Tales from the Crypt (TV series)

"“These are terrific stories which have survived over several decades,” said HBO’s Chris Albrecht, the programming executive who green-lighted the first six episodes of producer Joel Silver’s “Tales From the Crypt” series. “Strong story material will always make for better films and these stories are very special.”"

"“I thought it was well done,” Gaines said. “It doesn’t follow the (story) exactly, but Hollywood never does.”"

"Tales From the Crypt premiered on HBO as a half-hour series in June 1989 and ran through the summer of 1996. Viewers embraced it immediately, in part, because of the wide array of actors it featured, with a different cast appearing in each episode. The original run of the series featured appearances by Brad Pitt, Isabella Rossellini, Don Rickles, Dan Aykroyd, Roger Daltrey, Tim Roth and many others. Additionally, Michael J. Fox, Kyle MacLachlan, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Tom Hanks and others directed episodes of the series."

"Hill, who is old enough to have been a first generation E.C. fan, said he has wanted to adapt the executioner episode for years, but never would have had the chance without the HBO series. “This would never be a movie--the material is too thin--and it would never be on network TV because it’s too strong,” Hill said. “If it was ever going to be done, this is the only way.”"

"[T]he Crypt Keeper is that ride up to the top of the peak before the roller coaster drops you down. Whether the roller coaster ride was the best you’d ever been on, or pretty good, or it sucked, the anticipation of going up is always amazing. It’s the anticipation of it. It’s the fun, giggly part. No matter what the other part is, the fun part makes it okay for you to be doing this. The Crypt Keeper did that."

"[Y]ou know, it had some of the biggest producers at the time, and these guys are still going strong. You’re talking Joel Silver, and Richard Donner, Walter Hill, Bob Zemeckis who was making some of the biggest films of all time. David Giler, who produced Alien. Kevin Yagher! He created the Crypt Keeper, was the top of his fraternity of effects and creature making. These were heavyweights running the show."

"I saw some of the other people auditioning were looking at the script copy and saying “Oh my God this stuff is terrible.” They didn’t get it. The Crypt Keeper loves saying this stuff. He’s delivering it like it’s the best Shakespeare. I went down to Kevin Yagher’s studio to see what the character would look like, and saw that he had rotting flesh, and holes in his threads…Kevin always described him by saying “You don’t want to get near that mouth, it’s too disgusting.” I decided then to add texture to the character. I wanted him to treat the language like it was important, so I gave him a British accent. I was thinking about who the great hosts of the macabre were. Alfred Hitchcock, but with a faster delivery. I used to love Alfred Hitchcock Presents, and the way he would introduce those episodes with such a tongue-in-cheek delivery. At some point I was laughing at my own jokes, and I was laughing at his jokes. I started giggling, then I went into this bloodcurdling, screaming laugh for Kevin. His face just went blank. I thought he was freaking out, but really he was like “that’s GOT to be in there.”"

"Tales From the Crypt connected in a special way. Its simple, dark fables that showed the tables getting turned on unjust individuals or hapless fools is universally relatable."

"There is a blithe camp aspect to "Tales From the Crypt." The stories are based on 1950's E. C. Comics, published by William M. Gaines under titles such as "Tales From the Crypt," "The Vault of Horror" and "Shock SuspenStories" The horror is spiked with humor and calculated exaggeration. Setting the tone for the series is the creepy punster called the Crypt-Keeper, an animatronic puppet designed by the special-effects expert Kevin Yagher ("A Nightmare on Elm Street"). One unanticipated hitch: the resemblance of the skeletal puppet to current photographs of starving and deathly ill children in Iraq. Horror is not limited to comic books. Primal nightmares are rooted in reality, and the overlapping of images can be disorienting."

"“I was raised on D.C. comics myself--Batman, Superman, all those,” said Silver, the 36-year-old producer whose string of 1980s action hits include “48 HRS,” “Die Hard,” “Predator” and “Lethal Weapon.” “I was aware of the E.C. comics, but it wasn’t until they were reissued in bound volumes that I thought about adapting them.”"

"Zemeckis, who isn’t old enough to remember the original stories, said the attraction for him was making the sort of film he couldn’t do otherwise. “To be perfectly frank, with my career at this point, I couldn’t do a feature horror or terror picture,” said Zemeckis, whose recent hits include “Back to the Future” and “Who Framed Roger Rabbit.” “For me, being able to make something that terrifies people and makes them smile at the same time is great fun.”"