Tales from the Cryptkeeper

Tales from the Cryptkeeper is an animated horror children's television series made by Canadian studio Nelvana. The series was broadcast on ABC in the United States, and on ITV in the United Kingdom.

Tales from the Cryptkeeper
GenreAnimation
Comedy horror
Fantasy
Science fiction
Children's horror
Based on
Tales from the Crypt
by
Developed by
  • Libby Hinson
  • Ben Joseph
Written byPeter Sauder
Directed byLaura Shepherd
Voices of
Theme music composerHeart Times Coffee Cup Equals Lightning
Country of origin
  • United States
  • Canada
  • France (season 3)
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons3
No. of episodes39
Production
Executive producers
Producers
EditorRick Hickson
Running time22 minutes
Production companies
  • Nelvana
  • Fantome Animation (season 3)
Release
Original network
  • Canada:
  • Teletoon (season 3)
  • United States:
  • ABC (seasons 1 & 2)
  • CBS (season 3)
Original releaseSeptember 18, 1993 (1993-09-18) –
December 4, 1999 (1999-12-04)
Related
Tales from the Crypt (1989–1996)

It was based on the 1950s EC Comics series Tales from the Crypt and the live action television series of the same name, which aired concurrently on HBO. Intended for children, Tales from the Cryptkeeper was significantly milder than its live-action counterpart, and all blood, gore, profanity and sexual content were completely removed in order to be more appropriate for the target audience.[1]

Most episodes take place within the fictional city of Gravenhurst, California (population 55,232). This name is given in the tenth episode "The Gorilla's Paw", the same buildings which are shown in this episode are also seen in many other episodes in the series, and many of the characters speak with very obvious California accents.

The series was cancelled on December 10, 1994, and returned to the air in 1999 as The New Tales from the Cryptkeeper. The animation differed from previous episodes, and it transferred to Teletoon in Canada, and also to CBS in the United States. All three seasons are available to stream on Nelvana's "Retro ReRun" YouTube channel and is also in rotation on Pluto TV.

Plot

The series details the Cryptkeeper telling more kid-friendly horror stories to the viewers, each with a teachable lesson.

The second season has the Cryptkeeper at constant odds with rivals, and fellow EC Comics horror hosts, the Vault-Keeper and the Old Witch, who continually try to steal the show from him as they didn't have one of their own, only to have their plans backfire. The Cryptkeeper can be found in different locales than his mansion, as he tries to elude his foes.

The third and final season aired in 1999. Unlike the first two seasons, it, under New Tales from the Cryptkeeper, aired on Teletoon in Canada and on CBS in the United States. This season sees the Cryptkeeper taking a more active role, usually by setting up situations to teach frightening lessons to kids with severe character flaws.

Cast

Episodes

Series overview
SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast airedNetwork
113September 18, 1993December 18, 1993ABC
213September 10, 1994December 10, 1994
313September 11, 1999December 4, 1999CBS

Season 1 (1993)
No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleWritten byOriginal ABC air date
11"While the Cat's Away"Manny CotoSeptember 18, 1993 (1993-09-18)[2]

Two brothers plan to rob an abandoned mansion, where The Cryptkeeper has set up a monstrous security system to get rid of intruders.

  • Based on "While The Cat's Away..." from The Vault of Horror #34.
22"Nature"Juan Carlos CotoSeptember 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.

  • The Cryptkeeper makes a cameo on a penny; he is wearing a hat and a beard making him resemble Abraham Lincoln.
33"Pleasant Screams"James ThomtonOctober 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.

  • The Cryptkeeper makes a cameo on a box of matches.
  • Based on "Pleasant Screams!" from Tales from the Crypt #37.
44"Gone Fishin"Terry Black (Gone Fishin')
David Hines and Jeff Hause (A Little Body of Work)		October 9, 1993 (1993-10-09)
"A Little Body of Work"

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

  • The Cryptkeeper makes a cameo at the end holding a can of the boy's uncle.
  • Based on "Gone... Fishing!" from The Vault of Horror #22.

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.

  • The Cryptkeeper makes a cameo dressed as a diner waitress.
55"The Works.... In Wax"Eric LukeOctober 16, 1993 (1993-10-16)

A boy discovers that statues in his favorite wax museum come to life.

