The Best Episodes of Tales from the Crypt
Last Updated: Jan 14, 2019
Based on the legendary and gruesome EC Comics from publisher William Gaines, this horror anthology featured stories of murder, the super natural, gore and humor and always had a twist ending of sorts. Some of Hollywood's biggest names took part, either working in front or behind the camera. Hosting duties fell to everyone's favorite decaying corpse, the Crypt Keeper. The success of this series spawned a Saturday morning cartoon series (Tales From the Cryptkeeper), a short lived Saturday morning gameshow on CBS (Secrets of the Cryptkeeper's Haunted House) and lots of merchandise. Two feature films (Demon Knight and Bordello of Blood) were also produced. Two other movies based on the EC Comics (Tales From the Crypt and The Vault of Horror) were released back in 1972 and 1973 respectively. But they are not connected to this series and will not be listed here! Tales from the Crypt has aired on HBO, Fox, in syndication and the Sci-Fi Channel. Most recently, the series has bee
#1 - What's Cookin'
Season 4 - Episode 6
Fred and Erma are workers at a squid cafe who find themselves in trouble because their business is failing and their landlord will kick them out. That is until one of the employees encourages them to serve meat. Suddenly business is getting better. Gaston decides to double cross Fred and Erma but he ends getting invited for dinner ... but not in the way he expects. (with optional commentary by John Kassir in character as the Cryptkeeper, the episode's writer Alan Katz, and Tales From the Crypt chronicler Digby Diehl).
8.11
#2 - Yellow
Season 3 - Episode 14
The year is 1918. During World War I, somewhere in France, it's the 49th day of continuous battle on the front lines. Lieutenant Martin Kalthrob doesn't want to be in the army anymore and asks his father, General Kalthrob, for a discharge. His father refuses but says he will transfer him to the rear if he leads a patrol to the German lines and fix the broken communication line. When he proves himself to be a coward, his father orders a court martial with penalty of death by firing squad.
7.94
#3 - Staired in Horror
Season 6 - Episode 9
Clyde is a fugitive who holes up in a house occupied by an elderly woman. One night he finds an attractive woman upstairs, but he discovers it's the same woman. She tells him that a long time ago her spouse caught her having an affair and put a curse on the house. She must stay up stairs if she wants to be young forever. The same thing will happen to the man if he comes upstairs. The cops arrive and he goes upstairs to change his image but he finds himself getting weak and the woman turns back into a helpless infant unable to do anything but crawl.
7.88
#4 - Split Personality
Season 4 - Episode 11
Stetson is a con man who likes to date twins. He finds himself in the arms of twin sisters and creates a twin of his own. He weds both of them and decides to knock them off. Little does he know these twins share alike.
7.85
#5 - Abra Cadaver
Season 3 - Episode 4
A former potential surgeon sets out to wreak revenge on the brother who's cruel practical joke prevented him from realizing his dream.
7.78
#6 - Forever Ambergris
Season 5 - Episode 3
Dalton is a seasoned combat photographer who finds himself falling for a beautiful women who just happens to be the wife of his friend. One day Ike sends Dalton into a disease warfare area. Dalton returns, but not the way he used to be. He soon writes a letter about how he was set up and his wife and friend also contract the same disease.
7.67
#7 - Till Death Do We Part
Season 5 - Episode 13
A male escort is engaged to an aging woman. One day she discovers him flirting with a younger woman. She forces him to kill her in front of her. Instead he kills off her bodyguards, but he is even more surprised when the young lady turns against him. It turns out he's been fantasizing the whole thing and bumps her off himself.
7.66
#8 - Only Skin Deep
Season 6 - Episode 2
At a costume party, a young man falls in love with a sexy woman. They have a great time. He promises to keep quiet but the next day he spills the beans. The woman tells him not to be around while she's awake. He finds out that she's wearing that same mask. He tries to remove it only to learn that it's her horrible face. She gives him the most shocking punishment.
7.64
#9 - Creep Course
Season 5 - Episode 9
Reggie is a college jock who is trying to pass a history test. He asks the class bookworm Stella Bishop to help tutor him. She goes to Finely's house to to get the answer sheet, but when she gets there, Finely and Reggie lock her in a mummy's tomb. Finely double crosses Reggie by poisoning him. Finely goes back to check his work, and gets a big surprise. Stella is not dead. She has been charming the mummy by impersonating his dead girlfriend making the mummy jealous and Reggie and Finely really take the wraps.
7.62
#10 - Dead Right
Season 2 - Episode 1
A gold digging waitress goes to a fortune teller who predicts that by the end of the day her boss will fire her and she will land a new job. When the prediction becomes reality, she goes back for more. The fortune teller predicts that she will marry a man who will inherit a fortune and then die.
