Such a frustrating disappointment

How sad is this?

Good movie but grossly overrated

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

I love short stories and probably spend more time reading them, all told, than I do novels. It stands to reason then that the anthology format, both in film and especially on TV where it is more prevalent, is one of my favourite things. New characters and situations with each story, no continuity, and a promise that if you're not really into this particular story, stick around because the next one might be up your alley. Night Gallery, Twilight Zone, Outer Limits, Thriller, hammer House of Horror, and even a more contemporary example like Black Mirror -- that's my bag. So naturally, I was eager to check out all these Amicus productions from the 70s. They're all pretty entertaining, even if the story quality isn't consistently high, and although I still haven't seen two or three of them, I'd rank Tales from the Crypt as one of the best of the series, along with Beyond the Grave (probably my favourite) and The House that Dripped Blood.Here we have five short tales connected by a fairly standard but ominous framing device. There's a strong cast, nice 70s décor, and even some pathos. A lot of these movies have the predictable theme of jerks getting hit with justice of one kind or another. Thus, it's sometimes hard for this viewer to see them as true horror, since true horror involves bad things happening to people who don't deserve it. Nevertheless, one thing I like about these pictures is that despite everything they often impart a good degree of sympathy toward their characters, even, sometimes, the more despicable ones. And I'm not going to say unreservedly that everyone here deserves their fate. Anyway, watching this is like having a night of detailed and somewhat scary dreams. You know they're connected in some way but they're all different, yet seem like takes on the same or similar themes. The order and progression of the tales is well-chosen and I think the direction is solid, sometimes verging on the artistic. Here are some thoughts on the individual stories.All Through the House:Well, I view this one as a mere introduction to what's to come. A lady kills her husband in cold blood and is then informed by the radio (in an interruption of dire christmas music) to be on the lookout for a Santa suited maniac. I guess the creators of Silent night, Deadly Night probably saw this. Anyway, there's barely any dialogue at all and we have to listen to the most dreadful, enervating christmas choral music for the duration. It was probably sapping Joan Collins's character's will to live, anyway. It's ok, but just a teaser that is ultimately quite meaningless."Reflections of Death":This was much better. It got to me, anyway, because I hate these kind of scenarios, with dreams within dreams and a person appearing to wake up and not being sure of what is reality. This happens to me sometimes, especially if I'm having a bad night for whatever reason, and always leaves me feeling disassociated and unsure of my place in the world. So, to me, this was a real nightmare. Sure, it's been done before, but that didnt' diminish its effectiveness, for me. Poor Ian henry didn't get very far, did he?"Poetic Justice":This is a story about the consequences of bullying. The bullied person this time round is not a child, but a sweet, kindly old fellow played by Peter Cushing, who loves animals and children, but is resented by his rich, rotten neighbours. The worst of the neighbours, a father and his loathsome son, mount a campaign of terror against the old man, to make him miserable and drive him away from the neighbourhood, or maybe worse. Their taunts and besmirching of the old man's character drive him over the edge, but there's poetic justice to be had against the perpetrators. I liked this one a lot, mostly because Cushing's portrayal was so good, and, well, sincere. My heart-strings were definitely pulled. I do kind of feel that the supernatural element wasn't entirely convincing. I mean, if all bullied suicides could come back and exact revenge! -- yet he did seem to practice a form of ritualistic witchcraft, and while ouija boards are silly and always make me laugh, I get where they were going with this and i can't honestly think of a non-supernatural solution that would have been as satisfying."Wish You Were Here":A painful and rather depressing short take on thee always popular "three wishes"/"Monkey's Paw" type scenario. It struck me as surprisingly grim, especially as Richard Greene's character was probably the one guy here met with "justice" who didn't at all deserve such suffering. Jeez. It made me feel bad, and that's good, if that makes sense."Blind Alleys":This one was really tense and well-directed. And hey, it's Patrick Magee! Always a pleasure to find him in something. nevertheless, all that stuff he said about blind people is utter nonsense. And they go from powerless figures of pity to the most powerful people in the room in a matter of seconds. Which one is it? if they were so clever and resourceful, why suffer at the major's hands for so long? Nevertheless, it's true that the disabled were often locked up in such "homes" with terrible conditions, and it's true that people were sometimes forgotten about and basically left to rot in such establishments. I think such things were mostly done with by 1972; This seems more like a place out of Dickens, but hey, the notion has its heart in the right place. Incredibly, by the end they managed to wring some sympathy out of me for the major, who after all was probably just in the wrong job, although looking at it from that angle, the story could also be considered a sort of commentary on the nepotism and abuse flagrant in the army, where the officers can live like kings while those in the bottom file have to contend with dish- water and near starvation rations. Again, I don't think any contemporary army in the west operates like this today, but certainly the screen-writers here probably experienced some horrors in their own camp during World War II. Anyway, good story despite some reservations. I really felt sorry for that poor dog, though.These movies, paradoxically, are quite nice. What I mean by this is that despite dabbling in the macabre and such, they're rather low-key compared with most modern horror, and make for an evening well-spent, possibly even with younger family members (although I haven't tried this myself and maybe most young people brought up with today's fast-paced fare would have a hard time). It's really difficult not to like them, though, and they are great for people who don't necessarily have the attention spans for long gothic melodramas or whatever yet still enjoy seeing some of the trappings. I still think Beyond the Grave is probably the best one, but you really ought to give Tales from the Crypt a go, too.

