Reviews (4)

Good, old, HBO horror series
They really should bring this series back. To those of you who have been living under a rock for the last 16 years, this is basically a very good, revamped-gory version of the twilight zone. Some great short horror stories!
Side note: I still have the old Crypt keeper dolls (still in their boxes) in my closet. I bought them at Spencer's gifts ages ago, maybe someday they will be worth something.

"Mirror, mirror on the wall. Who's the FEAREST of them all?"
Welcome to my review, horror freaks! So glad you could join me and read about the 6 eerie episodes of HBO's "Tales from the Crypt," the very ones that helped the series rise from its tomb back in 1989. It's been 9 long years since the show went off the air, and until now, I've been waiting for the Crypt Keeper's putrid puns and awful alliterations to be forever preserved on DVD format. And why not? The show lasted a full 7 seasons and featured many of the biggest actors and directors in Hollywood. Each tale carefully incorporates the grisly black humor William M. Gaines EC comic books, which were almost banned in the 1950's. Did I say 'almost?' Anyway, as other HBO programs like "Dream On," "Deadwood," and "Carnivale" were packaged and displayed on Best Buy shelves, I wondered if "Tales" would ever be among them. Well, the time has finally arrived, creeps! As stated by John Kassir himself, Warner Brothers wisely chose to create these discs so we ourselves can scare the next generation of kiddies to come. Even better is the fact that the second disc of this Season 1 set will contain a sickening array of never-before-seen extras. I don't want to give the surprises away, but I will briefly tell you the stories you are about to see. Enter, if you dare!
"Dig that Cat...He's Real Gone" stars Joe Pantoliano as Ulric, a homeless alcoholic who becomes a rich and famous sideshow performer after a mad doctor (Gustav Vintas) surgically implants a cat's gland into Ulric's brain. This procedure allows him to die and return to life nine times. Morbid hilarity ensues as a carnival barker (Robert Wuhl) presents Ulric the Undying to astounded audiences who watch him get electrocuted, hanged, drowned in a tank, and shot with an arrow (among other things).
In "The Man Who was Death," Bill Sadler (who eventually starred in the 1995 Tales from the Crypt film "Demon Knight") plays Niles Talbot, a state executioner who loses his job after spending 12 years pulling the switch. This resulted because the government unexpectantly repealed the death penalty. However, not wanting to abandon his favorite occupation, Niles drifts to the other side of the law by killing criminals who were acquitted by the courts.
The frightening and festive "And All Through the House" stars Mary Ellen Trainor as a devious housewife named Elizabeth, who brutally bludgeons her husband with a poker to collect on an insurance policy. Just when she is ready to eliminate the corpse, a homicidal maniac donning a Santa Claus costume (Larry Drake) terrorizes her with an axe. Even worse, Elizabeth can't call the police for fear of being convicted of first degree murder and losing custody of her daughter.
Vanity and greed play a central role in "Only Sin Deep," a tale about a street prostitute named Sylvia Vane (Lea Thompson). After killing a pimp and stealing his gold jewellry, she willingly sells her beauty to a strange pawnbroker (Britt Leach) in exchange for $10,000 cash. At first, Sylvia wins over the affections of a suave playboy millionaire. But immediately afterward, as a result of some black magic performed by the pawnbroker, she gets increasingly distraught as her face quickly ages. Desperate to buy back her looks, she shoots her rich lover dead, but is then forced to avoid prison by staying ugly for life.
Prepare for a honeymoon hell in "Lover Come Hack To Me." Here, a cunning bachelor named Charles (Stephen Shellen) marries a naive Peggy (Amanda Plummer) for her inheritance money. On a rainy night, after accidentally getting stuck in an abandoned mansion, the two go up to the bedroom and make perfect love for the very first time. Originally, Charles was going to kill Peggy and stage the crime to look like a burglary. But he soon discovers that her family history is cursed, and that much darker skeletons lie in the bride's closet.
Last but not least is one of my favorite episodes, "Collection Completed." M. Emmet Walsh plays Jonas, a grouchy tool salesman who finally gets to retire after 47 years on the job. His slightly odd wife Anita (Audra Lindley) has developed a fondness for pets...alot of pets. In fact, she keeps a zoo-full of cats, dogs, and birds in the house. On top of that, she talks to squirrels and runs an aquarium in the bathtub. Obviously, such an attachment to animals is enough to drive Jonas up the wall! Inevitably, he gets sick and tired of not having enough attention, and he gleefully takes up taxidermy as a hobby. But those poor animals weren't the only living creatures that ended up getting stuffed.

