Tales from the Crypt S7 E7: The Kidnapper (1996)

Daniel (Steve Coogan) comes to the rescue of Teresa (Julia Sawalha), a homeless pregnant woman with whom he soon falls in love. However, when her baby (Alexander Arcay) is born, he begins to resent the child and contemplates how to dispose of the infant. He even considers selling her to child traffickers. When the baby goes missing, he attempts to acquire another one, seemingly believing that a mother wouldn’t be able to recognize her own child.

“What? Are you blind?! That ball was on the line, pal! Oh, hello, kiddies. I was just warming up for the Wimbletomb Tennis Tournament. Normally I love a bit of stiff competition, but this guy is driving me nuts! Still, the match isn’t over yet. We’re playing beast two out of three. Which brings to mind the man in tonight’s tale. He’s about to play a little die-breaker of his own in a sickening hacks-hibition I call “Kidnapper.””

Directed by James H. Spencer (who spent most of his career as a production designer but was the 2nd unit director on Gremlins 2) and Robin Bextor from a script by John Harrison and Scott Nimerfro, this is the worst-rated episode of the show on IMDB.

Daniel steals another baby, and it ends up being Teresa’s child. His heart was in the wrong place, even if he’s dead now.

This story is based on “The Kidnapper” from *Shock SuspenStories* #12. The original synopsis states: “A man’s baby is kidnapped, and when his wife’s mental health deteriorates, he desperately attempts to steal another baby. He is beaten to death by a crowd of onlookers for trying to kidnap… his own son.” This tale was written by Al Feldstein and William Gaines, with illustrations by Reed Crandall.