joeywhenindoubt Five individuals are led down a large underground crypt to a crypt-keeper who tells them all five stories about what is going to happen to them giving them a warning about their shockingly violent fates as punishment for overt and dubious crimes they will commit in the future. The central premise is great and the five stories that follow it are all extremely strong: following a woman who plans to murder her husband, a man who abandons his family for another woman, two snobbish men who torment an old neighbor, a re-telling of the monkey's paw story and a pretty nasty final story regarding a blind home and its new uncaring manager. This is one of rare Amicus anthologies in which all the stories are well-written, compelling and quite horrific in general, Amicus did make some other great anthologies (Asylum, Dr Terror's House of Horrors, House that Dripped Blood, and From Beyond the Grave) and two very poor ones (Torture Garden and Vault of Horror); whilst the best ones did have at least one weak story within their anthologies, Tales from the Crypt are all consistently good. The DVD transfer is really good (full frame anamorphic print-that looks remastered and restored), just a minor gripe would be misleading cover art on back of the DVD and front feature images not actually in the film (like the skull on the front with the eye is not in the film and on the back there is a picture of grotesquely looking Crypt-keeper from the 1980s Tales from the Crypt TV Series not from this 1972 film version); other than that the DVD release is perfect. There is a real darkness to the five stories as we wonder whether the punishment actually fits their crimes; sometimes what is inflicted on the characters can seem ten times worse than what they actually did-for example in the final story, the consequence of his actions are more sadistic and just much more evil than his crime. I guess that just adds to tone of the horror that pervades the story; like the Monkey's Paw tale which is very sadistic punishment when the crime itself was not sadistic or overtly evil. Its dubious but its still dark and compelling to watch. The only time the film actually puts a foot wrong is the ending which felt like a tacked-on attempt to add some forced horror to proceedings. They needed a twist horror ending in tone with the original EC Comics but the one they chose was not really scary but felt rather forced in overall context of the stories and the central premise. It would have been fine to stick to what was established in the beginning which would have left the audience and characters with a sense of introspection, fear and dark foreboding leaving the punishment and belief up to the characters themselves rather than contrived plot twist. Other than that its Amicus's best anthology horror and just absolutely beautiful to look at with sumptuous technicolor cinematography with an incredibly vibrancy and intense colour like a visual painting much like the classic Hammer Horror films of the period. Definitely a film to watch.

sbijapure This is a collection of five different stories. All of them are so slow paced that you tend to go to sleep. It is slow paced even for the 1970s standard. No horrible getup is used anywhere though the poster shows a horrible skull with a single eye. Even the music is dull. A waste of time. Good actors are wasted. Though the movie is about "as you sow so you reap", in the fourth story, we wonder if the protagonist really deserved what he got.