7.61
#11 - Three's a Crowd
Season 2 - Episode 5
For their tenth anniversary a couple heads down to a cabin owned by their friend. When she and her friend start sneaking around the husband gets jealous and assumes that they are having an affair.
7.61
#12 - Dig That Cat...He's Real Gone
Season 1 - Episode 3
A bum named Ulric is given the chance of a lifetime when a scientist puts the gland of a cat inside his body. Soon Ulric becomes the main attraction at a sideshow.
7.60
#13 - Came the Dawn
Season 5 - Episode 10
In this version of Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho, a young woman who is also a thief is picked up by a man driving by. He takes her up to his place. There she hears a message from his wife, but also learns that there is a killer nearby. When she goes to his room she gets a big surprise.
7.60
#14 - Split Second
Season 3 - Episode 11
Dixon is a lumberjack who marries a sexy barmaid named Liz Kelly. Soon after, he turns from sweet Dr. Jekyll into cruel Mr. Hyde. He is jealous of her when the boys find her attractive. One day a new lumberjack comes to town and Liz finds Ted attractive. When he catches them in the bed together, Dixon goes in a jealous rage and whacks him blinding him. The boys help him seek revenge on Dixon and Liz.
7.59
#15 - Only Sin Deep
Season 1 - Episode 4
A call girl goes to a pawnshop to rob him of his jewelry. Instead the owner offers her 10,000 dollars for her beauty. She sells her beauty and lands a new job but discovers she is aging very fast.
7.59
#16 - My Brother's Keeper
Season 2 - Episode 17
The reckless Eddie and the correct Frank are Siamese brothers connected by their waists. Eddie wants to convince Frank to be submitted to a surgery with 50% of chances of success, but Frank is afraid. When Frank meets Marie in a bar, he falls in love for her and decides to risk. But a secret is disclosed with fatal consequences, affecting the relationship of the brothers.
7.59
#17 - Two for the Show
Season 5 - Episode 6
A man slaughters his wife who he believes is having an affair. He drags her body and puts it in the bathtub. The police arrive and he refuses to let them near the bathtub. He chops up the corpse and hops a train with a trunk containing his wife's corpse. The detective follows him. The man switches trunks but when he opens the other one he gets a big surprise.
7.57
#18 - Strung Along
Season 4 - Episode 12
An aging puppeteer gets a new assistant. When he learns that his wife has a boyfriend, the assistant promises he'll do something about it. The puppeteer spends most of his time with is favorite puppet Koko. When he discovers that his assistant is his wife's lover, the two make him think that Koko has gone on a murderous rampage. Little do they know that Pinocchio isn't the only one with-out strings.
7.56
#19 - The Switch
Season 2 - Episode 2
An elderly millionaire asks a plastic surgeon to give him the body of a younger man to win the girl of his dreams.
7.55
#20 - Loved to Death
Season 3 - Episode 2
A classic "boy wants girl, girl is unresponsive to his attentions" storyline gets the Tales from the Crypt treatment, as a young man gets a Love Potion by his mysterious landlord, in an attempt to win over the girl of his dreams. But things soon get out of hand...
7.55
#21 - Korman's Kalamity
Season 2 - Episode 13
Jim Korman is a cartoonist for Tales From The Crypt. He has talent for creating horrible creatures - they are all inspired by his harassing wife. Little does he know that his creations are coming to life and creating havoc. A female detective pursues the creator and suddenly falls for him. Korman decides to finally take his wife out of the picture.
7.54
#22 - The Assassin
Season 6 - Episode 8
Janet is a suburban wife of an ex-CIA assassin. When a group of operatives invade her home, they seem to think her husband is up to his old tricks again. The leader tempts one of her men then kills him, then kills the other guy, then plans to do the same with Janet. But Janet has a nasty surprise for her that she will never forget.
7.53
#23 - Dead Wait
Season 3 - Episode 6
Red is a low life crook who is looking for a black pearl. He finds that it's on a island belonging to an ailing millionaire. He plans with the millionaire's mistress to steal the pearl but she turns on him. Fortunately a voodoo priestess comes to the rescue but she has something special for him that he'll never forget.
7.52
#24 - Beauty Rest
Season 4 - Episode 5
An obsessed wannabe model grows bloody red with envy when her roommate lands a part she thought she was going to get. She forces her roommate to overdose and steps in to take her place. She becomes the next victim of another jealous model and kills her rival. Now there's no one standing in her way and she is crowned, but she soon discovers something shocking about the talent show.
7.52
#25 - Oil's Well That Ends Well
Season 5 - Episode 11
A con artist and his girlfriend plan their next caper by tricking some southern boys into thinking there is oil underneath a cemetery. Their plans work. She makes them think she has gotten jealous and killed her boyfriend, but when she goes to dig him up, she gets a big surprise. He and the boys have been partners all along. The last laugh is on her when it turns out that there really is oil and she blows them all to kingdom come.
7.50