd that ran for seven seasons on the premium cable channel HBO, from June 10, 1989, to July 19, 1996, with a total of 93 episodes. The show's title is based on the 1950s EC Comics series of the same name, published by William Gaines and edited by Al Feldstein. Despite the show's title, episodes were not only adapted from stories from Tales from the Crypt, but also other EC Comic series including The Haunt of Fear, The Vault of Horror, Crime SuspenStories, Shock SuspenStories, and Two-Fisted Tales. The series is hosted by the Cryptkeeper, a wisecracking corpse performed by several puppeteers and voiced by John Kassir. Filmmakers Richard Donner, David Giler, Walter Hill, Joel Silver, and Robert Zemeckis formed the show's team of executive producers. Because it was aired on HBO, a premium cable television channel, Tales from the Crypt did not have to be censored by the standards and practices of most networks. As a result, HBO allowed the series to include content that had not appeared in most television series up to that time, such as graphic violence, profanity, sexual activity, and nudity. Reruns of the series were edited for basic cable, broadcast syndication, and when the broadcast networks Fox and CBS re-aired episodes in the late 1990s. While the series began production in the United States, the final season was primarily filmed in the United Kingdom, resulting in episodes revolving around British characters.

Format

Each episode begins with a tracking shot leading to the front door of the decrepit mansion of the Cryptkeeper, the show's host. Once inside, the camera tilts down from the foyer to the hallways and stairways, finally descending into the basement. The Cryptkeeper then comes out from his coffin, cackling wildly. Green slime pours down over the screen as the main title appears. The Cryptkeeper is depicted as an animated corpse, as opposed to the original comics in which he was a living human being. The wisecracking Cryptkeeper, performed by a team of puppeteers such as Van Snowden, Mike Elizalde, Frank Charles Lutkus, Patty Maloney, David Arthur Nelson, Anton Rupprecht, Shaun Smith, David Stinnent, Mike Trcic, and Brock Winkless, and voiced by John Kassir, then introduced the episode with intentionally stereotyped jokes and mostly puns, e.g., his frequent greeting to viewers: "Hello, Boils and Ghouls" or "Hello, Kiddies". Each episode was self-contained, and was bookended by an outro sequence, again involving the Cryptkeeper. Comic book cover art was created by Mike Vosburg and Shawn McManus.

Spin-offs

The success of the series led Universal Pictures to make a three picture deal with the Crypt Partners to produce three Crypt-branded feature films.

Films

The first Crypt-branded feature was Tales from the Crypt Presents: Demon Knight (1995). Directed by Ernest Dickerson from a screenplay by Ethan Reiff, Cyrus Vorhis and Mark Bishop, it became a commercial success. Three weeks before starting prep on Demon Knight intended follow up –a psychological thriller called Dead Easy–, Universal changed its mind, canceled Dead Easy and had the creative team make Tales from the Crypt Presents: Bordello of Blood instead. The film Ritual (2002) was not produced as a Tales from the Crypt film, but is considered to be a third entry in the Tales series.

Tales from the Cryptkeeper

In 1993, a Saturday morning cartoon called Tales from the Cryptkeeper was spun off from the HBO series. Produced by the Canada-based Nelvana for ABC in the United States and YTV in Canada, the violence of the prime-time series was substantially toned down and the gore was omitted. Nelvana employed a child psychologist to review the scripts to ensure the episodes would be suitable for young viewers. The Cryptkeeper puppet was considered as the host for the series, but it was ultimately decided that it might frighten youngsters, so instead an animated version was created. John Kassir reprised his role. Kassir later stated "Nelvana created a kinder, gentler personality for the children's Cryptkeeper, and it feels a little uncharacteristic at times". In addition to the Cryptkeeper, EC Comics' mascots The Vaultkeeper and The Old Witch made frequent appearances, often fighting with the Cryptkeeper for control of the show's hosting duties. The series lasted three seasons on ABC with 39 episodes. The third season was on CBS in 1999, with 13 episodes, under the title New Tales from the Cryptkeeper.

Secrets of the Cryptkeeper's Haunted House

A kids' game show called Secrets of the Cryptkeeper's Haunted House was featured on CBS from 1996 to 1997. The Cryptkeeper, again voiced by John Kassir, was the announcer of the show. He would often break into the action with wisecracks, and contestants competed in physical challenges on a variety of elaborate haunted house sets at Universal Studios Florida. In addition to The Cryptkeeper, the series showed off an original character named Digger the Skeleton, voiced by Danny Mann.

Radio series

In 2000, several Tales from the Crypt "radio shows" were recorded for Seeing Ear Theatre, an online subsidiary of The Sci-Fi Channel, and were offered free as streaming RealAudio files on their website, as well as for sale on Audible.com. Although 13 episodes were planned, with forthcoming episodes listed as "TBA", only eight stories were recorded. Seven of the eight shows were released on CD in 2002 by Highbridge Audio "This Trick'll Kill You" was omitted from the CD set.

Two-Fisted Tales

In 1991, the Fox television network aired a pilot for Two-Fisted Tales, a spin-off based on the 1950s EC action comics. When Fox passed on the pilot, Cryptkeeper segments were put down onto the three stories, "Yellow", "Showdown", and "King of the Road", and HBO ran them as Tales from the Crypt episodes.

Perversions of Science

After the original series ended, a spin-off called Perversions of Science premiered in June 1997 on HBO, this time being based more on sci-fi instead of horror. The series was unsuccessful and lasted for a short run, ending only a month after it had begun airing. This iteration of the franchise featured a stylized female robot host in place of The Cryptkeeper.

