Tales from the Crypt
A theatrical British horror anthology turns five tales of greed, cruelty, betrayal, and selfishness into campy supernatural punishments overseen by the Crypt Keeper.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Moderate
- macabre
- campy
- eerie
- late night horror marathon
- halloween viewing
What critics said
Critics broadly regard it as an enduringly entertaining EC Comics adaptation whose strong stories, veteran cast, and campy scares outweigh its heavy-handed morality and occasional lack of style.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The trapped visitors encounter the Crypt Keeper, who presents five separate tales and supplies the anthology's connective structure.
The stories repeatedly turn insurance fraud, infidelity, exploitation, greed, and cruelty back against the perpetrators.
The film tempers its scares with hammy performances, comic grotesquerie, and heightened supernatural reversals.
Its five tales are drawn from EC horror comics and use concise morality plots, sensational twists, and a recurring host.
Films like Tales from the Crypt, and why
Dr. Terror's House of Horrors
shared comic-book anthology structure, campy supernatural horror, and moral comeuppance
The House That Dripped Blood
shared british anthology horror, framing host, and macabre serio-comic tone
Creepshow
shared EC-style horror storytelling, grotesque twists, and darkly comic morality tales
Tales from the Darkside: The Movie
shared supernatural anthology format, british gothic atmosphere, and revenge-driven horror
Movie Details
- Director
- Freddie Francis
- Release Date
- 1972-03-09
- Runtime
- 93 min
- Rating
- 6.8 / 10 (359)
Cast
- Joan Collins
- Peter Cushing
- Roy Dotrice
- Richard Greene
- Ian Hendry
- Patrick Magee
- Barbara Murray
- Nigel Patrick
- Robin Phillips
- Ralph Richardson
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- fuboTV, Cultpix, Chilling
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Tales from the Crypt about?
- A theatrical British horror anthology turns five tales of greed, cruelty, betrayal, and selfishness into campy supernatural punishments overseen by the Crypt Keeper.
- What is Tales from the Crypt like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Tales from the Crypt as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Tales from the Crypt violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Tales from the Crypt as moderate.
- What did critics think of Tales from the Crypt?
- Critics broadly regard it as an enduringly entertaining EC Comics adaptation whose strong stories, veteran cast, and campy scares outweigh its heavy-handed morality and occasional lack of style.
- Which films are like Tales from the Crypt?
- Films with a similar feel include Dr. Terror's House of Horrors, The House That Dripped Blood, Creepshow, and Tales from the Darkside: The Movie.
- How long is Tales from the Crypt?
- Tales from the Crypt runs 93 minutes.
- Where can I watch Tales from the Crypt?
- In United States, Tales from the Crypt streams on fuboTV, Cultpix, Chilling.
