Tales from the Crypt
"Tales from the Crypt" was a 1989 horror story anthology series with half-hour stories with many themes, including; horror, twists, black-magic, and science fiction Introduced by "The Crypt Keeper." A cross between "The Twilight Zone" (1959) and modern horror movies. Not suitable for the very young or squeamish.
- Metascore56
- 1989-1996
- 7 seasons
- HBO
- Comedy, Suspense, Fantasy, Horror
- TV-MA
"Tales from the Crypt" was a 1989 horror story anthology series with half-hour stories with many themes, including; horror, twists, black-magic, and science fiction Introduced by "The Crypt Keeper." A cross between "The Twilight Zone" (1959) and modern horror movies. Not suitable for the very young or squeamish.
Season 7 Episode Guide
13 Episodes 1996
Episode 1
Fatal Caper
Fri, Apr 19, 1996 29 mins
Lord Mycroft Amberson revises his will to force his estranged sons to find their missing brother Frank or lose everything to charity. Evelyn and Justin Amberson react with hostility, plotting against each other to secure the inheritance alone. Estate specialist Fiona Havisham offers assistance but harbors her own secret agenda regarding the family fortune. The brothers attempt various schemes including a seance and a fake death plot to eliminate competition. Tensions escalate as loyalties shift and hidden identities threaten to destroy the remaining family members.
Episode 2
Last Respects
Fri, Apr 26, 1996 26 mins
Yvonne, Dolores, and Marlys struggle to keep their late father's curiosity shop afloat while arguing over its future direction. They acquire a monkey's paw from an estate sale, which promises three wishes per owner but warns against greed. Dolores wishes for a million pounds, triggering a chain of events involving a mistaken shipment and a fatal car crash that kills Marlys. Dolores attempts to use the paw to restore her sister, only to discover Marlys was murdered by Yvonne for insurance money. The final wish transfers to the deceased Marlys, leaving Yvonne trapped by her own crime and the paw's cruel logic.
Episode 3
A Slight Case of Murder
Fri, May 3, 1996 27 mins
Sharon Bannister writes mystery novels at home while enduring frequent interruptions from Mrs. Trask, an aspiring author seeking professional validation and writing advice. Tension escalates when Sharon's jealous ex-husband Larry arrives unexpectedly to accuse her of having an affair with the neighbor's son. He threatens her with a firearm before she produces her own weapon to establish a deadly domestic standoff. The situation deteriorates further as gingerbread gifts and manufactured suspicions converge into a scheme designed to exploit their conflict for literary gain. Multiple characters become trapped within a manipulated narrative that transforms private jealousy into public tragedy.
Episode 4
Escape
Fri, May 17, 1996 26 mins
During World War II, Lieutenant Luger betrays fellow German prisoners during an escape attempt, hoping to secure better treatment from Major Nicholson. When the officer refuses to honor the expected arrangement, Luger remains isolated among men who despise him. A new escape effort brings him into an uneasy alliance with Albert Frye, a prisoner whose motives remain uncertain. Meanwhile, Nicholson struggles to conceal deaths and disorder before an important military visitor arrives. As Luger and Frye approach the camp perimeter, their partnership raises questions about loyalty, identity, and the price of survival.
Episode 5
Horror in the Night
Fri, May 24, 1996 27 mins
Nick Marvin stages a jewelry store robbery with his partner T but plans to steal the gems for himself. The plan goes wrong when T shoots Nick during the heist and takes control of the situation. Wounded and carrying the stolen jewels, Nick flees to the Sandoval Hotel seeking refuge and medical help. He meets Laura Kendall who claims to want escape from her own troubled past and offers him assistance. As Nick's condition worsens, he begins to realize that Laura is connected to a murder he committed five years earlier. His former boss Mr. Starr arrives at the hotel to recover the jewels while Nick faces the supernatural consequences of his betrayal.
