Tales From The Crypt... Oh How We Miss Them

The Cryptkeeper welcoming us back for another wonderful, 'Tale From The Crypt'!

Back in the late 80s there was a late night horror TV anthology series that was just something to be hold... It had some truly scary episodes, some truly funny episodes... but rather they be scary, or funny, most of them were truly something to enjoy... And with those episodes, you would get horror movie quality special effects (the like of which made horror movies great, and which have been found to be lacking in most modern horror movies...) And in all of this, you get some truly amazing talent, (including: Tom Hanks (Apollo 13), Larry Drake (Darkman), etc...) And along with the amazing talent of filmmakers like, 'Robert Zemeckis' (Back To The Future) and you got the amazing HBO late night smash hit, 'Tales From The Crypt' (1989 - 1996)!

Based on the EC Comics series of the same name, this series debuted on HBO on June 10th 1989 and would go on to superstardom, and become one of the most famous horror anthologies of all time, making, 'The Crypt Kreeper' (Don't let the name fool you kiddies, he may look scary... But he is more awesome then will give you a jump!)

The face of late night TV in the late 80s - the mid 90s... A face that only a mother could love!

Now the reason that I say that this series would probably go on to be one of the most famous horror anthology TV series of all time... The reason for that is this... Well you might say that, 'The Twilight Zone' is that... The truth is, is that what makes, 'The Twilight Zone' one of the greatest anthologies of all time is not because of the horror aspects of the series, but because of everything (the science fiction side to...)

No in the case of Tales From The Crypt... They became the, 'The Twilight Zone' of horror anthologies, having pulled off a long list of celebrated 80s and early 90s superstars, including (Besides those mentioned above): Dan Aykroyd (Ghostbusters), Tim Curry (The Rocky Horror Picture Show), Brad Dourif (Child's Play), Margot Kidder (The Amityville Horror), Bill Paxton (Aliens), Malcolm McDowell (Halloween)... And that is just to name a few!

Legendary actor: 'Kirk Douglas' in a scene from, 'Tales From The Crypt'!

 Included in this also is the fact that most of this series was extremely well written, with stories that were extremely well crafted, with enough character development, that when the shit hit the fan (and I mean this show had episodes that were about 1/2 hours long, so the fun gore moments, when the shit hit the fan came rather quickly...)

And along with great stories and great acting talent was the fact that this show... considering the fact that (well at least when I got in to it... And I got in to it when it was still on the air) was still running on late night, had some surprisingly great special effects that I would say would rival just about any special effects that you would see in any movie!

The use of an, 'Electric Chair' is just one example of some truly remarkable special effects in the series!

But besides what I mentioned above, one of the coolest things... And I imagine that this probably would sound pretty odd, but the truth is, is that I would say what tops out this series over all is, 'The Crypt Keeper'... I mean John Kassir (Batman: Arkham Origins), did an amazing job bringing the crypt keeper to life and giving him this sort of bad ass hilarity that just made him perfect!

In the end, I guess what I am trying to say is that there were few series (anthologies or otherwise), that are made these days like shows like, 'Tales From The Crypt'... I know that: Tales From The Crypt Presents: Bordello Of Blood (1996) didn't do all that well in the theater, but this series in it's heyday was truly prolific, and left a mark on the world of TV, and for the fans like me, we miss that, and would love to see, 'Tales From The Crypt' come back in all of it's glory!

The Twilight Zone... It's Continued Importance In The World Of TV

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="553"] The Twilight Zone... A truly awesome show... One might say it is an American icon![/caption]

There are very few shows in this world that do so well that they ultimately end up lasting for generations... Soap Operas seemed to do pretty good in that area, and of course, 'Star Trek' has excelled... And who could forget, 'The Outer Limits'... But the one that I wanted to talk about today is, 'The Twilight Zone'...

