Tales From The Crypt had to have been a guilty pleasure for all the actors, directors, writers, and others involved in the production of the series all seven years it was on HBO. The series was a chance for everyone who had grown up on the old EC Comics horror magazines that were jam-packed of the grossest black-and-white illustrations to ever corrupt young minds to work with those stories and bring them to life — or unlife.
I remember coming across some of those old magazines in the swap shop where I bought my paperback books for 15¢ apiece. Since there was no tax on those piddling amounts back then, I could buy seven books or magazines. Sadly, it wasn’t often I had a whole dollar to spend, nor could I get someone to take me there very often.
But when I went, it was always agony. So much to choose from, and so little I could walk out with. Even sadder, some of those magazines a pickup for 15¢ are probably worth hundreds of dollars by now – and I no longer have them!
Thankfully I have the memories. I remember opening those magazines and being totally grossed out. My mother would’ve had a cow if she’d known what I was reading. I was always very careful to keep those magazines hidden away under superhero comics. And if she knew I’d watched the HBO series even after I was grown up she wouldn’t have been very appreciative.
HBO did a magnificent job of delivering 30 minutes of gross-out horror with a twist at the end (and even though you were expecting a twist, you did and often figure it out).
In this set, you get a mixed bag of high-powered talent, emerging talent, semi-retired talent, and even a porn star princess turned legit. Oh, and did I mentioned Tim Curry? You get Tim Curry!
In fact, Tim Curry leads off this collection in an episode called “Death of Some Salesmen”. He gets to play three roles that really twist the plot on a gender bender. Ed Begley stars as a conniving salesman who gets his comeuppance at the end of the story.
Adam West and Hector Elizondo head up the cast in “As Ye Sow”. It’s really weird watching West play this role, since I remember him so much as Batman from the 1960s television show. If you’re familiar with the EC Comics, you’ll probably see the end of this one coming. But it’s still neat to see these actors in these parts.
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