Tales from the Crypt (1972)

(This post is part of the Great Amicus-Hammer Blogathon hosted by Gill of Realweegiemidget Reviews and Barry of Cinematic Catharsis )

From 1989 to 1996 the TV series Tales from the Crypt aired on HBO. The show took its name from the classic EC comic book and adapted stories from the various EC titles. That having been said, HBO's Tales from the Crypt was not the first time stories from EC Comics had been adapted to another medium. Around a quarter century before HBO's TV series aired, Amicus Productions released a movie, also titled Tales from the Crypt, which adapted five stories from various EC titles. 

For those unfamiliar with EC Comics, it was a comic book publishing company founded by M. C. Gaines, who had earlier founded All-American Comics (one of the companies that would become the modern day DC Comics). Originally "EC" stood for "Educational Comics" and Mr. Gaines planned to publish comic books about science, history, and the Bible. Sadly, M. C. Gaines died in a boating accident in 1947. His son William Gaines inherited the company. He kept the initials "EC," but renamed the company "Entertaining Comics." After publishing titles from Westerns to superhero comic books, EC Comics finally found its niche with titles devoted to horror, science fiction, crime, and war, as well as the comic book that would become Mad magazine.

While EC Comics would become well-known for the quality of both their stories and their artwork, its various titles would prove controversial. EC Comics did not shy away from gore or graphic violence, and as a result their titles were a frequent target of moral watchdogs during the moral panic over comic books that ensued following World War II. The outcry over the content of comic books would eventually lead to the formation of the Comics Magazine Association of America and its regulatory body the Comics Code Authority. The Comics Code not only put an end to the gore and graphic violence earlier found in comic books of the era--it very nearly reduced them to children's literature. EC Comics tried to continue without its horror titles, but to little success. Eventually EC Comics cancelled all of its titles except for Mad, which it converted to a magazine format. Mad continues to this day as the only remaining title from EC Comics. 

While EC Comics had ceased its horror titles in 1954, they were hardly forgotten. In 1964 Ballantine Books began publishing black-and-white, paperback collections of stories from EC Comics titles. Among these were two collections of EC horror stories. The first was Tales from the Crypt, published in 1964. The second was The Vault of Horror, published in 1965. Further collections have been published ever since.

Among the fans of EC Comics was Milton Subotsky, one of the two American expatriates who co-founded Amicus Productions.  It occurred to him that EC Comics' stories could provide the basis for a good horror movie. He then convinced his partner and Amicus co-founder Max Rosenberg to get the film rights to the stories. William Gaines sold the film rights to the EC stories with the requirement that he would have script approval. At £170,000 Tales from the Crypt would have a slightly higher budget than most Amicus films, with some funding provided by American International Pictures, who would distribute the movie in the United States. 

Tales from the Crypt would take the form of a portmanteau film or "anthology." Amicus had already produced three such films, including Dr. Terror's House of Horrors (1965), Torture Garden (1967), and The House That Dripped Blood (1971). Both Dr. Terror's House of Horrors and Torture Garden were directed by Freddie Francis, who would also direct Tales from the Crypt. 

Tales from the Crypt uses a framing device of five strangers who become lost while touring old catacombs. They encounter the Crypt Keeper (played by Ralph Richardson), who then proceeds to tell them tales of how they will each die. The first of the stories was "...And All Through the House," starring Joan Collins as a woman who murders her husband on Christmas Eve only to find herself face to face with a psychotic killer dressed as Santa Claus. The second of the stories was "Reflection of Death," in which Ian Hendry stars as a man who leaves his family to be with his lover. The third of the stories is "Poetic Justice," in which David Markham and Robin Phillips play a father and son plotting to get rid of their elderly neighbour (played by Peter Cushing). The fourth story was "Wish You Were Here," which deals with a Chinese figurine that grants three wishes. The fifth story was "Blind Alleys," in which Patrick Magee plays a resident of a home for the blind who decides to take revenge on the home's callous director (played by Nigel Patrick). 

Despite the film's title, only two of the stories were actually from Tales from the Crypt: "Reflection of Death" and "Blind Alleys." "...And All Through the House" was from Vault of Horror. Both "Poetic Justice" and "Wish You Were Here" were from The Haunt of Fear. The movie Tales from the Crypt would be adapted as a novel by Jack Oleck and published by Bantam in 1972. Jack Oleck had written for EC Comics in the early Fifties. He primarily wrote stories for Crime SuspenStories, but he also wrote stories for The Vault of Horror and Weird Science-Fantasy.

Tales from the Crypt was released in the United States on March 8 1972. It would be released in the United Kingdom on September 28 1972.  Reviewing the film in the March 15 1972 issue of The Chicago Sun-Times, Roger Ebert (who made it clear from the beginning that he was a fan of EC Comics) gave Tales from the Crypt a positive and highly humorous notice. On the other hand, Vincent Canby, who reviewed the movie in the March 9 1972 issue of The New York Times, gave the film a largely negative review, writing "Unfortunately, the only style exhibited by Freddie Francis, who directed the film, and Milton Subotsky, who wrote it, is in their dumb appreciation for ancient plot devices..." Since then the majority of critics have tended to agree more with Roger Ebert than Vincent Canby. Tales from the Crypt is not only one of the better known Amicus movies, but also one that is still held in high regard by many.

There should be little wonder that Tales from the Crypt remains respected in many quarters. Its strength is twofold. Milton Subotsky's script remains faithful to the original EC stories, retaining their original potency as morality tales. The cast is also remarkable, which comes as no surprise given it utilised some of the best known actors in British cinema. It is not every film that can boast Ralph Richardson, Joan Collins, Ian Hendry, Peter Cushing, Richard Greene, and Patrick Magee. What is more, the cast delivers the goods, with some very fine performances. 

Tales from the Crypt would prove successful enough to warrant another film that adapted stories from EC Comics. The Vault of Horror (1973) adapted five more stories from various EC titles. Curiously, all of the stories in The Vault of Horror were from Tales from the Crypt with the exception of one from Shock SuspenStories. None were actually from The Vault of Horror!

While Tales from the Crypt is not as well known as the later HBO television series of the same name, it is still regarded by many with fondness. It is one of Amicus Productions' best known portmanteau films and a true classic of Seventies horror. While Amicus fans will certainly appreciate it, I suspect fans of EC Comics and British horror in general will as well.