Tales from the Cryptkeeper

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Tales from the Cryptkeeper
GenreAnimated, horror comedy, fantasy, science fiction,
Developed byLibby Hinson
Ben Joseph
Directed byLaura Shepherd
StarringJohn Kassir as the Cryptkeeper
Voices ofElizabeth Hanna
David Hemblen
Country of originCanada
France
Original languagesEnglish
French
No. of seasons3
No. of episodes39
Production
Executive producersRobert Zemeckis
Joel Silver
Richard Donner
David Giler
Walter Hill
ProducersMichael Hirsh
Patrick Loubert
Patricia R. Burns
EditorsRick Hickson
Glenn Lewis
Running time22 minutes
Production companiesNelvana Limited
Fantome Animation (Season 3)
CBS Productions (Season 3)
Original release
NetworkCanada
YTV (1993–1994)
Teletoon (1999–2000)
United States
ABC (1993–1994)[1]
CBS (1999–2000)
ReleaseSeptember 18, 1993 (1993-09-18) –
October 25, 2000 (2000-10-25)

Tales from the Cryptkeeper is an animated series aimed at children made by Nelvana Limited. It was shown on YTV in Canada and on ABC in the United States. In Canada, it still airs re-runs near Halloween on Teletoon. It was based on the live-action television show, Tales from the Crypt, which aired concurrently on HBO. Tales from the Cryptkeeper was aimed at children and this series was significantly milder than the live-action HBO version and all blood and gore were completely omitted in order to target the audience.

Most of the episodes take place within the fictional city of Gravenhurst, California, with a population of 55,232 people (this is established in episode #10 - "The Gorilla's Paw")

The series was cancelled on December 10, 1994. In 1999, the show returned to the air as New Tales from the Cryptkeeper. The animation was different from that of the previous episodes and it switched over to Teletoon in Canada, and also switched to CBS in the United States.

Plot

The show details the Cryptkeeper telling different horror stories to the viewers, each with a lesson to be learned.

In Season Two, the Cryptkeeper was continually feuding with his rivals, the Vault-Keeper and the Old Witch who were continually trying to steal the show from him as they didn't have one of their own, only to have their plans backfire on them. This season also saw the Cryptkeeper in different locales than his mansion, as he tried to elude his rivals.

Season three aired in 1999 and was the final season of the series. It was the only season to not air on YTV in Canada and ABC in the United States. Instead, Tales from the Cryptkeeper aired on Teletoon in Canada and on CBS in the United States. Due to the adoption of a content ratings system and new FCC regulations over more educational content in children's cartoons in the United States, the third season was rated TV-Y7 for fantasy horror elements and scenes that may be too scary for younger children and carried an E/I badge (signifying that the show has educational/informative content due to the stories being scary morality tales for children) at the beginning of the episode. The animation quality in this season is considerably lower than the first two and, among fans, the final season is not considered a favorite.

Cast

Series overview

Season Episodes Originally aired
Season premiere Season finale
1 13 September 18, 1993 December 18, 1993
2 September 10, 1994 December 10, 1994
3 October 10, 1999 December 4, 1999

Episodes

Season 1 (1993)

No. Title Original air date
1"While the Cat's Away"September 18, 1993 (1993-09-18)
Two brothers plan to rob an abandoned mansion, where The Cryptkeeper has set up a monstrous security system to get rid of intruders.
2"Nature"September 25, 1993 (1993-09-25)
After two brothers torment ants at a picnic, they are shrunk by a mysterious ray and are forced to face the trials and tribulations of the insect world.
3"Pleasant Screams"October 2, 1993 (1993-10-02)
A teacher and one of his students find themselves trapped in the fantasies of another student whom they have tormented.
4"Gone Fishin'/A Little Body of Work"October 9, 1993 (1993-10-09)

Gone Fishin: A boy tries to warn his uncle, a wasteful fisherman, of the fish that are out for revenge.

