Tales from the Crypt: From Comic Books to Television

Rating:
Summary: What could have been
Review: Is there anything worse than buying a video, sight-unseen, that seems like a no-lose situation, but actually isn't? I read a positive review of this documentary on the EC comics of the 50's, and decided to order it, thinking any information on those fabulous comics would be worth having...and dig all the bonus features!

Well, thank god for bonus features, because at least for me, they saved the show....just barely.

The main feature, a very well-made, 60 minute documentary on the legendary EC horror comics, was originally broadcast on cable (although I missed it on broadcast), and is seen on this DVD as a "director's cut". I can't comment obviously, on what might have changed, since I've only seen the DVD version, but I was disappointed, often to the point of exasperation, with the editorial choices made.

As I said, the film itself, is professionaly, even lovingly put together in much the same stylized fashion as the film Creepshow, using lots of "Comic-styled" backgrounds and scene transitions. It's very cool, and fits the atmosphere beautifully. There are several interviews with various comic historians, and best of all, with some of the original EC artists and staffers. The audio and picture quality is also excellent. Looks like a direct transfer from either digital or original 2" video master.

So what's to complain about? Well, for me it's the curious choice to concentrate the bulk of the running-time not to a whistful look back to the nostalgia of the era, not to a detailed overview of what went on at EC day-to-day, and how the comics were made, but on a protracted and unbearably preachy and self-pitying focus on the Kefauver hearings, and how they impacted and eventually killed EC.

Don't get me wrong, those hearings were obviously a very important part of the EC story, but holy cow, going by this documentary, they were practically the entire story. In other words, this is not really a look back on EC comics themselves, but much more of an anti-censorship propaganda piece. Not that there's anything inherently wrong with that, but it's not what I wanted, or I suspect, what many will expect.

It seemed that every time the film began to veer back to things you actually wanted to know (ie: what it was like to work at EC, how the art was chosen, etc), it invariably ends-up right back to some director or talking head going on about censorship, or how brave and noble their struggle against stffy, old meanies was. Sigh. Then of course, there's the obligitory self-backpatting on their racial and religious tolerence.....well, you get the picture. It ends-up being a homage to a fun comic in a fun time, treated with all the self-satisfied, somber seriousness of a film about The Rosenbergs.

For those of you who don't mind that kind of thing, I am sure you'll be delighted with this set, as it is objectively a well made film, but if you are rolling your eyes knowingly at my description, you may want to rent it first.

As to the bonus features, it gets a bit better there, enough at least, where I decided not to ebay the thing. There is a terriffic section of interviews with the EC staffers and artists themselves (most of whom weren't considered important enough to even be in the feature, what does that tell you?), that finally begins to give you the details and antecdotes on how EC worked day-to-day that you really wanted to know in the first place. There's also a very nice, lengthy interview with a very frail Ray Bradbury at his home, that while it meanders a bit due to his age, is still a warm and interesting look at the literary legend.

Is it worth the steep pricetag? Up to you, considering the valuable info provided on the second disc, I'd have to give a qualified "yes", at least for EC fanatics, as you're not likely to see this material anywhere else. Is the largely political main feature worth it? Depends on your tolerence for self-sanctimony I guess.

Rating:
Summary: A GODSEND FOR EC FANS
Review: This is without peer, whether you'd like to learn about the EC comics of the 1950's, or if you're already a died in the wool fan who knows EC lore frontwards and backwards. The quality of the production is amazing, given the rather esoteric subject matter. And the second disc contains a wealth of information, additional interviews and the first face-to-face meeting between Al Feldstein and Ray Bradbury. Whatever you do, get this! EC for me, see.

Rating:
Summary: what about the ACTUAL television series?!
Review: This was pretty interesting but when will they decide to put TALES FROM THE CRYPT on dvd as well?