Tales From The Crypt: Season 3
Warner Home Video
Cast:
Extras: Featurettes, Reunion Panel, Music Video
Rating:
Coming on three discs, Warner Home Video is continuing their release line up of the "Tales From The Crypt" series, matching the previous season DVD sets in appearance and content.
Featuring all 14 episodes of the show's third season, it is once again filled with great ideas, cool stories, creepy characters and top-tier star power. Every episode features a major star of some kind, lending their talent to the show as an actor or director. Look out for names like Kyle MacLachlan, Teri Garr, Beau Bridges, Bruce Boxleitner, Jon Lovitz, John Astin, Whoopi Goldberg, John Rhys-Davies, James Remar, Malcolm McDowell, Tim Roth, Steven Weber, Rita Wilson, Vincent Schiavelli, Marg Helgenberger, Walter Hill, Robert Zemeckis, Dan Aykroyd, Lance Henriksen and the one and only Kirk Douglas in these episodes.
While I found all episodes enjoyable, there are, of course a number of wonderful highlights in this season. "Yellow" is clearly the most powerful episode in the set, and it is followed closely by episodes such as "The Reluctant Vampire," "Split Second," "Carrion Death," "Abra Cadaver" and "Top Billing." But despite highlighting these episodes, with the exception of maybe one or two, they are all very strong entries in the series and helped establish "Tales From The Crypt" as the show of little horror masterpieces that it was.
Of course, each episodes comes with a short introduction and closing by the Crypt Keeper himself as he muses about the stories and their morals in his own macabre sense of humor.
Warner Home Video is presenting the episodes in their original fullscreen aspect ratio. The transfers are clean and clear, entirely free of defects or blemishes. I found this season set to feature an image that is crisper than season 1, for example, giving the image rich texture and a high level of detail without grain or noise. Color reproduction is faithful and strong and skin tones are always naturally rendered.
The audio on the release is the show's original Dolby Surround track that works adequately well for the overall presentation. Not too flashy, the audio is well balanced and makes sure all dialogue is understandable, while sound effects create a fairly wide sound stage.
As extras you will find some cool featurettes on the release, such as a "Tales From The Crypt Reunion." It is a panel discussion from Comic Con that is filled with valuable info and insight as "Tales" president Jack Wohl and other participants discuss many, many aspects of the series, both in its comic book and film form in front of an audience.
"A Tall Tales Panel" is also a segment partially recorded during Comic Con, where the same participants appear, but it also includes on-camera interviews and other info.
The "Crypt Jam" music video, featuring the Crypt Keeper is also included on the release.
"Tales From The Crypt" is always a riot and always gruesome entertainment that knows how to tickle horror fans' fancy. This DVD set delivers its episodes in top quality and rounds out the release with a few nice extras. What more could fans ask for?
