Tales from the Crypt

Dir: Freddie Francis

1972

****

Freddie Francis' horror anthology Tales from the Crypt has become somewhat of a cult classic since its release in 1972 and for good reason. The Tales from the Crypt stories from EC Comics were hugely popular in the 40's and 50's and have had something of a revival several times throughout the decades and have gone on to influence a whole generation of TV, films and Graphic novels including 2000AD's Future Shocks, George A. Romero's Creepshow, The Twilight Zone and indeed, it's own Tales from the Crypt TV series. The film begins with a group of five people being lead into a cave by a mysterious cloaked Crypt keeper (played by Ralph Richardson). He then tells each one a story explaining how they die. In the first tale, ...And All Through the House, we see Joan Collins being terrorised by Santa Claus (obviously influencing horror films such as Silent Night, Deadly Night and Santa's Slay). It's fun but not as interesting as the other short films. In the second chapter, Reflection of Death, we see Ian Hendry leave his family to be with another woman. After a car crash he walks from the wreckage back home only to find that he's been dead for two years and is in fact a walking rotten corpse. Poetic Justice is a little bit more heartfelt and is a good old fashioned feel good revenge story starring the wonderful Peter Cushing. I do wonder if it wasn't an influence on the original Nightmare on Elm Street. Wish You Were Here is a rather sad but dark tale that reminds the viewer to be careful what they wish for and was an obvious inspiration for 1997's Wishmaster. The final and most devious chapter is like an early Saw film. It's the most compelling and horrific of the five chapters and contains no humour what so ever. It's beautifully dark place to end, leading to the films devastating revelation. Few horror films break the 'fourth wall' as well as Tales from the Crypt does, parts are a little dated but it only adds to it's overall charm. A great British horror classic, with wonderful ideas and fantastic horror effects.