My 40 Favorite Tales From the Crypt Episodes...again...somewhat
I made a picspam a little less than a year ago with my 25 favorite episodes from the show. It's here if you want to take a look. Some of them are still the same, others are not. But as I was watching the entire series over again I realized how much I liked some episodes I used to dislike, and how many others I used to love that I am now 'meh' about. So I've revised my old list from October '09 and added some to make it 40. Enjoy this non bandwidth-friendly post!
fourty
I don't know why I like this one. It's really not very good, and it's not exactly horror. I just think it's kind of amusing to look into the lives of young housewives.
thirty nine
Someone on IMDB said this episode was for "old fogeys". I'm okay with that, I'm an old soul at heart. Quality-wise, this episode really isn't up to par with the rest of the series but it's funny to see this old couple bicker.
thirty eight
I go back and forth with this one. It's not horror, it's not particularly funny either and war dramas honestly bore the hell out of me. But it is a very good story that is incredibly acted. And as a sometimes-sadist, I thought the ending was justice.
thirty seven
More than I love the entire episode (which is atmospheric at best), I love the ending. I wasn't expecting it, and it kinda creeped me out for a minute.
thirty six
The more I watch this episode, the lower it falls on my favorites. I still love it to some degree, since it is something that *could* happen in real life so it's creepy. But the ending still leaves me feeling like something's missing.
thirty five
The episode title is pretty straight forward - the secret is awesome! :D
thirty four
This is one of the episodes I used to hate, because I didn't quite understand it the first time around. I decided to open my mind a little and give it a second try and I realized it's actually quite good. Weird, but good.
thirty three
I actually find the episode rather boring, except for the very end and beginning. They made the mistake of showing the ending in the beginning because after that it became predictable. But it was still some fun.
thirty two
A recurring theme it seems, I love the ending of this episode. But at least the build-up was quite fun to sit through. No likeable characters though, but interesting nonetheless.
thirty one
Aw I love his assistant, she's too sweet to him. =) But the ending is funny, no real gore or anything but still. An ep I don't think the comeuppance was deserved.
thirty
I can't explain why I like this one so much. I think the plot is interesting and the prospect of reading the minds of the dead was kind of creepy though.
twenty nine
I love the stormy, dark atmosphere of this episode. It fits perfectly, and the idea is kinda creepy.
twenty eight
This one used to be in my top 10, but I've grown more 'meh' about it as time goes on. I despise the villain, she's absolutely vile but I *LOVE* that she gets what is coming to her. And boy is it sweet, so that's why this is still on the list.
twenty seven
This is one of the more comedic episodes, I wouldn't say 'funny' but it is comedic in a parody kind of way. The wife of the main character is so wonderfully bitchy, it's kind of fun to watch her tear her husband apart.
twenty six
There's something about this episode I cannot quite pinpoint. It's definitely unique, and I think it sort of has an underlying message. Overall, brilliant.
twenty five
Simple, this one is just a plain guilty pleasure. Nothing special about it, just that I've grown to like it over time.
twenty four
Mummies! A horror about mummies, how rare! And a legit mummy at that. I've never seen one of these, so this is awesome. Besides there are kind of two storylines going on here.
twenty three
Creeeeeeppy, that's all I have to say.
twenty two
Kind of a slow start, but the ending was too great. And surprisingly romantic, which is rare in TFTC. At least...the kind of romance that *I* think is good anyway.
twenty one
Ah this one is just good old-fashioned popcorn fun.
twenty
The just desserts for this episode weren't deserved, but that's pretty much the only thing wrong with it. It is creepy and atmospheric, and all-around entertaining.
nineteen
This episode is more fun. The soldiers are hilarious, and the vampires are actually kinda cool. Vampires in Alaska may be a tired plot, but it worked here.
eighteen
I love Mimi Rogers, and Kathy Ireland. They both were legit cute in this episode, and I just loved the big reveal in the end. If only Mimi's character had been more patient...
seventeen
Love it! Predictable, but I just love it so! Amazing chemistry and really well-acted. This could have been a great feature-length movie imo.
sixteen
This episode is so unintentionally funny. This woman is so hilariously paranoid throughout the entire ep, IDK whether to feel sorry for her or smack her. It's hilarious watching her roam about with wide eyes and whiny voices.
fifteen
Another guilty pleasure ep, but at least this one has some elements of horror. It's just about a group of funny, greedy sisters and nothing more. Plus I'm shallow and want to live in their fabulous house.
fourteen
<3 The picture should say it all.
thirteen
This episode is so funny, you get to see this guy slowly going mad over the course of 20 minutes and it is quite a ride.