Episode 6
Cold War
Fri, May 31, 1996 26 mins
Ford and Cammy, a volatile criminal couple, attempt a robbery with their associate Cutter, but the job collapses when armed men take control and shoot him. After escaping with a leg wound, Ford argues with Cammy while she treats his injury, and she eventually leaves him for Jimmy, a stranger she meets in a bar. Ford tracks them down and confronts the new couple, trading insults with Jimmy as Cammy refuses to return to their old arrangement. The confrontation exposes the supernatural identities of the characters and turns their romantic rivalry into a dispute over the status of different kinds of undead.
Episode 7
The Kidnapper
Fri, Jun 7, 1996 25 mins
Danny Skeggs, a lonely pawnbroker, offers shelter to Teresa, a homeless pregnant woman who needs money and companionship. As they settle into domestic life, Danny develops romantic feelings that Teresa does not return, and the arrival of her baby intensifies his jealousy. His resentment leads him to arrange the infant's abduction, leaving Teresa devastated and drawing him into the dangerous world of baby trafficking. When Danny attempts to reverse the transaction, he discovers that recovering the child will be considerably more difficult than arranging its disappearance.
Episode 8
Report from the Grave
Fri, Jun 14, 1996 27 mins
Scientist Elliot and his girlfriend Arianne enter a cemetery to test an experimental machine designed to extract memories from deceased brains. Their chosen subject is Valdemar Tymrak, a notorious serial killer whose unusually preserved body offers an opportunity to investigate the limits of human consciousness. When the experiment produces an unexpected response, Elliot becomes increasingly convinced that his machine has uncovered something beyond conventional scientific understanding. His determination to pursue the discovery creates further friction with those attempting to persuade him to abandon the dangerous research.
Episode 9
Smoke Wrings
Fri, Jun 21, 1996 30 mins
Jacqueline, an established advertising executive, hires Barry, an inexperienced but confident applicant who challenges conventional marketing ideas. His arrival creates friction with Frank, an established employee responsible for an important chocolate account. Barry subsequently introduces an electronic device designed to influence subconscious desires, and the agency staff begin displaying increasingly exaggerated reactions to the products they promote. As Jacqueline places greater responsibility in Barry's hands, his growing influence changes the relationships and power structure within the company.
Episode 10
About Face
Fri, Jun 28, 1996 25 mins
The setting is Victorian England and a sleazy, two faced priest called Jonathan is in for the shock of his life. He learns he has twin daughters from a previous affair he had with a young lady in his service years ago. Even worse when it's revealed after taking them in that Leah, unlike her beautiful sister Angelica, was born with horribly malformed features. Not to mention that she is very upset with her irresponsible father.
Episode 11
Confession
Fri, Jul 5, 1996 25 mins
A serial murder investigation centers on Evans, a horror screenwriter arrested near a strip club after a woman is found decapitated. Detective Jack Lynch is brought in to secure a confession, confronting Evans with an increasingly disturbing collection of personal history, occult purchases and suspicious records. As the interrogation develops, Evans begins questioning Lynch's own familiarity with the killer's methods, but his accusations fail to persuade the watching officers. The eventual confession conceals a far more disturbing truth about the detective himself.
Episode 12
Ear Today... Gone Tomorrow
Fri, Jul 12, 1996 25 mins
A safe-cracker whose hearing was damaged in prison is working off a gambling debt for Malcolm Lawson when a failed job puts his life at risk. Malcolm's wife Kate persuades her husband to spare him, then offers a private deal built around an experimental operation that gives him an owl's hearing. With his ability restored, Glynn helps Kate target a larger fortune, but his greed turns their arrangement into a betrayal. Kate's survival and Malcolm's explanation reveal that the operation is part of a wider program of animal enhancements tested on criminals.
Episode 13
The Third Pig
Fri, Jul 19, 1996 25 mins
An animated retelling of The Three Little Pigs places the intelligent Dudley Pig between two irresponsible brothers and a predatory Big Bad Wolf. After the wolf murders the brothers inside Dudley's brick house, corrupt wolf authorities frame Dudley and sentence him to death. Their ghosts subsequently help him escape and direct him toward an abandoned laboratory, where he constructs a zombie pig to hunt their killer. The creature fulfills its assignment but becomes a new threat, turning the revenge scheme into another disaster. The framing story features the Crypt Keeper interviewing prospective story editors.
