Best Episodes Of Tales From The Crypt

"Tales from the Crypt" hits the ground running in its very first episode with this macabre noir story. Niles Talbot (William Sadler) has recently been promoted to resident executioner of his prison. Operating the electric chair is undoubtedly gruesome work, but it's work that Talbot enjoys ... perhaps a bit too much. Things change when the state outlaws the death penalty, and soon enough, Talbot receives his pink slip. With his line of work taken from him, Talbot becomes a ruthless nighttime vigilante, executing criminals who got off easy.

This inaugural outing definitely sets a macabre tone for the rest of the series. It also perfectly represents the show's roots in pulpy comic books through dramatic staging and shadowy cinematography. William Sadler, who you may recall as Heywood in "The Shawshank Redemption" or Death in "Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey," is definitely the episode's greatest strength: He brings an unorthodox charm to the role, injecting it with equal amounts of likability and darkness. It's disturbing to see just how much he likes his bloodthirsty job, and how thoroughly he works to justify his murderous activities. This is a quaint episode when compared to later seasons, but it's a definite stand-out in terms of style and lead performance.

Despite its episodes' brief runtimes, "Tales from the Crypt" gets viewers deeply invested in its characters. In "The Thing from the Grave," we meet Devlin (Kyle Secor), a photographer who has found himself working a shoot with a beautiful centerfold named Stacy (Teri Hatcher). The two immediately show interest in each other, a fact that doesn't go unnoticed by Stacy's fiancé and manager Bruckner (Miguel Ferrer). Devlin quickly becomes Stacy's shoulder to cry on, and as their romance blooms, he gives her a special necklace. He says the necklace keeps the promise of whoever holds it — quite fitting, as he promises to protect her from Bruckner. This soon becomes impossible as the jealous Bruckner catches onto their romance, shoots Devlin, and kidnaps Stacy. However, Devlin's words about the necklace prove to be true in a way no one could have ever expected.

This episode's tone and direction perfectly replicate the lurid, gut-punch feeling of an early "Tales from the Crypt" comic book. It also contains a genuinely charming romance, counterbalanced with a fittingly supernatural twist and a great just-desserts style ending.

In this delightfully self-aware outing, we meet Jim Korman (Harry Anderson), a struggling artist on the "Tales from the Crypt" comic book. Aside from artistic burnout, Jim is also suffering through life with a wife who treats him like dirt. Things get even worse when the pills Jim takes turn out to have a curious side effect: Everything he draws seems to be leaping off the page and causing trouble in the real world. This catches the attention of a police officer named Lorelei (Cynthia Gibb), who the love-starved Jim quickly becomes smitten with.

This is a "Tales from the Crypt" episode that definitely leans into the zanier side of things. This is helped along by Harry Anderson's impeccable comedic timing, as well as strong performances from the supporting cast. In its cartoonish creativity, "Korman's Kalamity" feels like an R-rated "Goosebumps" episode. The fact that Jim's creations truly seem like they've been ripped out of the pages of an old-school comic book cements this success. Plus, the entire premise is a wonderful way to pay tribute to the show's printed predecessor.

"Tales from the Crypt" visits a number of haunted houses throughout its run, but this is definitely the strongest of those outings. Horton Rivers (Morton Downey Jr.), a TV shock journalist, is looking to give his ratings a boost. Thus, he takes his crew, whom he frequently mistreats, to a supposedly haunted house in Los Angeles. Once they're inside, however, it doesn't take too long for the cynical Rivers to become a believer in the supernatural. Trapped in the house, Rivers and the crew are subjected to terror after terror, as the ratings take off.

The key to any great haunted house story is the build-up and eventual reveal of the supernatural threat. This episode doesn't waste any time getting started on this process once the crew is inside the house. All the best tropes are used here, from moving furniture to bloody specters to disturbingly gruesome apparitions. Additionally, we get to see moments of horror shown through characters' in-universe cameras, which heightens the tension of the entire experience. This could definitely be considered an early example of found footage horror. All in all, this is an eerily excellent episode that proves trying to make it big on television can really be murder.

Sometimes, the simplest premises are the most effective. "Carrion Death" is definite proof of that. Conflicted felon Earl Raymond Diggs (Kyle MacLachlan) escapes from jail and makes a break for the Mexican border. Unfortunately, he has a tenacious state trooper hot on his tail, who chases him into the Arizona desert. Diggs manages to kill the trooper, but is handcuffed to the dead body with no access to the key. He is forced to drag the body across the blisteringly hot desert with no water, food, or means of survival. As he suffers in the sun, a pack of buzzards looms ever closer to their next potential meal.

Horror doesn't necessarily need to be overblown, grotesque, or spectacular — sometimes, less is definitely more. This installment is fantastic proof of that axiom: It's half desert survival story, half crime thriller, served with zero fluff. In getting right to the point, it enhances its nightmarish potency, eventually reaching a conclusion that is among the show's best.

This episode proves that most productions, be they film or television, are made exponentially better by Joe Pesci's presence. Here, Pesci plays to his strengths as Vic, a smooth-talking con man always on the lookout for his next big score. That score turns out to be two twin sisters who have recently inherited a massive fortune from their deceased father. Charming both of the twins proves to be a cakewalk for this master manipulator. 

Soon enough, however, Vic determines that marrying one of them will only get him half of their fortune. Lying right through his teeth, he cons the duo into believing that he too has a twin brother. He proceeds to utilize two personas to lead both women to the altar and seemingly pull off the ultimate score. But things take a turn for the disturbing when he and the twins realize things aren't quite as they appear. 

The premise of "Split Personality" is one of the strongest in the show, and Pesci further elevates it through unbridled charisma. Though it only becomes a true horror story in its finale, said ending contains one of the show's most memorable visuals.