twelve
Love the wooden resort setting of this ep, love the random off-beat and interesting characters, and LOVE werewolves. :D
eleven
This one used to be one of my least favorite episodes. I hated the acting of the guy near the end, and I thought it was supposed to be a joke. But if you look at it from a different perspective, it's actually quite brilliant. Plus the scene where she comes out of the grave is probably the most beautifully shot scene in all of TFTC.
ten
Ah-mazing. Brooke's character is incredibly annoying, but the ending to this episode is a big lol!wut, and I love it. Plus it's very colorful, despite my crappy jpg caps which don't capture that very well.
nine
Like I said in my last entry about this series, it reminds me a bit of a 90s slasher. And I LOVE that. Things go wrong, and you don't know what is going on or who is doing what. But the ending is incredible.
eight
Predictable? Check. A little tedious? Check. Freaking addictive? CHECK! While it may be predictable, I think it is kind of cool to know the story behind the episode. it is just so much fun.
seven
The more I think about it, the higher up this one moves on my list too. I do not understand the hatred for it at all within the fandom, I think it is one of the more put-together and well-thought out plots of the entire series. It is funny, interesting, and clever.
six
CHRISTMAS HORROR!!! Okay, best ever. I could very easily see this moving up to my top 5 someday. I do not think it could move to #1 but #2 at best. I love Christmas horror, and this one just had everything I love. I love the dark atmosphere, the blinking Christmas lights over terrified faces. Classic.
five
Okay, okay I know he killed his wife but aside from that scene where he cuts her up, I do feel a little sorry for him. (WTF is wrong with me?!) This episode (and the rest of the top 5) are pure perfection. This one has likeable characters (really, I did not find anyone annoying) and great acting. The banter between the two mains is amazing.
four
I will shamefully admit that as I was coming up with this list, I figured it would have moved down on my favorites, bu then I watched it again and realized how stupid I was being. It deserves its rightful spot as my #4 (the top 4 are the same in both picspams I've done). It's kind of slow but the build-up leads to something so amazing you will be thankful you stuck around the entire 20+ minute ep.
three
This one is non-stop funny (as is 2), so neither are really horror. But they do have elements of horror, it's just that the comedy works better for them. This one had a completely surprising ending, I didn't see it coming but when I did finally catch on, I went 'Duh!' and then lol'ed forever.
two
Funniest episode of TFTC, ever, no question. It is definitely the most unique episode, and actually not that predictable. John Lithgow continues to amaze with his perfect comedic timing. It also has some beautiful imagery.
one
*flails* I have seen this episode about 10 times and it gets better with every watch. Everything about it is perfect, perfect, perfect. Nothing will ever top this ep <3
fourty
I don't know why I like this one. It's really not very good, and it's not exactly horror. I just think it's kind of amusing to look into the lives of young housewives.
thirty nine
Someone on IMDB said this episode was for "old fogeys". I'm okay with that, I'm an old soul at heart. Quality-wise, this episode really isn't up to par with the rest of the series but it's funny to see this old couple bicker.
thirty eight
I go back and forth with this one. It's not horror, it's not particularly funny either and war dramas honestly bore the hell out of me. But it is a very good story that is incredibly acted. And as a sometimes-sadist, I thought the ending was justice.
thirty seven
More than I love the entire episode (which is atmospheric at best), I love the ending. I wasn't expecting it, and it kinda creeped me out for a minute.
thirty six
The more I watch this episode, the lower it falls on my favorites. I still love it to some degree, since it is something that *could* happen in real life so it's creepy. But the ending still leaves me feeling like something's missing.
thirty five
The episode title is pretty straight forward - the secret is awesome! :D
thirty four
This is one of the episodes I used to hate, because I didn't quite understand it the first time around. I decided to open my mind a little and give it a second try and I realized it's actually quite good. Weird, but good.
thirty three
I actually find the episode rather boring, except for the very end and beginning. They made the mistake of showing the ending in the beginning because after that it became predictable. But it was still some fun.
thirty two
A recurring theme it seems, I love the ending of this episode. But at least the build-up was quite fun to sit through. No likeable characters though, but interesting nonetheless.
thirty one
Aw I love his assistant, she's too sweet to him. =) But the ending is funny, no real gore or anything but still. An ep I don't think the comeuppance was deserved.
thirty
I can't explain why I like this one so much. I think the plot is interesting and the prospect of reading the minds of the dead was kind of creepy though.
twenty nine
I love the stormy, dark atmosphere of this episode. It fits perfectly, and the idea is kinda creepy.
twenty eight
This one used to be in my top 10, but I've grown more 'meh' about it as time goes on. I despise the villain, she's absolutely vile but I *LOVE* that she gets what is coming to her. And boy is it sweet, so that's why this is still on the list.