  • The Cryptkeeper makes a cameo dressed as a wax mannequin of Marie Antoinette.
  • Based on "The Works... In Wax!" from Tales from the Crypt #25.
66"The Sleeping Beauty"Edithe Swenson
and David Finley		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 go on a quest to wake the Sleeping Beauty, the slumbering princess, whom, unbeknownst to them, is really a bloodthirsty vampire.

  • Based on "The Sleeping Beauty!" from Tales from the Crypt #39.
77"Cave Man"Ed NahaOctober 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.

  • The Cryptkeeper makes a cameo dressed as a ticket salesman.
  • Based on "Cave Man" from Tales from the Crypt #19.
88"Hyde and Go Shriek"Dana OlsenNovember 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.

  • The Cryptkeeper makes a cameo on the box of the magic potion.
99"Fare Tonight"David FinleyNovember 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.

  • The Cryptkeeper makes a cameo as a bar patron.
  • Based on "Fare Tonight, Followed By Increasing Clottyness..." from Tales from the Crypt #36.
1010"Gorilla's Paw"James ThomtonNovember 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.

  • The Cryptkeeper makes a cameo as the host of television program Gruesome Gladiators.
  • Based on "The Gorilla's Paw!" from The Haunt of Fear #9.
1111"This Wraps It Up"Peter SauderDecember 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.

  • The Cryptkeeper makes a cameo on top of a tomb entrance.
  • Based on "This Wraps It Up!" from Tales from the Crypt #35.
1212"Grounds for Horror"Ed NahaDecember 11, 1993 (1993-12-11)

Summer campers befriend an invisible being who plays pranks on a strict, no-nonsense counselor.

  • Based on "Grounds... For Horror!" from Tales from the Crypt #29.
1313"Ghost Ship"Peter Sauder
and Eric Luke		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.

  • Based on "Ghost Ship!" from Tales from the Crypt #19.

Season 2 (1994)
No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleWritten byOriginal ABC air date
141"Game Over"Peter SauderSeptember 10, 1994 (1994-09-10)
Two boys pay for skipping school to play video games when the characters come to life.
152"Cold Blood, Warm Hearts"Cold Blood, Warm Hearts:
John de Klein
and Erika Strobel
The Spider and the Flies:
Eric Luke		September 17, 1994 (1994-09-17)
"The Spider and the Flies"

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.
163"The Avenging Phantom"The Avenging Phantom: Eric Luke
Myth Conceptions: John de Klein (story)
Vince Grittani (teleplay)		September 24, 1994 (1994-09-24)
"Myth Conceptions"

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.
174"All the Gory Details!"Erika StrobelOctober 1, 1994 (1994-10-01)
A pair of newspaper reporters try to track down an old mad scientist.
185"The Weeping Woman"John de Klein (story)
Libby Hinson (teleplay)		October 8, 1994 (1994-10-08)
Camille and Mildred from "Fare Tonight" return to investigate the sightings of the ghost of a woman who haunts a local inn.
196"Dead Men Don't Jump!"Eric LukeOctober 15, 1994 (1994-10-15)
The Old Witch, The Cryptkeeper, and The Vaultkeeper return and compete to decide who tells one story. When the Old Witch wins thanks to her magic, she tells the tale of a boy who challenges a demon to a basketball game that could mean the end of his life if he loses.
207"The Haunted Mine"John de Klein (story)
Eric Luke (teleplay)		October 22, 1994 (1994-10-22)
After incapacitating Scariff Cryptkeeper in a ghost town, the Vaultkeeper tells the story about a young man who goes to visit his aunt which leads to a trip inside an abandoned mine filled with unusual shapes and a dark secret.
218"Growing Pains"Libby HinsonOctober 29, 1994 (1994-10-29)
The Old Witch takes over telling another story after turning the Cryptkeeper into a scarecrow. Wendell from "Hyde and Go Shriek" falls for Rose, a new girl at school with a rather "weedy" family secret.
229"The Brothers Gruff"Peter SauderNovember 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.
2310"Uncle Harry's Horrible House of Horrors"Erika StrobelNovember 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.
2411"Hunted"Peter SauderNovember 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.
2512"Chuck (and Melvin) and the Beanstalker"David FinleyDecember 3, 1994 (1994-12-03)
Chuck and Melvin from "The Sleeping Beauty" return as they must steal the treasure of a giant Cyclops named Beanstalker.
2613"Transylvania Express"Peter SauderDecember 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.