Amicus Productions' 1972 movie "Tales from the Crypt" is a superior example of the horror anthology film that would become most popular with '80s films like "Creepshow".It's also possibly the best movie that was associated with the "Tales from the Crypt" brand name, though only two of its stories were taken from that comic book series: the other three were from "Vault of Horror".The framing story involves a group of tourists who get lost in some catacombs and meet the Crypt Keeper, who in this movie is about as far from the wise-cracking, shrill voiced zombie puppet from the TV show as can possibly be. He is played by the splendid eccentric stage actor, Ralph Richardson, as a spooky monk.The Crypt Keeper tells the tourists stories about how they may die. A lady, played by Joan Collins, kills her husband on Christmas Eve, only to have her daughter let an escaped mental patient in the house because he's dressed like Santa Claus. A man abandons his family to be with his mistress, but then is involved in a car crash he is lucky enough to survive - or does he? An elderly man, played by Peter Cushing in an unusual, standout role for him, has a smear campaign conducted against him by snobbish neighbours, a businessman finds a Chinese figurine that grants wishes - but at deadly cost - and an incompetent manager of a home for the blind cuts cost for the men under his care, leading them to take revenge.The movie then has a final twist, which I admit I did not see coming.Some of the stories here are quite memorable, particularly the first, with Joan Collins, and the third, with Peter Cushing. The rest may not quite measure up to that standard, but they are never less than entertaining and well put together, meaning that Amicus's "Tales from the Crypt" is one of the best horror anthology films ever made.

Yet another anthology film from the seventies! This one has Ralph Richardson and Peter Cushing in it, plus a rather young Joan Collins. Just like Vault of Horror, a random assortment of people find themselves trapped in a sinister location, only this time they've got the creepy Ralph Richardson holding them captive and making them flashback to their respective stories. Much Englishness ensues from a time seemingly where most men knocked back a brandy or sherry while read the FT in front of the fire.Joan finds herself trapped in her house at Christmas with the body of her husband, whom she's murdered, and an escaped lunatic dressed as Santa trying to get in. Another guy recalls what happened when he left his wife (er, this doesn't have too much substance to it). There's a 'monkey's paw' type tale with a gory ending, Peter Cushing (as a good guy) gets to become a zombie in one story and Patrick Magee simmers with rage as a blind guy going head to head with a military administrator which ends on a Saw-like note.At first I thought things were moving rather slow, but the stories get better as the film progresses, with people being chopped up while remaining alive, people having their hearts removed and Patrick Magee's excellent performance as the raging blind guy. It's no classic, but the acting talent on display is rather groovy, as well as the cheeseball ending speech, delivered indeed by a Knight of the Realm.Definitely worth a watch, but maybe next time it could be you (raises sinister eyebrow).

A delightfully macabre film based on tales from the old E.C. horror comics, "Tales from the Crypt" is very good of its type. It's never terribly scary, but it sure is fun. Part of the appeal lies in the use of stories that rely on the time honoured idea of people getting their just desserts. It's directed with his typical efficiency by the legendary cinematographer and director Freddie Francis, and it's paced very well. A marvelous British cast makes it all the more enticing. Hell, you know you're in for a good time when the very first thing that you hear is a rendition of Bachs' "Toccata and Fugue in D Minor".A quintet of people are touring an old catacombs when they get separated from the main group and are confronted by none other than the Crypt Keeper himself. The Keeper is played by the great Sir Ralph Richardson, and he knows what these individuals have been up to, and what's in store for them.The story of Joanne (lovely Joan Collins) is told in "And All Through the House". Joanne brutally murders her husband for the insurance, only to be visited by a psycho wearing a Santa Claus suit. This episode is good ghoulish fun for this time of year, and would be adapted again as the second episode of the later TV series. The use of the Christmas carols as background for the action is effective.Next, in "Reflection of Death", we see what happened to Carl (Ian Hendry), who was about to leave his family behind to run off with his lover (Angela Grant). They get into a horrible car accident, and Carl stumbles his way home, and then to the home of the other woman, to learn the truth about his current situation.Robin Phillips is effectively despicable as snooty young James in "Poetic Justice". He believes that kindly old neighbour Mr. Grimsdyke (Peter Cushing) is a blight on the neighbourhood because the old man is a junk collector. He concocts several schemes to drive Grimsdyke away, only for tragedy to occur - and for James to receive his comeuppance. Cushings' performance is a highlight in the overall film because he's just so touching and sympathetic, and the fact that he was mourning the loss of his wife at the time adds gravitas.Richard Greene is unscrupulous businessman Ralph Jason in "Wish You Were Here". He's run into financial woes, and his wife (Barbara Murray) thinks that a statue in their possession, which supposedly grants wishes, will be their salvation. But in the end the old adage that one should be careful what they wish for will be proved, as Ralph ends up in unbearable agony. Directly inspired by the story "The Monkey's Paw", this segment actually has its characters discuss that tale in their dialogue.And, finally, "Blind Alleys" stars Nigel Patrick as Maj. William Rogers, ex-military man who takes over as director in a home for the blind. He forsakes the comfort of the residents for his own benefit, but they, led by Carter (Patrick Magee), take their revenge, utilizing Rogers' own dog as part of the deal.All in all, "Reflection of Death" isn't quite as good as the other segments, but this playful omnibus does show its audience a good time, with fine performances all around, good effects, and great twists. The production company, Amicus, were experts at this sort of thing, and "Tales from the Crypt" is one of their best efforts.Strongly recommended to horror fans.Eight out of 10.