A Little Body of Work: Two hoodlums challenge a boy to a race on the Mustang he's renovating. A car which, unbeknownst to them, has a mind of its own.
5"The Works...In Wax"October 16, 1993 (1993-10-16)
A boy discovers that statues in his favorite wax museum come to life.
6"The Sleeping Beauty"October 23, 1993 (1993-10-23)
In a terrifying retelling of the classic fairytale, a self-absorbed prince named Chuck Charming and his nerdy put-upon twin brother Melvin quest to wake the Sleeping Beauty, the slumbering princess, whom, little do they know, is really a bloodthirsty vampire.
7"Cave Man"October 30, 1993 (1993-10-30)
The son of a scientist befriends a Neanderthal that has been encased in ice for millions of years, but the friendship turns sour when the caveman can't adapt to the modern world.
8"Hyde and Go Shriek"November 6, 1993 (1993-11-06)
A group of bullies fear for their lives when their victim Wendell drinks a potion that turns him into a werewolf.
9"Fare Tonight"November 13, 1993 (1993-11-13)
Two paranormal enthusiasts create a homemade vampire detector and use it to hunt for bloodsuckers...only to learn that one of them is right under their nose.
10"Gorilla's Paw"November 20, 1993 (1993-11-20)
In a classic retelling of W. W. Jacobs' The Monkey's Paw, an unpopular kid steals a gorilla's paw in order to be a part of a secret club, and discovers that the gorilla's paw can grant wishes with twisted results.
11"This Wraps It Up"December 4, 1993 (1993-12-04)
During a class trip to an Egyptian pyramid, a tall girl who keeps getting bullied because of her height must save her classmates from a mummy's curse.
12"Grounds for Horror"December 11, 1993 (1993-12-11)
Summer campers befriend an invisible being who plays pranks on a strict, no-nonsense counselor.
13"Ghost Ship"December 18, 1993 (1993-12-18)
Ben and his friend Mike go for a joyride on Ben's father's new yacht and sink it, leaving the two stranded in the ocean until a phantom ship haunted by pirates comes to their rescue.

Season 2 (1994)

No. Title Original air date
14"Game Over"September 10, 1994 (1994-09-10)
Two boys pay for skipping school to play video games when the characters come to life.
15"Cold Blood, Warm Hearts/The Spider and the Flies"September 17, 1994 (1994-09-17)

The Cryptkeeper and the Old Witch meet at the beach to swap stories:

Cold Blood, Warm Heart: A man and a woman find that they have a lot in common while investigating rumors of a monster dwelling in a lake.

The Spider and the Flies: When spiders infest their town, two siblings find out that a mysterious exterminator is not what he seems to be.
16"The Avenging Phantom/Myth Conceptions"September 24, 1994 (1994-09-24)

After besting the Vaultkeeper in shadow puppets, the Cryptkeeper tells two stories:

The Avenging Phantom: A young boy named Jimmy wishes he can get revenge on his tormentors like his comic book superhero "The Avenging Phantom" and gets his wish, but with dire consequences.

Myth Conceptions: An archaeologist discovers the tomb of Medusa and learns the hard way why others before him have died trying to find it.
17"All the Gory Details"October 1, 1994 (1994-10-01)
A pair of newspaper reporters try to track down an old mad scientist.
18"The Weeping Woman"October 8, 1994 (1994-10-08)
Camille and Mildred from "Fare Tonight" return, this time, to investigate the sightings of a ghost of a woman who haunts a local inn.
19"Dead Men Don't Jump"October 15, 1994 (1994-10-15)

The Old Witch, The Cryptkeeper, and The Vaultkeeper return where they compete to decide who tells today's story. When the Old Witch wins thanks to her magic, she tells the tale of a boy who challenges a monster to a basketball game that could mean the end of his life if he loses.

NOTE: The episode's title is a reference to the movie White Men Can't Jump which was released in 1992.
20"The Haunted Mine"October 22, 1994 (1994-10-22)
After incapacitating Scariff Cryptkeeper in a ghost town, the Vaultkeeper tells the story about a boy who goes to visit his aunt which leads to a trip inside an abandoned mine filled with unusual shapes and a dark secret.
21"Growing Pains"October 29, 1994 (1994-10-29)
The Old Witch takes over telling this episode's story after turning the Cryptkeeper into a scarecrow. In this installment, Wendell from "Hyde and Go Shriek" falls for Rose, a new girl at school with a rather "weedy" family secret.
22"The Brothers Gruff"November 5, 1994 (1994-11-05)
A boy named Eddie is followed home by a troll after crossing a bridge. Now it's up to him and his friend Sheldon, who knows almost everything about monsters, to defeat the troll when it kidnaps Eddie's older brother.
23"Uncle Harry's Horrible House of Horrors"November 12, 1994 (1994-11-12)
During a trip to the carnival, a boy's birthday is being spoiled by his skeptical uncle, but the latter of whom soon has his views of the supernatural challenged when they take a ride through a frighteningly realistic haunted house.
24"Hunted"November 19, 1994 (1994-11-19)
A heartless hunter in the Amazon is soon the hunted when a shapeshifting monster named Onnaya starts pursuing him after freeing the captured animals.
25"Chuck (and Melvin) and the Beanstalker"December 3, 1994 (1994-12-03)
Chuck and Melvin from "The Sleeping Beauty" return; this time in a horrifying retelling of "Jack and the Beanstalk" where they must steal the treasure of a giant Cyclops named Beanstalker.
26"Transylvania Express"December 10, 1994 (1994-12-10)
Two surfer dudes, none other than Mike and Ben from "Ghost Ship," accidentally get on a train headed for Transylvania, where they must fight back against vampires.

