Tag Archives: 1990

Tales from the Crypt S2 E16: Television Terror (1990)

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Kids today have no idea who Morton Downey Jr. was. Seriously, Jerry Springer has taken on the role of being the first trash TV host but there was nothing like Morton when he was on TV. He started his in your face style as a talk show host at KFBK-AM in Sacramento, California. He was fired and replaced by Rush Limbaugh.

The Morton Downey Jr. Show started as a local show on New York’s WOR Channel 9 in 1987 and was syndicated for two years. It was a fad, but at the time, he was a big star blowing smoke in people’s faces and yelling his catchphrases.

By 1990, he was an actor.

Directed by former stuntman Charlie Picerni, “Television Terror” has Downey as Horton Rivers, a person with a show a lot like the show that the real Downey hosted. He’s touring the haunted Ritter House where Ada (Jeannie Epper) killed at least twelve people. Even when warned by an expert in ghosts, Rivers takes his entire crew into the house and pays for it.

Downey would play another character just like this — and just like Morton Downey Jr. — when he was Tony Pope in Predator 2.

This episode is based on “Television Terror!” from The Haunt of Fear #17. It was written and drawn by Harvey Kurtzman. It’s different than what is in the show, but as good as this episode is, Kurtzman is so much better.

Tales from the Crypt S2 E15: Mute Witness to Murder (1990)

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“Good evening, kiddies. I just had quite a scare. I actually thought my heart was beating again! Tonight’s twisted tale is a villainous voyage, a murderous medical madness that screams out the crypt-sequences of getting too nosy with your neighbors. So the next time you stare into someone’s window…remember: curiosity killed the cat.”

Suzy (Patricia Clarkson) looks out her window one night and watches a man kill a woman. She’s so upset by this that she becomes mute. Perhaps Dr. Trask (Richard Thomas) could help her, except that, well, he’s also the killer.

Directed by Jim Simpson (who was second unit on Event Horizon) and written by Nancy Doyne (“The Geezenstacks” episode of Tales from the Darkside) and Stevcn Dodd, this at least has John Boy being a manic.

It’s based on the story of the same name that appeared in Crypt of Terror #18, written by William Gaines and Al Felder and drawn by Johnny Craig.

RADIANCE FILMS BLU RAY RELEASE: The Sting of Death (1990)

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Based on the autobiographical novel by Toshio Shimao, this is the story of the author (Ittoku Kishibe) teaching and writing in post-war Japan, struggling in poverty but still finding time to have an affair, which ruins his wife (Keiko Matsuzaka), who threatens suicide and even loses their children to her parents as they try to save anything that is left from their union.

This is a gorgeous film but very hard to watch as it is so emotionally raw. Director Kohei Oguri has only made six movies yet each of them are very well-reviewed; this won the Grand Prize of the Jury at the 1990 Cannes Film Festival.

Shimao was to be a kamikaze in World War II before the fighting stopped. He met his wife, a Catholci, and converted, as this movie’s title is based on 1 Corinthians 15:55, “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God!” He really did choose to live with his wife in a mental hospital and then moved from the city to a smaller town to attempt to fix their marriage.

The Radiance Film release of this movie comes with a documentary on the Japanese film renaissance of the 1990s featuring interviews with Kohei Oguri, Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Kaneto Shindo and others; an interview with film scholar Hideki Maeda; new English subtitles; a trailer; a limited edition booklet featuring a newly translated interview with director Kohei Oguri and full-height Scanavo packaging with removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings. Yu can get The Sting of Death from MVD.

Tales from the Crypt S2 E14: Lower Berth (1990)

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“Shhhh! Aw… There, there. Isn’t he just so cute that you wanna… Oops! Crypt Keeper here kiddies and speaking of kiddies, tonight’s sickening saga should be subtitled a “Tale from the Crib.” Yes, fear fans. I’ve got a real nursery crime for you this time. It’s all about the humble beginnings of my favorite horror hero. So call the babysitter and break out the barf bags as I narrate a nauseating novella with a very special place in my heart. I affectionately call this one “Lower Berth.””

Directed by Kevin Yagher and written by Fred Dekker and Steven Dodd, this is an origin story told by the man who created the Crypt Keeper for the show, special effects expert Yagher. Enoch (Jeff Yagher) the two-faced man meets and makes it with a 4,000 year old mummy, giving birth to The Crypt Keeper at a sideshow. Lewis Arquette shows up as well.

This is based on the Al Feldstein and William Gaines written and Jack Davis penciled story “Lower Berth” that was in Tales from the Crypt #33, which even sort of appeared on the cover.

Now you know where the host came from!

