Tales from the Crypt (1972) / The Vault of Horror (1973) (Double Feature)
by Freddie Francis, Roy Ward Baker
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Joan Collins, Peter Cushing, Roy Dotrice, Terry-Thomas, Tom BakerDirector: Freddie Francis, Roy Ward Baker
Brand: Fox
Producer: Charles W. Fries
Producer: Max Rosenberg
Writer: Al Feldstein
Writer: Johnny Craig
Writer: Milton Subotsky
Writer: William M. Gaines
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); English (Original Language)
Format: Color, DVD, Mono, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.85:1
Running Time: 169 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2007-09-11
Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Movie Reviews of Tales from the Crypt (1972) / The Vault of Horror (1973) (Double Feature)
Movie Review: Horror Anthologies! My Fave!
Summary: 5 Stars
Brought to life from the pages of EC Comics well before the hit HBO TV series of the same name, the 1972 Amicus feature film production "Tales from the Crypt" presents 5 tales of terror to chill your bones! When a group of strangers meet on a tour of an ancient crypt, they soon find themselves in the hands of the Crypt Keeper (who looks far more human and solemn than his TV counterpart). He gives to each a story about themselves, all of which end badly. Joan Collins plays a woman who makes the mistake of murdering her husband on the same Christmas Eve that a murderous lunatic in a Santa suit has escaped from the authorities. Ian Hendry is a man who leaves his family for another woman, only to be in a horrible car accident with ghoulish results. David Markham plays opposite the great Peter Cushing, a kindly old man whom Markham's snooty character psychologically tortures in an attempt to run him out of the neighborhood. Very sad story, that one. In a new version of "The Monkey's Paw", Richard Greene stars as a bankrupt businessman whose wife discovers she has three wishes coming to her. She only wants to save her husband, but each wish she makes is twisted by the evil object in her possession. Fun AND disturbing! People in movies never seem to be very clever wishers. And, finally, an army Major takes over a home for the blind, making harsh financial cuts left and right. Before long, the residents have had enough of the poor food and cold conditions and take matters into their own hands with one of the most horrible gauntlets ever devised. It's all horrifically good fun, but I think I like the sequel, "Vault of Horror", even better!
In the 1973 British film, "Vault of Horror", a sort of sequel to "Tales from the Crypt", the stories, though all still dark horror stories, seem a bit less somber in tone. Or perhaps more fantastic and silly is a better way to put it, seemingly taking a cue from the Monkey's Paw inspired story in its predecessor. There is no host in this film (no Vault Keeper, whom you may have been expecting), just 5 more very good, twisted stories from Amicus and E.C. Comics. In this film, 5 more strangers are brought together, this time by boarding the same elevator, and all are taken to a room they did not expect. Within, they begin to relay to each other their own recurring nightmares in which they see their own deaths. First, Daniel Massey plays a man who has hired a private detective to track down his sister. He finds her in a small town with a dark secret, darker even than his own reason for going there. Then, Glynis Johns marries Terry-Thomas, who plays a man obsessed with neatness. His incessant nagging about a place for everything and everything in its place eventually drives her over the edge. Next, Curt Jurgens is a magician on vacation in India with his wife/assistant seeking out a new trick to wow audiences back home. What he comes across is an amazing rope trick that he'd be willing to kill for. Michael Craig stars in the next story as a writer desperate for a windfall. He plans an insurance scam that involves playing dead and being buried alive, but he never thinks about the possibility of grave robbers in the area. Lastly, Doctor Who's Tom Baker is a very grim artist living meagerly in Haiti when he discovers others are making a fortune on his work back home. In an attempt to get revenge on those who wronged him, he resorts to voodoo and is given the power to make his drawings dictate reality, with horrific results.
And, there you have it, "Tales from the Crypt" and "Vault of Horror" are two fantastic horror anthologies, and here they are packed together on this Midnite Movies 2-disc release. There are two disappointments though. The first, smaller issue is that they have only one bonus feature between them, and that's a black and white trailer for Vault of Horror. The second, major issue is that apparently Vault of Horror is a very edited cut (for gore, if I am understanding correctly, which couldn't have been much, considering). This is something I cannot stand. However, I can't say I really noticed since my previous viewings of the film were mostly edited for television anyway. If you love these movies or horror anthologies in general, this DVD set is a must, flawed as it is, and it is usually very nicely priced at least. I only hope more great old anthologies like this get releases in the future, including the documentary style Rod Serling one, "Encounter with the Unknown"! Let's just hope they are released correctly, and that Vault of Horror gets a proper release someday too. In the meantime, I highly recommend "From Beyond the Grave" and "Monster Club", two that I still need to get myself!
More Tales from the Crypt (1972) / The Vault of Horror (1973) (Double Feature) reviews:
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Summary of Tales from the Crypt (1972) / The Vault of Horror (1973) (Double Feature)
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