Review of Tales from the Crypt (1972) by Senor C — 29 Jul 2011
This horror anthology lent its name to an HBO series and is therefore instantly recognizable. Five people are given visions of their own deaths which take the form of 5 shorts. Joan Collins stars in the first one which is Christmas themed and rather lackluster, the second short is brief with a fairly good scare in the end.
The third has an incredible performance by Peter Cushing as a tender-hearted widower who is targetted by his neighbor. This third sequence is easily the film's strongest thanks to Cushing and a nice makeup job in the climax.
The fourth short is a take on the old short story, "The Monkey's Paw" and it seems somewhat aimless in it's execution. Patrick Magee gives a sympathetic and dramatic performance as a blind man in the final segment about a greedy super intendent at a home for the blind.
This last segment is engaging, if a bit long, with an elaborate ending. Ultimately Tales from the Crypt is a mixed bag of shorts with an interesting premise tying everything together. Three out of five of the shorts are worthwhile which makes this anthology worth it for the most part, though only the third segment stands out as anything special.
This review of Tales from the Crypt (1972) was written by Senor C on 29 Jul 2011.
Tales from the Crypt has generally received positive reviews.
Was this review helpful?
