Based on the E.C. Comics series of gruesome tales of poetic justice, "Tales From the Crypt" (1972) is a very entertaining anthology movie which stays true to the spirit of the source material. The five stories here are connected by predictable wrap around story. In the first story Joan Collins murders her husband on Christmas Eve. Her plan to have a escaped homicidal maniac in a Santa Claus outfit backfires on her. The second story features a man in a horrible car accident whose desperate search for aid sends everyone he encounters screaming in horror. The third stars Peter Cushing as a kind, sad old man whose life is destroyed by his cold, selfish neighbors. The fourth is an excellent, darkly funny variation on "The Monkey's Paw." The final tale revolves around the men in a home for the blind and the cruel man in charge of them.
The first story is the weakest. The second one is pretty disposable as well, but the remaining stories are very well done. The thrid and fifth segements are short masterpieces of cruelty and comeuppance and should not be missed.
This is a very fun movie, warts and all.
3 comments:
This is another of my favorites! Peter Cushing's segment always rips my heart out, and I will always remember the sick, sick twist on the Monkey's Paw segment.
But my favorite is the first one (though I'm not disputing your summation of it). Joan Collins never looked prettier, and I lust after her hair, her outfit, her furniture, the flokati rug, the fireplace ... It's heaven for a seventies design buff. :D
I absolutely agree with you from a design standpoint. I kept looking at that all white fireplace and wondering how anyone could possibly keep it white and use it too.
Everytime I see that segment though, I feel there was areal missed opportunity for some black comedy involving all that white, the husband's blood and Joan trying to clean up after the murder.
Yes! That's it exactly. She crowns him, the blood hits the newspaper, he hits the rug, and I think "NOT ON THE RUG!" But there's no "I ruined the rug!" moment with her, and there should have been.
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