Season 3 (1999) (New Tales from the Cryptkeeper)

No. Title Original air date[2]
27"Sharon Sharalike"September 11, 1999 (1999-09-11)
A selfish teenage girl who never shares decides to steal her five-year-old little sister's doll and soon learns that the doll doesn't like it when its owners don't share.
28"Imaginary Friend"September 18, 1999 (1999-09-18)
Two teen boys torment a nine-year-old girl who has an imaginary friend who gets back at the boys for their actions.
29"Waste Not, Haunt Not"September 25, 1999 (1999-09-25)
Two boys improperly dispose of toxic waste from their science project into a bog which creates a bog monster.
30"Unpopular Mechanics"October 2, 1999 (1999-10-02)
Randall "The Vandal" is a kid inventor who has a gift for mechanics, but uses his talent for destructive pranks—and when he invents a remote control that can cause machines to go haywire, he gets his comeuppance when the appliances say "No more!" and attack him.
31"Competitive Spirit"October 9, 1999 (1999-10-09)
Victor tricks his rival into thinking a ghost exists in the mountains, but a real mountain spirit comes after the boy for his deceptive ways.
32"Trouble in Store"October 16, 1999 (1999-10-16)
Two boys who are known for stealing end up getting locked in a store during closing hours and discover that the mannequins don't take kindly to those who steal from their "home".
33"So Very Attractive"October 23, 1999 (1999-10-23)
An insecure girl buys a beauty cream from an abandoned drugstore that makes her an irresistible force to everything....including animals and the dead.
34"Drawn and Quartered"October 30, 1999 (1999-10-30)
An aspiring artist named Ralph finds a magic pencil that brings his drawings to life whenever he draws with it. Especially his cartoon character named "Wahoo." He vows to get back at the bullies who torment him by having him torment them back. He then learns that two wrongs don't make a right after things go over the top.
35"All Booked Up"November 6, 1999 (1999-11-06)
A boy who hates to read gets trapped in a library where he goes inside the dark world of classic literature.
36"Town Gathering"November 13, 1999 (1999-11-13)
A girl known for her pranks must convince her mother that a group of businessmen are actually aliens bent on eating the townspeople.
37"It's for You"November 20, 1999 (1999-11-20)
A fourteen-year-old boy named Gary gets his own phone line as a Christmas present that he wanted for a long time. However, he abuses his privilege and goes against his parents wishes by making several prank calls after he made an agreement with them saying he wouldn't. The problem gets worse when he accidentally makes a prank call to a mysterious old woman who begins to stalk him over the phone.
38"Monsters Ate My Homework"November 27, 1999 (1999-11-27)
A boy named Evan lies to his teacher by saying that monsters ate his homework in order to avoid getting into trouble. All goes well until problems escalate when real monsters actually come after Evan by coming out under his bed and they want to go after his homework.
39"Too Cool for School"December 4, 1999 (1999-12-04)
Two girls who don't like to follow authority rules mess around with the objects in the school science lab and inadvertently create some half-dinosaur/frog creatures after refusing to clean up frog eggs and a serum containing dinosaur DNA off the floor. After the situation gets more haywire, they then learn the hard way that it's important to obey rules.

Syndication

In August 2012, Fearnet began airing reruns in their "Funhouse" block, airing Saturdays and Sundays.

DVD releases

Season releases

In 2007, kaBOOM! Entertainment of Toronto, Canada, released the Complete First Season on DVD.[3]

Name Release Date Episodes Region Additional Information
Stacks of Fear September 28, 2004 3 1 Includes Season 3 episodes: All Booked Up, Town Gathering and Unpopular Mechanics.
Bonus feature includes: Stay Safe Halloween Tips and trailers.
Pleasant Screams: The Complete First Season September 18, 2007 13 1 Includes the complete first season.
All the Gory Details: The Complete Second Season September 16, 2008 13 1 Includes the complete second season.
Myth Conceptions September 10, 2013 6 1 Includes the first 6 Season 2 episodes: Game Over, Cold Blood, Warm Hearts/The Spider and the Flies, The Avenging Phantom/Myth Conceptions, All the Gory Details, The Weeping Woman and Dead Men Don't Jump.
Transylvania Express September 10, 2013 7 1 Includes the last 7 Season 2 episodes: The Haunted Mine, Growing Pains, The Brothers Gruff, Uncle Harry's Horrible House of Horrors, Hunted, Chuck (and Melvin) and the Beanstalker and Transylvania Express.
Season 1 2014 13 1 Includes the repackaged complete first season.

References

  1. ^ "ABC Plans Kinder, Gentler Animated 'Cryptkeeper'". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2010-10-02.
  2. ^ "Television Program Logs". Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission. 2016-03-02. Archived from the original on 2016-05-16. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  3. ^ David Lambert, Tales from the Cryptkeeper - North-of-the-Border Release Already Out For Animated Complete 1st Season, "tvshowsondvd.com," October 13, 2007, http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Tales-Cryptkeeper-Season-1-Pleasant-Screams/8250

External links