Tales from the Crypt (1972)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Director:

Freddie Francis

Writers:

Johnny Craig (comic book stories Tales From The Crypt and The Vault of Horror)
Al Feldstein (comic book stories Tales From The Crypt and The Vault of Horror)

Release Date:

9 March 1972 (USA)

Genre:

Horror

Tagline:

DEATH LIVES in the Vault of Horror!

Plot:

Five people get lost in a crypt and meet up with a strange crypt keeper who tells them stories of how they died.

Plot Keywords:

Crypt | Future | Tour | Infidelity | Sword

Cast

Joan Collins	...	Joanne Clayton (segment "All Through The House")
Peter Cushing	...	Arthur Edward Grimsdyke (segment "Poetic Justice")
Roy Dotrice	...	Charles Gregory (segment "Wish You Were Here")
Richard Greene	...	Ralph Jason (segment "Wish You Were Here")
Ian Hendry	...	Carl Maitland (segment "Reflection of Death")
Patrick Magee	...	George Carter (segment "Blind Alleys")
Barbara Murray	...	Enid Jason (segment "Wish You Where Here")
Nigel Patrick	...	Maj. William Rogers (segment "Blind Alleys")
Robin Phillips	...	James Elliott (segment "Poetic Justice")
Ralph Richardson	...	The Crypt Keeper
Geoffrey Bayldon	...	Guide
David Markham	...	Father (segment "Poetic Justice")
Robert Hutton	...	Neighbour (segment "Poetic Justice")
Angela Grant	...	Susan Blake (segment "Reflection of Death") (as Angie Grant)
Susan Denny	...	Mrs. Maitland (segment "Reflection of Death")

Runtime:

92 min

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Finland:(Banned) (1972) (original rating) | Finland:K-18 (cut) (re-rating) | West Germany:18 | Netherlands:16 | Italy:VM14 | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Sweden:15 | UK:18 (video rating) (1988) (cinema version) (cut) | UK:X (original rating) (cut) | USA:PG | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Germany:BPjM Restricted

Filming Locations:

Shepperton Studios, Shepperton, Surrey, England, UK

Company:

Amicus Productions

Trivia:

Last full length cinema film of Robert Hutton.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When a close-up is shown of the skeletal motorcyclist following Ralph Jason in the "Wish You Were Here" segment, his facial features can clearly be seen behind the skeletal mask.

Quotes:

Maj. William Rogers: [Hearing his dog bark in the room beside him] Well, at least feed my dog, please!
George Carter: [Somber] He'll be fed alright.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Tales from the Crypt: From Comic Books to Television (2004) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Toccata and Fugue in D minor

Great film. Remember watching it in the 1970's

The story starts with five tourists visiting underground catacombs in what appears to be a crypt. They venture off into a secret room where a mysterious robed figure appears. Through the five stories, he shows them what will happen if they go ahead with the dastardly plans they are about to endeavor.

Joan Collins clobbers her husband to death on Christmas Eve to the sound of 'Oh Come all Ye Faithful' playing on the radio. She is then stalked by a not so friendly Santa Claus who turns out to be a madman intent on murder.

A wayward husband dies in a car crash - but isn't aware of it yet.

Peter Cushing plays a lonely old man who is hounded by his cruel neighbours. He returns from his grave to take brutal revenge on his tormentors. The really scary bit was the unforgettable Valentine's Card…"You were cruel and mean from the start, now you really have no heart". Three guesses what the soft,lumpy body organ is enclosed with the card!

A businessman dies in a crash, only to be brought back to life by his wife. However, he's been embalmed already. Ouch!

And finally, there is a superbly frightening tale about a callous warden at a home for the blind. His inhumane behaviour leads him to a most horrifying end, involving lots of razor blades and a hungry Alsatian dog.