This show, like a lot of the shows that truly last on a generational level have done a lot for the acting community, including helped with the acting careers of some of the biggest talent in Hollywood for their generation... A few examples of course being: Rod Serling (Planet Of The Apes), William Shatner (Star Trek: The Motion Picture), Dan Aykroyd (Ghost Busters) & heck even, Forrest Whitaker (Body Snatchers) and that is just to name a few!

Now the reason that I mention this is that in Hollywood today, there is not to many shows or even movies being made that have had this level of staying power... And that is kind of a shame!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="469"] There hasn't been to many movies or TV shows that have come out as of recent that have been at the same level of, 'The Twilight Zone'![/caption]

With Hollywood going the way that it has been, it would be great to see, 'The Twilight Zone' brought back to life... But not just brought back to life in that same, 'recyling popular episodes from the first series' sort of way... No I am talking about bringing the twilight zone back in such a way that it is fun for the next generation!

What I mean by that, is bring the show back using the format that made the original series such a wild success, but create different episodez newer and better episodes for the next generation to enjoy as well!

In the end, this show made some major strides and contributions to the world of tinsletown... And if given a chance to thrive again, they could prove to have a continued importance on the world of TV!

http://youtu.be/G11AhAIf18A

5 Sci-Fi Movies For Christmas

With Christmas coming up here in a couple of weeks, I would be remiss if I didn't mention what I thought would be 5 great Sci-Fi movies that I thought that you guys would like if you are looking for something to watch with your family, or if you are spending Christmas this year by yourself or, if you’re looking for something for the Sci-Fi movie fan in your life!

At number 5 we got: Mars Attack! (1996):

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="600"] President James Dale (Nicholson) as he is being held hostage by a Martian![/caption]

This movie is awesome! I mean if, with a great cast that includes people like, Jack Nicholson (The Terror), Pierce Brosnan (Of James Bond fame) and Sarah Jessica Parker (Ed Wood). Rather you are a fan of classic Science Fiction and are looking for something to watch by yourself or with your family this year for Christmas, than you are going to love this movie… Simply put, it is a spoof of the classic Sci-Fi invasion movies that came out between the 1950s – 1970s!

At number 4: Bicentennial Man (1999):

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Robin Williams asthe robot, 'Andrew Martin' in, 'Bicentennial Man' (1999).[/caption]

If you’re a Sci-Fi fan, and you are looking for a movie that is fun for the whole family (young and old alike), then this one is a great heart -warming (and oft times funny) tale that stars Robin Williams (Insomnia), and tells the tale of a Robot who starts off as a servant to a family, and ends up finding that he wants more and ends up going on a journey to try and discover his humanity!

At number 3: Spaceballs (1987):

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="501"] John Candy as, 'Barf', Daphne Zuniga as, 'Princess Vespa' and Bill Pullman as, 'Lone Starr'[/caption]

At number 2: The Ghostbuster movie series:

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="550"] Harold Ramis, Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray and Ernie Hudson in 'Ghostbusters' (1984)[/caption]

Let’s be honest, this movie series is legendary, with a great cast (which includes the likes of: Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray, Sigourney Weaver, Harold Ramis, Annie Potts, and Rick Moranis), these movies have great and hilarious story lines! In the end, no matter if you are alone this year or with your family this year for Christmas, then this one could be a good fit for you… (I know it is for me)!

At number 1: The Back To The Future Trilogy:

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="378"] Christopher Lloyd and Michael J. Fox in the, 'Back To The Future' series![/caption]

In my opinion this movie series is just about the perfect series to watch for the Holidays! I mean it is hilarious, it has a great cast (including Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd) and it is a movie series that both Kids and Adults love!

In the end, I know that most of these movies are Sci-Fi Comedies, but the truth is, is that Comedies are great, and all of these movies would be fun for Christmas rather you are alone or with your family and if you are looking for something for the Sci-Fi movie fan in your life, than hopefully this will help you with your decision!

http://youtu.be/m0idkvjPcz8

http://youtu.be/z5YMEwX2-88

http://youtu.be/2JaJG1fXHpM

http://youtu.be/RexxlFwWtSI

http://youtu.be/9u4FHmId-Y0