Tales from the Crypt S2 E13: Korman’s Kalamity (1990)

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“Oh… Hi there fright fiends. How do you like my rancid rendering? Not bad for an amateur. Hopefully it will give you an inkling of what tonight’s fungusy photo-play is about because long before my eerie offerings appeared on your silver screen, they were a magazine called, get a load of this, Tales From the Crypt. So tonight, let’s take a behind the screams look at a struggling artist named Jim Korman who one day got a little too drawn into his work.”

Jim Korman (Harry Anderson) is dealing with his wife Mildred (Colleen Camp) to get over his inability to give her a baby and start taking fertility pills which give him new creative energy. Then characters right from his comic book start killing people, which brings Officer Lorelei Phelps (Cynthia Gibb) into his life, as she believes that it’s his fault after a monster that looks like a reptile he drew saves her from a rapist.

This episode was directed by Rowdy Herrington, who also made Striking Distance and Roadhouse. It was written by Terry Black, who wrote five episodes of the series and Dead Heat as well as Steven Dodd, who gets a credit on every episode.

The art in this episode is from Mike Vosberg, who drew all of the covers for the comic in the series.

This is based on “Kamen’s Kalamity!,” a story that ran in Tales from the Crypt #31. It’s nothing like what’s in this TV show, as it’s a meta story about Al Feldstein and William Gaines — who wrote it — abusing Jack Kamen — who drew it — for being too nice.

Tales from the Crypt S2 E12: Fitting Punishment (1990)

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Jack Sholder has directed some of my favorite movies like Nightmare on Elm Street 2, The Hidden and Alone in the Dark. Working from a script by Steven Dodd, Jonathan David Kahn, Michael Alan Kahn and Don Mancini, he tells the story of Bobby Thornberry (Jon Clair) being sent to live — but mainly be free labor — for his funeral home owning Uncle Ezra (Moses Gunn), who is already abusing his other worker Clyde (Teddy Wilson).

“There you are sportsfiends. You know dead people like me make excellent point guards. When we can’t get off a shot, we simply pass… away that is. Speaking of which, allow me to be your fearleader for tonight’s half-time show. It’s a putrid playlet about my personal favorite sport… being a mortician. I fittingly call it Fitting Punishment.”

Ezra is a horrible person, using water instead of embalming fluid, reusing coffins and stealing gold teeth out of corpses. But the worst thing he does is beat Bobby into a lifetime limp by using a crowbar, as well as selling his Air Jordans to pay for medical bills. Sure, he told people Bobby fell down the steps, but will they believe it when he knocks him down the steps and buries his dead body in a coffin way too small, cutting his legs off to fit his body inside?

Total spoiler warning but I have never seen the reanimated legs of a dead man attack someone while wearing Jordans. What a wild episode.

“Fitting Punishment” is based on the story of the same title from Vault of Horror #16. It was written by Al Feldstein and William Gaines and drawn by Graham Ingels. Like many EC stories, it’s actually a ripoff of another one, in this case H.P. Lovecraft’s “In the Vault.” Unlike the comic book, this episode has an entirely black cast.

Non aprite all’uomo nero (1990)

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Don’t Open the Door to the Man In Black is a TV movie directed by Giulio Questi, who made some of the oddest giallo films ever, Death Laid an Egg, as well as Arcana and one of my favorite Westerns, Django Kill…If You Live, Shoot! It was written by David Grieco.

Francesca (Claudia Muzii) is a fragile woman undergoing treatment, which has been recommended by her friend Lorenza (Aurore Clément). The root of her depression lies in a failed relationship with a man who also dated her mother, a famous actress who died before her time. Yet there’s more to it when Francesca is found dead as well.

While this is a basic TV movie, it’s still nice to see the face of Giuliano Gemma (A Pistol for Ringo). By the late 80s and early 90s, most Italian genre directors had moved to the small screen to tell their stories. This is a fine tale but not anything that needs to be hunted down.

You can watch this on YouTube.

Tales from the Crypt S2 E11: Judy, You’re Not Yourself Today (1990)

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“Oh, hello there, fright fans. I’ve just been sitting here waiting for my blood pack to harden. My cosmetologist said I was starting to look a little lifeless. Much better, eh? Which reminds me, tonight’s poison parable is about a couple who take their appearance very seriously. Needless to say, they’re going to end up trying to save face. I call this one “Judy, You’re Not Yourself Today.””

Directed by Randa Haines (Children of a Lesser God) and written by Steven Dodd and Scott Nimerfro (who wrote eleven episodes of this show), “Judy, You’re Not Yourself Today” is about possibly MAGA couple Donald (Brian Kerwin) — who walks around their house armed and dangerous — and his wife Judy (Carol Kane), who speaks with a fake English accent. One day, a door-to-door saleswoman/witch (Frances Bay) comes to sell her a magic necklace that allows her to steal her body.

