Tales From the Crypt

It is rare now to hear of someone watching something from the 80’s and 90’s that isn’t a cult classic movie. The outfits are dated, and the lines tend to be cheesy and only used ironically now. There are, however, some shows that last over time, and become classics. One of these is a little more on the dark side, and has enough horror to send a chill through the bravest of hearts.
“Tales from the Crypt” is a horror anthology series that started in 1989. It came from a comic magazine of the same name, first published in 1950 and ran through 1955. It ran bi-weekly, meaning every two weeks, and had 27 issues, each with a different tale of terror. The show ran on HBO for a total of 93 episodes. Since the actual comics only had 27 issues, the rest of the material came from other comics by the same company, EC Comics, such as The Crypt of Terror, Haunt of Fear, Vault of Horror, Crime SuspenStories, and Two-Fisted Tales.
Each story has a different type of horror. Some of the stories, such as “The Man Who Was Death” and “Mute Witness to Murder” rely on suspense and plot twists to thrill audiences. “The Man Who Was Death” shows what happens when an executioner gets laid off, and “Mute Witness to Murder” shows that sometimes spying on your neighbors can have deadly consequences. Some episodes use shock value, such as “The Ventriloquist’s Dummy” and “Top Billing”, which are about a jealous dummy and a desperate actor. Some are not for the faint of heart, since this is a horror show, and there is blood and gore.
One of the most distinctive things about the show is the host, the Crypt Keeper. His voice is memorable, and the laugh is the stuff of some people’s dreams. Not many know the man behind the monster, however. His name is John Kassir, and he’s known for much of his voice acting, including notable shows and movies like “Avatar: The Last Airbender”, “Marvel: Ultimate Alliance”, and “Pocahontas”.He will, however, be remembered as the teller of terrible tales.
Another distinction in the show is that it was one of the very few shows fully exempt from the censorship standards of the time, since it aired on HBO, a private network. This allowed for graphic sexual content, nudity, gore, and inappropriate language. This was rare, since television was meant for all ages and this show was definitely not.
The comics are no longer available on shelves since they are considered vintage now, but can still be bought online from places like Amazon and auction websites like Ebay, for a pretty penny. The show is available to buy on these websites, and is also available to stream on Youtube.

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