Tales from the Crypt
I have written HBO countless e-mails over the years begging for this dvd set. I never received one e-mail response from HBO. Oh, well. I really did not expect one.
This is one of the best horror shows, period. Some of the top horror/adventure writers and directors wrote and directed these episodes. I believe this series ran for seven seasons. This can be intense stuff, not for children because of the nudity, sex, graphic violence, superb gore effects, language, and more. Some of these stories are truly the stuff of nightmares. They will haunt you.
If you have never seen Tales from the Crypt you are in for a treat, if you are a fan of horror. Go to your local book store and pick-up a trade paperback of the old EC comics these stories are based upon to get a feel for the translation from comic book to television show. Wait until you meet the Cryptkeeper, who introduces each episode, for a meeting of the surreal and insane and just plain weird. And, you will see some big name stars come to fantastic demises. Just wait, you'll see.
Now, where are Tales from the Darkside and Friday the 13th the series. These are two more violent horror series from the pre-politically correct present day.

Great Series Finds It's Footing In A TV/DVD Obsessed World
Yes, It has finally happened: Warner Bros./HBO Productions has announced that a 2-Disc, First Season set of "Tales from the Crypt" will be released on July 12th. The first season consisted of six episodes that fit quite nicely on this set's first disc. They are: "The Man Who Was Death", Dig That cat...He's Real Gone", "All Through The House", "Only Sin Deep", "Lover Come Hack To Me", and "Collection Completed". The second disc will hold bonus features that are rumored to include 2 Featurettes: One on "Tales From Comic Books To Television" and the other on "The First Season's History." Plus a new introduction by "The CryptKeeper"(John Kassir). Now this has not been confirmed, so it's pretty much a rumor but these are the possibilities. So far, there is no cover art or any other materials but stay tuned to tvshowsondvd.com for more news info which should be coming soon! Tales From The Crypt: Season One, July 12th! ... Read more

Reviews (6)

A Knight in Shining Titanium
This is the first time I remember the third film in a series being the absolute best. Maybe it is because this is the film where Robocop finally gets his priorities straight- as well as the rest of the Detroit PD. I always saw the character as more of a knight in shining armor than a cop, and here he comes across as all that. As a matter of fact, with his new flight pack he comes across as a shining avenging angel.

I especially enjoyed the scenes where the corporate managers of the OCP Corp (Offensive Capitalist Pigs) offed thenselves by jumping out of windows and shooting themselves. Too bad life doesn't follow art more often. After all, this film only slightly exagerates the attitude of multinational corporate managers towards the American people. They sold us out to their corporate masters....

There were scenes in this movie that I actually stood and cheered for, and other scenes that brought a lump to my throat. That doesn't happen very often to me these days. Then I notice who wrote the screenplay- the great Frank Miller ("Batman: The Dark Knight Returns" and "Sin City.") That explained everything.

I really loved this film.

Not the best of the series, but still fun!
This is clearly the weakest of the 3 Robocop movies. Robo 1 and 2 are truly thrilling. This one is over-the-edge in believability, and it does not have Peter Weller, so therefore, we get less of his humanity, since the new actor is not very talkative.

There are some very good performances in this movie, however. Particularly by Remy Ryan as the smart little girl who assists Robo and CCH Pounder who is the heroine of sorts. Both are very good in their parts.

Wow...Really Not Good
Robocop: Great, great sci-fi action film, famous mostly for it's extreme graphicness. Rated R.

Robocop 2: Manages to be just as, if not more, graphic than Robocop. You can tell they try to be controversial too. (Kid as a drug lord, man holds a gun to a baby's head) Rated R.

Robocop 3: New actor, Robocop learns to fly...almost no blood the entire film. Rated PG13.

What the $#!@ happened?!

Not a bad movie!
I'm not a fan of Robocop and the movies with him, especially the ones from 2001, but this movie has totally changed my mind about him . This movie has great action, a good plot, great costumes, and a great script. I don't know why everyone gave gave this movie bad reviews because it's not a bad movie. I give it 5 STARS! Loved it!

