The Good
This show mixed genres and was never afraid to try new methods of horror.
The Bad
They should’ve let the Crypt Keeper do commentary tracks on all the episodes.
Tales from the Crypt: The Complete Fourth Season continues the comic carnage with our faithful friend the Crypt Keeper leading us through 14 spine tingling episodes. With actors like the late Christopher Reeve, Brad Pitt, Treat Williams and others taking part in this TV show, I think that the prestige factor of Tales from the Crypt is not something that can be denied. Lets also not forget that Richard Donner, Joel Silver and Robert Zemeckis were some of the masterminds behind this show. To sit back and think about that pool of talent that made this ghoultastic episodic series possible, really puts in perspective just how strong of a show it was.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
In fact, the best part about Tales from the Crypt: The Complete Fourth Season is that success doesn’t seem to have spoiled anyone involved. In fact, it seems like the creators have gone out of their way to give the fans even more of what they want.
Features
This is done for the episode What’s Cookin’ by the Crypt Keeper and the show’s writer Alan Katz and Tales from the Crypt chronicler Digby Diehl. Truthfully, as much as Katz and Diehl try and talk about how the show got made, and what a coup it was getting movie stars to do a cable TV show, this is really the Crypt Keeper’s time. He makes jokes, puns and plays on words that will leave you either laughing or reaching for the remote.
Stars of Season 4 Montage
Hosted by the Crypt Keeper this segment showcases the stars, hotties and directors of this Fourth season. We see people like David Morse, Blythe Danner and Brad Pitt, and we also find out that some of the episodes were helmed by Tom Hanks, William Friedkin and Richard Donner among others. The main thing this featurette reminded me about was how completely gorgeous Kathy Ireland was. For the early 1990s, she was IT.
Video
Standard Version presented in a format preserving the aspect ratio of it’s original television exhibition. Maybe I am a more sophisticated TV/movie viewer (though if you listen to my friends that really isn’t possible), but I don’t think the effects or the gore on this show look that great. It doesn’t look like they were done in someone’s backyard, it just seems like before the advent of digital technology maybe we had to rely more on our minds to fill in what couldn’t be created on screen?
Audio
Dolby Digital. English: Dolby Surround Stereo. I love the sound of the Crypt Keeper’s voice and the soundtrack for this show is top notch. There is a campyness that this show employs that almost seems to be urging viewers not to take the situations presented too seriously. Ultimately, the audio plays a huge hand in presenting a classically scary environment, and then the stories and writing have a way of subverting that.
Package
Decked out in a Sam Spade detective suit, the Crypt Keeper graces this front cover going through a book of what I assume are cases. He even has his black and white wingtips kicked up on the desk. The back cover is a multicolored green, yellow and blue. There are pictures from the episodes, a description of the show, a Special Features listing, a small credits list and some technical specs. The three discs are houses in two cases which have pulpy, comic book type covers. It is layered with pictures from certain episodes as well as a title listing and description for all the episodes.
Final Word
I was a big fan of this show when I was younger even though I didn’t watch it as religiously as some. It would usually work out that I caught episodes every so often, but Tales from the Crypt is the kind of show that you don’t need to watch every episode to follow. Also, I appreciated how, as scary or as gross as things would get, there was always a degree of comedy that came out in the writing and the performances. While it wasn’t a show that took itself too seriously, part of the fun was seeing average people in situations that they didn’t realize they wouldn’t get out of.
Tales from the Crypt: The Complete Fourth Season is scaretastic TV on DVD!!
Tales from the Crypt was released .
