Tales From the Crypt: From Comic Books To Television
Wicked Pictures
Cast: The Cryptkeeper, Joel Silver, George A. Romero, R.L. Stine
Extras: Commentary Track, Roundtable Discussion, many, many Interviews
Rating:
With ’Tales From the Crypt: From Comic Books To Television’ we have a wonderful DVD release chronicling the history of the beloved ’Tales From The Crypt’ franchise. It starts out taking a look at the horror comics of the 50s and the massive impact they had on the public conscious to the point that they were banished universally t to the point that one of them, ’Tales From the Crypt’ managed to survive the onslaught of criticism and sustained cultish popularity to this very day.
The documentary contains original footage of William Gaines at the Senate hearing as well as other rare vintage footage of people involved wit the comics. Gaines’ career is covered in the film and how it lead to him to take E.C. Comics into an entirely new direction.
Many interview clips are part of the documentary, featuring luminaries such as John Carpenter, George Romero, R.L. Stine alongside with artists of the series as well as comic book historians as it weaves its way from the comic book history of the series to the silver screen incarnations starting in 1972 all the way to the TV series and beyond.
The fullframe presentation of the film is absolutely clean and clear without grain or blemishes, boasting strong colors throughout. The audio is presented as a 5.1 channel Dolby Digital track, which is a bit of overkill for such a documentary, of course. It is clean and clear at all times making for a comfortable listening experience.
The release is stuffed with extra materials such as footage of a meeting of Ray Bradbury and E.C editor Al Feldstein in 2003 in which they discussed their previous collaboration. It is a wonderfully intimate piece of film that so fondly remembers the late Bradbury.
On the second disc of the set you will find many more gems like this, such as four separate interviews with original E.C. Comics artists as well as three additional interviews with George A. Romero, Robert Overstreet and Russ Cochran.
Also included is a featurette on the art of Jack Kamen, as the producers of the featurette visit Kamen’s son’s house to take a look at the world’s largest collection of Kamen artwork.
An interview with historian Roger Hill is also included as he talks about E.C. own censorship of their most controversial cover.
For fans of ’Tales From the Crypt’ this documentary is a treasure trove, plain and simple. Full of valuable insights and information, this documentary is wonderfully produced and fun to watch and also covers a lot of ground. The bonus materials are equally impressive, making this DVD a must-have for all E.C. Comics fans, no doubt!
To purchase this great DVD, please visit the publisher’s website at www.cryptdvd.com directly as you may not find this DVD in regular retail outlets!