Well,
This film got alot of negative reviews. Notice the five stars I'm giving it? That means positive.

This was actually the first Robocop movie I ever watched (The other 2 were rated R, and at the time I was only 10), and Robocop shot right up there with Batman and Spiderman. So, I suppose I'm a bit biased, and prolly should rate it lower, but I just couldnt do that to one of my all-time favorites (and one of my first) action movies. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Tales from the Crypt is no Sopranos, but in its day it was HBO's most popular original series. Based on the EC Horror comics of the 1940s and 1950s, these short shock-and-suspense stories with twist (and often twisted) endings weren't exclusively horror tales, but they consistently mined, in a comic sort of way, the dark side of human nature. The three episodes directed by series coproducer Robert Zemeckis are among the most memorable. In "All Through the Night," perhaps the single most famous story from the original comic book series, a psychotic killer dressed as Santa escapes Christmas Eve and terrorizes a middle-class home where murder has already made a holiday appearance: a homicidal wife plunges a fireplace poker into her husband's skull. (It was also adapted in the 1972 British anthology movie Tales from the Crypt). Kirk Douglas stars as a blood-and-thunder World War I general who discovers his son is a coward in the grim "Yellow," the most dramatically acute of the trio. Digital magic morphs Humphrey Bogart into "You, Murderer," a high-concept, rather gimmicky tale of murder, double crosses, and poetic justice as seen through a dead man's eyes. Isabella Rossellini (daughter of Bogie's Casablanca costar Ingrid Bergman) and John Lithgow costar as plotting lovers. Zemeckis has a great deal of fun with the first and last films, giving them a flamboyant comic book exaggeration, but the underplayed irony of "Yellow" makes it one of the darkest, most affecting stories in the series' run. --Sean Axmaker ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Lights! Camera! Hack-tion! Zemeckis Directs CRYPT!
Based on stories from the deliciously depraved E.C. horror comics (TALES FROM THE CRYPT, VAULT OF HORROR, HAUNT OF FEAR) of the 1950s, TALES FROM THE CRYPT was a TV horror anthology that, like most TV anthologies, had a lot of both hits and misses. Some of the stories really stank, but when a story was a hit, it was usually dead on (excuse the pun). This DVD represents three episodes that HBO execs apparently consider hits, probably because they were all directed by the renowned and Oscar-winning (1994's FORREST GUMP) Robert Zemeckis. And though CRYPT fans would like to see more episodes made available on DVD, the execs made pretty good selections with this lot.

The first story, "And All Through the House," is definitely the scariest of the three. It's about a disgruntled wife who murders her husband on Christmas Eve, only to have a madman dressed in Santa garb show up to deliver her just deserts. It is a particulary frightening morality play not only because it warns that "what goes around, comes around"; it also makes a multi-faceted statement about innocence and youth, as it is the murderous woman's little daughter who ultimately lets "Santa" into the house. Larry Drake delivers a delectably deranged performance as the insane Saint Nick. (This has proven to be one of the most enduring stories from the original E.C. Comics series, as it was also previously dramatized in 1972 as one portion of an excellent five-part British flick entitled TALES FROM THE CRYPT. In that version, Joan Collins--DYNASTY's Alexis Carrington Colby--played the part of the homicidal wife.)

In the second story, "Yellow," Kirk Douglas is a stone-hearted, by-the-book WWI General and, his son, Eric Douglas, is a craven Lieutenant under the General's command. Embarrassed by his "yellow" progeny, the General engages his son in an insidious course of action that will save the young man's reputation as well as allow the General himself to save face. Although the ending is easily predictable, the acting is top-notch and the depiction of WWI is fairly gruesome (for TV, anyway), and it all adds up to an engaging and suspenseful drama. This is definitely the strongest episode of the trio, though not as scary as the first.

The last of the three offerings, "You, Murderer," is also the weakest. It covers the last day in the life of a business exec who, altered via plastic surgery to hide from a dark past, is blackmailed and then offed by his cuckolding wife and her lover. Though the plot is a bit cliche and its ending predictable, the episode does, nonetheless, have a few interesting aspects: one, the story is told via flashbacks from the point of view of the already-dead exec; two, á la plastic surgery, the exec is the spitting image of Humphrey Bogart; and three, great performances are delivered by Isabella Rossellini (daughter of the real-life Bogart's CASABLANCA costar Ingrid Bergman) and character actor John Lithgow. The episode's biggest flaw is the special effects, which are primarily computerized insertions of Bogart film-clips á la FORREST GUMP. Unlike in GUMP, the effects come across as embarrasingly cheesy, and the manner in which they are utilized is very awkward to the flow of the narrative. Still, it's an entertaining entry for CRYPT, just one that is not up to par with the other two on this disc.

