Before “Tales From the Crypt” became a household name, the adaptation of the creepy EC comic series quietly began to air on HBO.
One of the first ever episodes took place during Christmas, even though it aired during the summer of 1989.
‘And All Through the House,’ takes from “Vault of Horror” issue #5, was the second episode to air on HBO (June 10th). Bringing it to life was none other than Robert Zemeckis (Back to the Future, Contact, What Lies Beneath, Death Becomes Her) from a teleplay by Fred Dekker (Monster Squad)!
The all-star squad gets even more impressive with music by Predator and Back to the Future‘s Alan Silvestri, and photography by Halloween‘s Dean Cundey.
In the episode, “The holiday chopping season runs late when an axe-toting maniac dressed as Santa (Larry Drake) makes a Christmas Eve visit to a philandering wife (Mary Ellen Trainor) who murdered her husband.”
And as good as the episode is, the highlight is the introduction by The Crypt Keeper, who is completely unrecognizable (sans the voice by John Kassir) in a Santa Claus costume.
