Tales from the Crypt
"Tales from the Crypt" was a 1989 horror story anthology series based on the gruesome E.C. comic books of the 1950s presented by the legendary "Crypt Keeper", a sinister ghoul obsessed with gallows humor and horrific puns.
Callum reviewed
November 5, 2025•
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐½ – Tales from the Crypt – Lights, Camera… Disembowelment!
Ah, the crackle of 80s film grain, the overacting, the neon moral lessons — Tales from the Crypt is where horror learned to grin at the camera before biting your hand off. Each episode is a wickedly funny morality play, soaked in latex, fake blood, and irony. This was the golden age of horror anthology — when stories didn’t need two hours to tell you that greed, lust, or arrogance would get you exactly what you deserved.
It’s the grandparent of every anthology that followed, from Creepshow to 50 States of Fright, bridging the gap between comic book camp and cinematic horror. But what really makes it timeless is the guest list. You’ll spot future icons like William Sadler, Michael Ironside, and Bobcat Goldthwait — names that might not scream “horror royalty,” but Tales from the Crypt gave them the roles that made them legends. It was a proving ground for up-and-comers and a playground for stars willing to get weird, bloody, and wonderfully unhinged.
And presiding over it all is the Crypt Keeper — that gleefully rotten puppet of puns and putrescence. His jokes are so bad they circle back to brilliance, and his maniacal laugh could wake the dead. It’s hard to imagine this world without him, smirking between the shadows, winking just before the next ironic twist.
This isn’t just nostalgia — it’s a masterclass in short-form storytelling, tension, and gallows humour. Tales from the Crypt made horror fun again, the perfect mix of camp and carnage that’s never quite been replicated.
🍷 Pairing: A glass of deep red merlot — rich, full-bodied, and ever so slightly metallic. Best served with a wicked grin and the lights turned low.