One minorly disappointing aspect to the DVD overall is the fact that there are no extras on the disc. Some HBO or syndication promotional spots or an interview with Zemeckis would've been nice, or maybe even a behind-the-scenes short featuring our gregarious host, The Crypt Keeper. Still, this DVD is well worth the expense, especially for fans of TALES FROM THE CRYPT or fans of the horror genre in general. At Amazon.com's asking price, the cost is less than $5 per episode, and that's cheaper than the cost-per-episode charged for many TV shows in either VHS or DVD format!

Yellow Shines, More Tales Please!
Of all the television series I want on DVD, Tales From The Crypt is it!

I hope this is just the first in a long running set for this series, but it doesn't look like it.

This DVD contains the three episodes done by Robert Zemeckis.

And All Through the House" (1989), remided me of the 'Tales From The Crypt - Have A Scary Little Christmas' CD I've had for quite a while. Basically the same backdrop of the story told on the CD is here, except for the 'Mother' killing her husband. Anyhow, that's how it starts, but what the poor mother does not know is that an escaped lunatic is on the prowl.

"Yellow" (1991), A dang good yarn if I do say so eh kiddies? Martin Sheen's excellent in this story of a san who cannot live up to his father's aspects of courageousness.

"You, Murderer" (1995), is really wierd. Stars Humphrey Bogart, Sherilyn Fenn, and some other famous personalities and basically the tale is in Bogart's voice. He is dead (murdered actually) but can still see what is happing around him, hear everything, and worse feel everything!

Pretty good set. Some great stars in these episodes and I really loved the episode 'Yellow'.

Hopefully more will be produced as I love the whole series.

great. but only 3 of the episodes.
this is worth buying if you are even a remote fan of tales from the crypt, however; it's only has 3 of many episodes on it. "yellow" is my personal favorite. they need to release more of the episodes on DVD so i, and everyone else who wants it, could have the complete collection. ... Read more

Reviews (79)

Wolfmans Got Nards & I Can't Wait For The DVD To Be Released
This is a great scary movie for kids and adults alike...
This little-known GEM of a film & one of my favorites with mostly a cast of unknowns. Stephen Macht (Graveyard Shift& many other stephen King films) & Jason Hervey (older brother, Wayne on Wonder Years) are familiar faces. A great kids frightfest that has the Creature From The Black Lagoon, Mummy, Wolfman, Frankenstein & a really hot & sexy Dracula with his female coven!

A passel of oddball kids fight the dark forces of evil in their small neighborhood with the help of Frankenstein & Scary German Guy (an old Germanic man that is a neighbor). Great plot, cool special effects, some excellent one liners & some wonderful child acting all make for a terrifc family frightfest! Check out the teacher in the beginning of the movie. The kids call her "Meow Mix" because her head is shaped like a cat's head! Great oddball writing in this movie makes it scary & funny!

Wonderful story! I just can't wait for this to come out on DVD!

The movie i have loved since i was a kid!
Monster Squad has so many good things about it its hard to find things wrong with it. It brings many life lessons with it. Here are the ten lessons i learned:
1.German people are scary, especially the "scary german guy".
2.Wolfman has "nards".
3.The kid who smokes and wears a leather jacket is the coolest guy in the town.
4.Don't mess with the fat kid.
5.The Creature from the Black Lagoon is no match for a twelve gauge.
6.Make a clubhouse next to a house where a hot chick lives so you can spy on her when she undresses.
7.The mummy in your closet isn't real and even if he is your dad will never see him any ways.
8.The army is always late.
9.Free movies await the person who lives close enough to a drive in.
10.monster squad is a classic.
Well I think I've said enough, so buy it already and have fun laughin at crude 80's sayings and ridiculus fat jokes.