The story comes from Tales From the Crypt #25 and was written by Al Feldstein and William Gaines and drawn by probably the best of all EC artists, Wally Wood. Like many EC stories, it’s inspired by — sometimes Gaines and company would outright rip off stories — H.P. Lovecraft’s The Thing On The Doorstep.

It has some prestige talent in front of and behind the camera, but is just fine. It’s a quick story and at least Kane and Bay are fun in it.

Appuntamento in nero (1990)

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Scandal In Black was directed by Antonio Bonifacio, making his directing debut after doing second unit on several Filmirage movies including Convent of Sinners, Delizia, Top Model, Zombie 5: Killing Birds and Pomeriggio caldo. He also worked with D’Amato and this movie’s writer, Daniele Stropa, on 1994’s Sul filo del rasoio.

We start the movie with a flashback, seeing how Angela Baldwin (Mirella Banti, Tenebrae) was assaulted when she was young. Then, we follow her to an adult theater where she shows up dressed in a short red dress and ensures that she’s seen before she goes to the bathroom and emerges with her body covered with blood, the victim of another attack.

The fact that his wife has been raped at a porn theater doesn’t seem to make her husband John (Andy J. Forest) all that happy, as he’s a diplomat whose career is moving upward. He wants to get rid of her and already has a new lover, her best friend, supermodel Eva (Mary Lindstrom). Seeing as how she lives with them, this makes things convenient for John. They want to get married but don’t want a scandal, so they start calling Angela as the man who attacked her and threaten her life.

Angela has even more problems because she’s been spied on by not only her maid Rosie (Laura Piattella), but also the projectionist (Franco Citti) at the theater who had a camera installed in the bathroom. He watched her attack herself, slamming her face into the mirror and slicing in her own flesh. Man, that scene is really hard to watch as is the moment when he attacks her, which is watched by a strange doll, reminding you that this is a giallo. And that theater also has Italian adult star Marina Frajese as its ticket taker (thanks Euro Fever for spotting her) as well as a posters for Top Model, Error Fatale and…Tucker A Man and His Dream?!? They’re showing Monique Gabrielle in Emmanuelle 5 in case you’re wondering!

There’s also a wild saw attack on the man who raped Angela when she was young that really goes hard. Unlike so many of the 1980s gialli that don’t seem like they could hang with the wonderful films of the early 70s, this really does seem like it has the twists and turns to make it. Sure, it doesn’t look as good as those movies, but unlike so many of the safe 80s movies, this has no problem being sleazy. Well done.

Sensazioni d’amore (1990)

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Director and writer Ninì Grassia made around thirty movies, including Legittima Vendetta, Omicidio al Telefono, Innamorata and Gatta Ala Pari with Bruno Mattei. He also made a few movies with adult actress  Ileana “Ramba” Carusio (Gatta alla pari, Un grande amore) and the movies First Action Hero, Italian Gigolo and Provocazione fatale.

Elena Aloisi (Marisa Mell) has lost her husband and would like her son Renato (David D’Ingeo) to remain alive as well, as he’s suffering from a heart condition. She also wants him to marry Giulia (Barbara Blasko) and give her a grandchild, even if that might kill him. Or maybe not, because while he avoids sex with Giulia, he’s sleeping with Claretta (Federica Farnese) while his wife and Dr. Gianmarco Serra (Gianni Macchia) are also twirling the Dum-Dum while the medical professional should be concentrating on keeping her husband alive.

Renato’s heart gets better, so the wedding plans get more intense, all while the maid Lizzi (Emanuela Castiglionesi) catches him in bed with his other lover and ends up becoming his third conquest to stay silent. Somehow in all this, Elena dies and the wedding plans slow, all while Giulia’s brother Ernesto (Marcello Montana) forces himself on Claretta — he already did the same with another maid by the name of Elvira (Alessandra Antonelli) — which causes Renato to smash his brains out and then make love to Giulia while stabbing her with scissors. He runs to a farmhouse where he and Claretta are married and as they consummate their marriage just as he has a heart attack and perishes. She gets all of the family money and the baby that Elena wanted so badly.

As you can tell, this is just as much as erotic thriller — actually a softcore movie — as it is a giallo. The whole point of it seems to be the numerous encounters between the different characters and less the murders, but I mean, there’s a scene where our protagonist — I guess? — stabs his fiancee with both a flesh and metal knife, as they say.

Have I seen too many gialli? Probably.