70'S FOCUS : TALES FROM THE CRYPT .. 1972

20TH CENTURY FOX
Presents
A Metromedia Presentation
An Amicus Production
A Cinerama Release

TALES FROM THE CRYPT
Starring

FRENCH FILM POSTER

JOAN COLLINS as Joanne Clayton

PETER CUSHING as Grimsdyke

ROY DOTRICE as Charles Gregory

RICHARD GREENE as Ralph Jason

IAN HENDRY as Carl Maitland

PATRICK MAGEE as George Carter

BARBARA MURRAY as Enid Jason

NIGEL PATRICK as William Rogers

ROBIN PHILLIPS as James Elliot

SIR RALPH RICHARDSON as The Crypt Keeper

MARTIN BODDEY as Richard Clayton

CHLOE FRANKS as Carol Clayton

TIME TO PLAY POKER!

         Assistant Director - Peter Saunders  Director of Photography - Norman Warwick                           Art Director - Tony Curtis   Music by Douglas Gamely     Screenplay by Milton Subotsky

From the Comic Strips by William Gaines   Edited by Teddy Darvas                                             Executive Producer - Charles W Fries  Produced by Milton Subotsky

                       Directed by Freddie Francis

Whilst taking a tour of the Catacombs, five people are seperated from the group and find themselves trapped in a large chamber. Soon after they are joined by the mysterious Crypt Keeper and thus begins their journey into the unknown! Each in turn is shown the future..Or is it?

"All Through The House"                                                                                                                     Joanne Clayton is seen to murder her husband on Christmas Eve.. Only to become a victim herself!

"Reflection of Death"

Carl Maitland is having an affair and leaves his wife, only to become involved in a car crash with horrific results!

"Poetic Justice"

USA VIDEO SLEEVE

James Elliot, out of his own greed, torments an old neighbour who commits suicide, but returns to exact revenge!

"Wish You Were Here"

Ralph Jason and his wife Enid are given three wishes, but with each wish comes a never ending nightmare!

" Blind Alley's"

William Rogers, the new superintendent at a home for the blind, has no mercy for his residents and deprives them of proper food or heating. But the blind men plan their revenge, with Rogers to suffer a terrible fate!

The Crypt Keeper finishes his tales and tells all five to leave. As they depart, they begin to realise that the tales they have been told was their own pasts and now they are destined for the fires of hell!!

 (c) 1972  FOX  92 MINS  COLOR  REG 1 DVD FOX MIDNITE MOVIES / REG 2 DVD FINAL CUT

WHAT'S FOR DINNER!

BLOODY WINDOW CLEANER!

"Tales From The Crypt" is now regarded as a horror classic and is one of the most popular films produced by classic horror studio, Amicus. The company also gave us many similar films such as, "Dr Terror's House Of Horror's", "Asylum", "House That Dripped Blood", "From Beyond The Grave", "Torture Garden" and a follow up to "Tales From The Crypt" called "Vault of Horror". Joan's segment is one of the best and she carries the whole episode herself, as the icy murderess, who kills her husband on Christmas Eve. Joan was paid £10,000 for her one week stint on the film, which was shot at Shepperton Studios, with locations around London, using some of it's eerie mansions, including the old Guiness house. Director Freddie Francis filled the house with a quarter of a million dollars worth of antiques. When producer Subotsky found out, he hired security guards to watch the set. Highgate cemetery was used for he opening sequences, but only after the producers had to cut through endless red tape. The reason was that Karl Marx is buried there and officials did not want the grounds crawling with people. The production was Freddie Francis's seventh film for Amicus and his fifth with star Peter Cushing, who ended up a ghoul in his segment and had to spend several hours in makeup every day to get the look. Peter commented at the time...

JOAN CAN'T FIND THE RENT MONEY!

" When I saw myself in it.. I was horrified!"

Peter played the role of a widower in the film, which was timely, as his own wife Helen had died of cancer the year before, which had caused him to withdraw from Hammer's "Blood From The Mummy's Tomb". He had originally been slated to play the Richard Greene role in "Tales From The Crypt", but felt he could play the Grimsdyke part much better.

Sir Ralph Richardson, who was seventy at the time, came to the set on his motor-bike, much to the protests of his wife! The film received an X rating in the UK at the time and was cut by a few minutes to gain this cert. The most notable cuts are in the episode, "Wish You Were Here", as Richard Greene's intestines are on view! Joan was popular with the cast and crew and earned these comments.

Milton Subotsky..

"Joan was very co-operative. She stayed overtime and was no problem at all."

JOAN GIVE'S HER HUBBY A HEADACHE!

Freddie Francis..

" Joan was very professional and very good. She is that type, who when she comes on the set and gets in front of the camera, that's her camera! It is not a selfishness.If you offer yourself as a star to a film, you should project yourself into that camera!"



UK DVD COVER

Joan would work with Freddie on another portmanteau film called "Tales That Witness Madness", a few years later. During the shoot it took her six takes to murder her husband (Martin Boddey), she quipped to the crew.

"It's getting more and more difficult to murder your husband these days!"

Reviews of the film included.

NEW YORK TIMES..

"If "Tales From The Crypt", had any style what so ever, the philandering husband's dream would not come through.. The blind men would probably fail and we might find ourselves rooting for Joan, in her extremity, despite her momentary lapse in manners! Unfortunately the only style exhibited by Freddie Francis and Milton Subotsky, is in their dumb appreciation for ancient plot devices and silly supernatural effects."

Despite the mixed reviews, the film is a cult classic and is still an entertaining journey into the unknown!

( c) 2011 ..  Mark McMorrow.