New Tales from the Cryptkeeper, Season 3 (1999)
No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleWritten byOriginal CBS air date [3]
271"Sharon Sharalike"J.D. SmithSeptember 11, 1999 (1999-09-11)
Eight-year-old girl Shauna is selfish and does not like to share with her five-year-old sister Katie. When their father, who is in New York City sends them a doll as a gift, Shauna steals it for herself. Soon, she learns that the doll does not like it when its owners don't share.
282"Imaginary Friend"Kim ThompsonSeptember 18, 1999 (1999-09-18)
Two teen boys torment an eight-year-old girl who has an imaginary friend who gets back at the boys for their actions.
293"Waste Not, Haunt Not"Peter SauderSeptember 25, 1999 (1999-09-25)
Two boys improperly dispose of toxic waste from their science project into a bog which creates a bog monster.
304"Unpopular Mechanics"Peter SauderOctober 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.
315"Competitive Spirit"J.D. SmithOctober 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.
326"Trouble in Store"J.D. SmithOctober 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".
337"So Very Attractive"John de Klein (story)
Ben Joseph and J.D. Smith (teleplay)		October 23, 1999 (1999-10-23)
A fourteen-year-old insecure girl named Julia buys a beauty cream from an abandoned drugstore that makes her an irresistible force to everything....including animals and the dead.
348"Drawn and Quartered"J.D. SmithOctober 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.

  • Based on "Drawn and Quartered!" from Tales from the Crypt #26
359"All Booked Up"Deborah Goodwin
and J.D. Smith		November 6, 1999 (1999-11-06)
Thirteen-year-old boy Greg Davis hates to read books. One day, he gets assigned to write a paper on one of them given to him and he gets trapped in a library where he goes inside the dark world of classic literature.
3610"Town Gathering"J.D. SmithNovember 13, 1999 (1999-11-13)
A fourteen-year-old girl named Erin who is known for her pranks must convince her mother that a group of businessmen are actually aliens bent on eating the townspeople.
3711"It's for You"J.D. SmithNovember 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.
3812"Monsters Ate My Homework"J.D. SmithNovember 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.
3913"Too Cool for School"John de Klein (story)
Erika Strobel (teleplay)		December 4, 1999 (1999-12-04)
Two girls Stephanie and Jan hate following rules. One day, they 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 North America, the series was premiered on ABC, but later on Teletoon and CBS. In August 2012, Fearnet aired reruns in their "Funhouse" block, only on weekends. Spanish-dubbed episodes of the series aired on Telefutura; as part of Toonturama block on Saturday and Sunday morning as "Cuentos de la Cripta" from 2002 to 2005.

In October 2021, the live streaming television Filmrise Kids began airing the whole series every day.

Outside of North America, the series aired on Canal+ and M6 in France, Kindernet in the Netherlands and ITV in the United Kingdom.

Home media

Season releases

In 2007, KaBoom! Entertainment released "The Complete First Season" on DVD.[4]

NameRelease DateEpisodesRegionAdditional Information
Stacks of FearSeptember 28, 200431Includes 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 SeasonSeptember 18, 2007131Includes the complete first season.
All the Gory Details: The Complete Second SeasonSeptember 16, 2008131Includes the complete second season.
Myth ConceptionsSeptember 10, 201361Includes 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! Also released under the title "Myth Conception" with a different cover.
Transylvania ExpressSeptember 10, 201371Includes 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 12014131Includes the repackaged complete first season.

References
  1. Erickson, Hal (2005). Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 (2nd ed.). McFarland & Co. pp. 822–824. ISBN 978-1476665993.
  2. "Kids TV gets a toon up". San Francisco Examiner. August 31, 1993. p. 25. Retrieved September 11, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. "Television Program Logs". Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission. 2016-03-02. Alt URL
  4. David Lambert, Tales from the Cryptkeeper - North-of-the-Border Release Already Out For Animated Complete 1st Season, "tvshowsondvd.com," October 13, 2007, "Tales from the Cryptkeeper DVD news: Announcement for Tales from the Cryptkeeper: Pleasant Screams: The Complete 1st Season | TVShowsOnDVD.com". Archived from the original on 2007-10-15. Retrieved 2007-10-15.
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