hellraiser7 I'm a fan of the E.C. comics series "Tales from the Crypt" along with the TV show that got me into the comics and anthology horror in general. This film is one of my favorite anthology horror films that I've seen, let alone comic book adaptation films that are actually good and I personally feel is a bit under the radar.It's true that the only think this anthology lacks is the humor and more of the gore element which were some of the things that made the E.C. Horror comic series, due to the fact this film was going for a more serious approach. But it still retains the scares, morality and the anthology format like in the comics.The production value is solid, the effects were on par we actually got to see a bit of blood in a place or two. I like the music score which is solid as they use the old "Phantom of the Opera" organ theme for the theme of this film which felt right. And also liked certain suspenseful tunes in a place or two.I like Ralph Richerson as the Cryptkeeper, really like that Skull Throne I thought that was cool but also added to his dark presence. He's a really solid horror host, he has a dark and mysterious arroa about him as he seems like a person that is letting on more than he is telling. And each of the main characters in the tales are antagonists that you dislike and hate, and like in all of the E.C. tales you know their going to pay the price.Each of the tales I think are really great in their own way, which ones you love the most are up to you but that's always how it goes with anthologies letting you be the judge, let alone providing you with a wide selection of stories.One of them is of course "And All though the House" this was of course retold in the TV show. But I really love this tale because it was the first or one of the first horror stories that decided to actually have a horror story take place on a holiday, Christmas out of all of them which was a risk move but a good one. I really like the sense of dread as you never know where the killer Santa is going to pop out, the look of the serial killer Santa I thought was creepy as he really dirty looking and has sort of a crazy looking eye; there is always something about evil in the guise of a symbol of innocence that makes the antagonist all the more scary because it really gives a disarming feel.Another of course stared one of my favorite actors Peter Cushing and this film was literally one of his last horror films. In this film he plays a protagonist that you really like, even though he doesn't look like much he's a guy you can be friends with as he is unselfish and always kind, fixing things mainly toys for the kids and takes care of lots of dogs. He's also a widower which makes you feel some pathos for him, Peter Cussing actually put a little of himself on those scenes since his own wife passed on closely before this film. In a way it makes it all the more hard to watch this character go down as some rich frak butt wipe wants to destroy that man's life because he's not upper class like them which in a way makes the perpetrator's scheme a hate crime. You just completely hate the antagonist from beginning to end as he just doesn't let up on his cruel jokes, I guess he never learned the old saying, "joke's over by now." Seeing this you honestly are waiting for the perpetrator to let's just say receive his Hallmark card from Hell.The final tale is my favorite, I really like the blind man protagonist whom you really feel bad for as he and his companion in the home are getting less of what they need. While the former Major whom of course is a Major butt head that runs the joint is practically robbing the home blind (no pun intended) he is using the funds of the home for himself, which isn't right. But also he doesn't give a crap about the blind, the fact that their even disabled, to him disability is complete weakness that gets nothing.And of course something happens which of course means war, and it was great seeing the Blind man protagonist along with his friends, despite the loss of sight there wits are razor sharp. The final part is great as it is to me one of the most suspenseful sequences ever as we see the Major go thought a strange gauntlet, and one of the sections is a wall of razor blades. I'll admit I couldn't help but wince every time the major cut himself it looked and sounded painful.So enter the Crypt, if you dare.Rating: 4 stars

utgard14 Great horror anthology film based off of EC Comics from the 1950s. Five people who are part of a tour group to view ancient catacombs become lost and meet a mysterious hooded figure (Ralph Richardson), who tells them each about their fate. There are five stories. The first story is "All Through the Night," which stars Joan Collins as a wife who murders her husband on Christmas Eve. A homicidal maniac escaped from an asylum, dressed as Santa Claus, happens upon her home at this time and tries to force his way in. She can't call the police without exposing her own crime. The first story is one of the most famous EC stories. Collins is fun to watch and the whole thing is directed quite well. As a kid, this was my favorite segment.The second story is "Reflection of Death." It's about a man (Ian Hendry) who abandons his wife and kids to leave with his mistress, only to crash his car along the way. He pulls himself from the wreck and tries to make his way home, but everybody he meets is horrified. This is a short segment, and not particularly strong. Still, it's enjoyable enough. The third story is "Poetic Justice." A man and his son (David Markham, Robin Phillips) are a couple of snobs who hate their elderly neighbor (Peter Cushing), a garbage man who is kind to animals and children. Hoping to drive him out of the neighborhood, they begin a smear campaign against him that ends with tragic results. The best segment in the film. Peter Cushing's performance as the sympathetic Arthur Grimsdyke is excellent, as is his makeup in the final part."Wish You Were Here" is the fourth story, about a struggling businessman and his wife (Richard Greene, Barbara Murray). They use a Chinese figurine that's supposed to grant three wishes and get more than they wished for. This is a variation on the classic Monkey's Paw story. Nothing really surprising here and, despite an attempt at a gruesome finish, it's pretty slight. The final story is "Blind Alleys," about a former army major (Nigel Patrick) who becomes the new director of a home for the blind. He runs the place ruthlessly, which leads to the blind taking matters into their own hands. One has to assume that they believed when putting this movie together that the final segment was the best, but it really isn't. It's overlong and mean-spirited. It does have some nice claustrophobic moments but it's probably my least favorite segment. After the final story, the film returns to where it started with the hooded figure and the five lost people, who now know their fate. This linking story is amusing but weak, with a twist that you see coming before the movie starts.Despite its problems, this really is a good anthology film made with style by a great genre director, Freddie Francis. The cast is great and the stories are, for the most part, solid. Is it an ideal representation of EC Comics or Tales from the Crypt? Not really. It largely misses the black humor and sometimes cheesy gags that made those stories so much more than simple horror tales. These stories are more serious and straightforward. But they are fine entertainment and can be enjoyed as such.