Notable guest stars

A variety of notable guests have starred in episodes of Tales from the Crypt. These include Academy Awards-winning actors, A-list celebrities and highly recognizable character actors. Some of the most famous people to have starred in episodes are listed below: • Adam West • Alan Rachins • Amanda Plummer • Andrew McCarthy • Anthony Michael Hall • Arnold Schwarzenegger • Beau Bridges • Ben Stein • Benicio del Toro • Beverly D'Angelo • Bill Paxton • Billy Zane • Blythe Danner • Bob Hoskins • Bobcat Goldthwait • Brad Dourif • Brad Garrett • Brad Pitt • Brooke Shields • Bruce Boxleitner • Bruce McGill • Bruce Payne • Bruno Kirby • Carol Kane • Catherine O'Hara • Cathy Moriarty • Cheech Marin • Christopher Reeve • Colleen Camp • Corey Feldman • Cynthia Gibb • D. B. Sweeney • Dan Aykroyd • Daniel Craig • Demi Moore • Don Rickles • Dylan McDermott • Ed Begley Jr. • Eddie Izzard • Ernie Hudson • Esai Morales • Ewan McGregor • George Wendt • Hank Azaria • Harry Anderson • Hector Elizondo • Iggy Pop • Isaac Hayes • Isabella Rossellini • Jada Pinkett Smith • James Remar • Janet Hubert • Jason London • Jason Marsden • Jeffrey Tambor • Joe Pantoliano • Joe Pesci • John Astin • John Lithgow • John Rhys-Davies • John Stamos • Jon Lovitz • Jonathan Banks • Judd Nelson • Katey Sagal • Kathy Ireland • Ke Huy Quan • Kelly Preston • Kim Delaney • Kimberly Williams-Paisley • Kirk Douglas • Kyle MacLachlan • Lance Henriksen • Larry Drake • Lea Thompson • Lewis Arquette • Lou Diamond Phillips • M. Emmet Walsh • Malcolm McDowell • Marg Helgenberger • Margot Kidder • Martin Kove • Martin Sheen • Mary Ellen Trainor • Meat Loaf • Michael Ironside • Michael J. Fox • Miguel Ferrer • Mimi Rogers • Moses Gunn • Natasha Richardson • Patsy Kensit • Patricia Arquette • Patricia Clarkson • Priscilla Presley • R. Lee Ermey • Rance Howard • Reginald VelJohnson • Richard Schiff • Richard Thomas • Rita Rudner • Rita Wilson • Roger Daltrey • Robert Patrick • Slash • Sônia Braga • Steve Buscemi • Steven Weber • Sugar Ray Leonard • Ted Danson • Teri Garr • Teri Hatcher • Teri Polo • Terry O'Quinn • Tia Carrere • Tim Curry • Timothy Dalton • Timothy Stack • Tom Hanks • Tony Goldwyn • Travis Tritt • Treat Williams • Vincent Schiavelli • Wayne Newton • Wendie Malick • Whoopi Goldberg • Wil Wheaton • William Hickey

Albums

Soundtrack

In 1991, Big Screen Records released a soundtrack album featuring assorted music from the series. The album includes the theme music, suites from 11 episodes and an original song titled "Crypt Jam" performed by The Cryptkeeper, John Kassir. A music video for "Crypt Jam" was filmed and is available as an extra on the Region 1 Season 3 DVD.

Have Yourself a Scary Little Christmas

In 1994, a Christmas album, Have Yourself a Scary Little Christmas, was released by The Right Stuff, a subsidiary of Capitol Records. Most of the songs are spoofs of holiday standards performed by The Cryptkeeper, such as "Juggle Bills" (Jingle Bells), "We Wish You'd Bury the Missus" (We Wish You a Merry Christmas) and "Deck the Halls with Parts of Charlie" (Deck the Halls), with narration and a few original songs mixed in. The CD booklet includes a black and white reprint of the comic "And All Through the House".

Monsters of Metal

In 2000, Capitol Records released another album titled Tales from the Crypt: Monsters of Metal. This album is a compilation of horror-themed songs from popular heavy metal bands with wraparound narration by the Cryptkeeper (John Kassir).

Home media

Warner Home Video has released all seven seasons on DVD Region 1. The DVDs for the first three seasons feature all-new Cryptkeeper introductions and segments. No new segments were filmed for seasons 4–7. In June 2017, all seven seasons were reissued in a box set entitled Tales from the Crypt: The Complete Series. A Region 2 version of the whole series was released by '84 Entertainment in June 2010. Until mid-2020, the series was available through the streaming platform Vudu.

Reruns

Reruns aired on Fox from 1994 to 1995 under the name Primetime Tales from the Crypt; episodes also aired in 1994 in a late-night time slot. It aired late night on CBS in 1997–1998. It also aired on other channels, such as Syfy, Chiller, and Fearnet. In the United Kingdom, the series aired Fridays on ITV. Sky1 Satellite and cable channel Horror Channel, then Zone Horror, aired the series in both late night and daytime slots. The daytime versions were billed as "cut". However, they remained uncut. Tales from the Crypt is not available on Warner Bros. Discovery's streaming service Max reportedly due to licensing issues. It was also unavailable on HBO Go and HBO Now for the same reason.

Awards

Tales from the Crypt won the following awards:

Nominations

Revival attempts

In July 2011, it was announced that Gilbert Adler, who produced the original series, was working with Andrew Cosby to develop a new Tales from the Crypt series. It was said to be a continuous story, rather than an anthology, and would omit The Cryptkeeper. The series was unsuccessfully shopped to several major networks. In January 2016, Entertainment Weekly reported that M. Night Shyamalan would helm a series reboot as part of TNT's new two-hour horror block. The network ordered a 10-episode season that was slated for fall 2017. The series was to keep the episodic anthology format, but without The Cryptkeeper. In June 2017, it was announced that TNT would not move forward with the series due to legal issues concerning the rights for the characters from Tales from the Crypt Holdings.