twenty seven
This is one of the more comedic episodes, I wouldn't say 'funny' but it is comedic in a parody kind of way. The wife of the main character is so wonderfully bitchy, it's kind of fun to watch her tear her husband apart.
twenty six
There's something about this episode I cannot quite pinpoint. It's definitely unique, and I think it sort of has an underlying message. Overall, brilliant.
twenty five
Simple, this one is just a plain guilty pleasure. Nothing special about it, just that I've grown to like it over time.
twenty four
Mummies! A horror about mummies, how rare! And a legit mummy at that. I've never seen one of these, so this is awesome. Besides there are kind of two storylines going on here.
twenty three
Creeeeeeppy, that's all I have to say.
twenty two
Kind of a slow start, but the ending was too great. And surprisingly romantic, which is rare in TFTC. At least...the kind of romance that *I* think is good anyway.
twenty one
Ah this one is just good old-fashioned popcorn fun.
twenty
The just desserts for this episode weren't deserved, but that's pretty much the only thing wrong with it. It is creepy and atmospheric, and all-around entertaining.
nineteen
This episode is more fun. The soldiers are hilarious, and the vampires are actually kinda cool. Vampires in Alaska may be a tired plot, but it worked here.
eighteen
I love Mimi Rogers, and Kathy Ireland. They both were legit cute in this episode, and I just loved the big reveal in the end. If only Mimi's character had been more patient...
seventeen
Love it! Predictable, but I just love it so! Amazing chemistry and really well-acted. This could have been a great feature-length movie imo.
sixteen
This episode is so unintentionally funny. This woman is so hilariously paranoid throughout the entire ep, IDK whether to feel sorry for her or smack her. It's hilarious watching her roam about with wide eyes and whiny voices.
fifteen
Another guilty pleasure ep, but at least this one has some elements of horror. It's just about a group of funny, greedy sisters and nothing more. Plus I'm shallow and want to live in their fabulous house.
fourteen
<3 The picture should say it all.
thirteen
This episode is so funny, you get to see this guy slowly going mad over the course of 20 minutes and it is quite a ride.
twelve
Love the wooden resort setting of this ep, love the random off-beat and interesting characters, and LOVE werewolves. :D
eleven
This one used to be one of my least favorite episodes. I hated the acting of the guy near the end, and I thought it was supposed to be a joke. But if you look at it from a different perspective, it's actually quite brilliant. Plus the scene where she comes out of the grave is probably the most beautifully shot scene in all of TFTC.
ten
Ah-mazing. Brooke's character is incredibly annoying, but the ending to this episode is a big lol!wut, and I love it. Plus it's very colorful, despite my crappy jpg caps which don't capture that very well.
nine
Like I said in my last entry about this series, it reminds me a bit of a 90s slasher. And I LOVE that. Things go wrong, and you don't know what is going on or who is doing what. But the ending is incredible.
eight
Predictable? Check. A little tedious? Check. Freaking addictive? CHECK! While it may be predictable, I think it is kind of cool to know the story behind the episode. it is just so much fun.
seven
The more I think about it, the higher up this one moves on my list too. I do not understand the hatred for it at all within the fandom, I think it is one of the more put-together and well-thought out plots of the entire series. It is funny, interesting, and clever.
six
CHRISTMAS HORROR!!! Okay, best ever. I could very easily see this moving up to my top 5 someday. I do not think it could move to #1 but #2 at best. I love Christmas horror, and this one just had everything I love. I love the dark atmosphere, the blinking Christmas lights over terrified faces. Classic.
five
Okay, okay I know he killed his wife but aside from that scene where he cuts her up, I do feel a little sorry for him. (WTF is wrong with me?!) This episode (and the rest of the top 5) are pure perfection. This one has likeable characters (really, I did not find anyone annoying) and great acting. The banter between the two mains is amazing.
four
I will shamefully admit that as I was coming up with this list, I figured it would have moved down on my favorites, bu then I watched it again and realized how stupid I was being. It deserves its rightful spot as my #4 (the top 4 are the same in both picspams I've done). It's kind of slow but the build-up leads to something so amazing you will be thankful you stuck around the entire 20+ minute ep.
three
This one is non-stop funny (as is 2), so neither are really horror. But they do have elements of horror, it's just that the comedy works better for them. This one had a completely surprising ending, I didn't see it coming but when I did finally catch on, I went 'Duh!' and then lol'ed forever.
two
Funniest episode of TFTC, ever, no question. It is definitely the most unique episode, and actually not that predictable. John Lithgow continues to amaze with his perfect comedic timing. It also has some beautiful imagery.
one
*flails* I have seen this episode about 10 times and it gets better with every watch. Everything about it is perfect, perfect, perfect. Nothing will ever top this ep <3