Monsteriffic!!!
Classic Monsters, Gang of Middle Schoolers fighting Evil, Great SPFX, One of my most favorite movies ever. Reminds me somewhat of the Goonies, (1 fat kid , 1 obsessive cumplusive kid, 1 young adult, and the rest is history)

wolfman gots nards!!!
this is the best movie ever. its funny the movie is older then me but its my favorite movie.

but its abut these group of kids who have to stop dracula from taking ova the world.

but it has all the monster classics. so if you like drac and the other creaures of the night, watch it!

Mummy Came In My House.
This is one of the best 80's movies ever. cleverly developed. The dialog in this film is also fantastic. "wolfmans got nards."
A must have movie. You'll love evey rsecond of it. ... Read more

Description

Omni Consumer Products, the conglomerate that designed RoboCop, now owns Detroit. The company plans to demolish one of the city's largest neighborhoods to build a gleaming city of the future--after an army of ruthless mercenaries finishes throwing everyone out of their homes. But RoboCop, sworn to protect the public, joins forces with a band of urban freedom fighters battling to save their neighborhood. ... Read more

Reviews (45)

A B Movie at Best
I thought RoboCop 3 was just OK. I loved the first one. It was great. RoboCop is my all time favorite Movie ever made. I think the Robo trilogy is the best. I watch them often. But the problem with 3 is they got rid of Nancy Allen and he flew. RoboCop wasn't meant to fly. I liked the new arsenal he had in this film, but nothing compares to his old fashioned killer gun. They tried to copy the first one with the music and some of the dialogue. Also the humor was good some parts were funny. I think that kid was too smart. Be that i am a die hard RoboCop fan, I think this is worth owning and watching on DVD. The sound is incredible. I wouldn't recommend the average movie buyer to get this, but I would reccomend this to all Robofans. I thought the series was great!

This is Painfully SH*T!!!
After the high quality of the first two films there's only one way to go...downhill and fast.
This film put plain and simply is pants! A crappy japanese cyborg is created as the new nemesis for robocop, & it looks exactly like a human.
A piss-take of the first two films rolled into one, what a disaster...ignore this film.

Oh man!
What a crap film this is!
Some films are so bad that they are funny. This isn't one of them. It's just plain bad.

I have nothing more to say on the subject cept make sure that your holding a loaded gun to your head before you start watching this film.That way you can put yourself out of your misery in the fastest possible way.

Lead in for TV Series and lame tv movies
This movie must have been made as a pilot for the series that followed. This would explain the lack of wit and social commentary as well as the toning down of the violence. This movie had a serious continuity problem. Nobody seems to have noticed that in the first two movies Robocop had a son, yet in the 3rd movie during the flashbacks he had a daughter. This was truly a bad sequel.

THIS IS KINDA INSULTING TO THE FIRST TWO MOVIES
OCP PLANS ON DESTROYING DETROIT TO BUILD DELTA CITY. BUT, WHEN A GANG OF ANGERED RESIDENTS DECIDE TO FIGHT OCP BACK, PROBLEMS IMMEDIATELY BEGIN. TO ADD TO THE PROBLEMS, ROBOCOP [PLAYED HERE BY ROBERT JOHN BURKE] JOINS THE PEOPLE IN THEIR QUEST FOR FREEDOM. NOT AS VIOLENT AS THE FIRST TWO MOVIES, AND IT'S ALSO NOT AS GOOD. THE BIGGEST MISTAKE THEY MADE WITH THIS MOVIE WAS TO REPLACE PETER WELLER AS ROBOCOP. ROBERT JOHN BURKE JUST SEEMS LOST AS ROBOCOP. THIS SERIES WAS SERIOUSLY STARTING TO RUN OUT OF STEAM TOWARD THIS POINT. WHY COULDN'T THEY JUST KEEP THIS ONE ON THE SHELF? ANYWAY, ANOTHER BIG MISTAKE THEY MADE WAS TO HAVE ANN, ROBO'S PARTNER FROM THE FIRST TWO MOVIES, GET KILLED. HAS A FEW GOOD ACTION SEQUENCES, BUT IT'S SERIOUSLY LACKING THE ENTERTAINMENT THAT CAME WITH THE FIRST TWO MOVIES. IF YOU STILL HAVEN'T SEEN THIS BUT YOU WANNA SEE IT, RENT THIS, BUT DON'T BUY THIS. FOLLOWED BY FOUR DIRECT-TO-VIDEO MOVIES. ... Read more