Tales from the Crypt

This 1989 American anthology series of horror stories came from William Gaines and Steven Dodd, who built it on the 1950s EC Comics titles "Tales from the Crypt," "The Haunt of Fear," and "The Vault of Horror." HBO carried the show for seven years, 1989 through 1996, and it grew to 7 seasons and 93 episodes. Each episode presented a standalone story, often with a twist ending and elements of dark humor. The show was hosted by the Cryptkeeper, a wisecracking corpse to whom John Kassir gave his voice. Airing on the premium cable channel HBO allowed the series to include more explicit content, such as graphic violence, sexual situations, and strong language. Many renowned actors appeared in the series, including William Sadler, Patricia Arquette, Timothy Dalton, Kirk Douglas, Tim Curry, Whoopi Goldberg, Steve Buscemi, Lea Thompson, Demi Moore, Brad Pitt, Christopher Reeve, Martin Sheen, Dan Aykroyd, Michael J. Fox, Brooke Shields, Joe Pesci, Ewan McGregor, Daniel Craig, and Arnold Schwarzenegger. The series received critical acclaim and became a cult classic in the horror genre. It also inspired several films and an animated spin-off, "Tales from the Cryptkeeper."