It's Showtime Boils and Ghouls!

I remember watching Tales From the Crypt when i was little, since the show was filmed in the early 90's. I was scared to death of the creepy skeleton man that narrated the show. Of course that was my most memorable experience with the series and the actual scripted episodes never made a lasting impression.

Here I am once again, it's late at night and I'm ready to snuggle up with what Netflix names as my favorite movie of all time. To explain how Netflix works, for those who don't have this "ultimate mindreader," there is a listing of top ten movie suggestions at the top of the web page. These suggestions are taken from a cumulation of films previously viewed. For example, if you mostly watch documentaries, most of your suggestions will be documentary related films. For diversity, I have strategically watched an even amount of different genres that Netflix offers, of course all to my liking. So back to my snuggled up evening: I cheated a little on this one because I started off my Netflix challenge thinking I would only pick the suggestions that I could watch instantly; I also planned on only watching the full-length flims that were in my suggestions. Well... I splurged and had this late-night thriller, television show mailed. Earlier in the day I had rushed to my mailbox to pull out the infamous seasons of Tales From the Crypt.  One disc provides one season; the season Netflix thought I would like best was Season 2.


As the first episode started in the series I was reluctant to get my hopes up when I saw the filming quality and the drab scenery that emcompassed the 90's. The skeleton narrator was not nearly as scary, almost somewhat amusing. About five minutes into the episode I was regretting my decision to go with a television series and I was even more regretting the fact that I had it come in the mail. I realized that I had found a movie in my top ten suggestions that Netflix had gotten wrong. Until...

Ten minutes into the episode, somehow, against my will, I was captured in the tale of an elaborate love story gone bad. How could I be so interested in such a cheesy plot line? How could I have my remote in hand anxiously awaiting the next episode; and then I realized... THIS is why I loved Tales From the Crypt. This is why Netflix, once again, read my mind.

The plots of the episodes are entirely filled with wit, irony, and contradictions, also laced with dark humor. For instance, {episode spoiler ahead} in one episode, this man and wife are taken to a cabin by their dear "friend" to enjoy their wedding anniversary. The husband is an alcoholic and gets drunk and stays in the cabin while his wife mysteriously goes around town with their male friend who provided the cabin. The husband begins to get suspicions of the relationship between the two. While the wife is out with the "friend" he hunts through her belongings. He finds a lacey lingerie outfit and supposes that it must be for the friend. The friend and wife come back from their trip and everyone goes to bed. The husband wakes up in the middle of the night to find that his wife and the "friend" are sitting in the living room talking. He hears them discuss how the "issue should not be brought up" and they "don't want to let him know yet." The husband, as he should, assumes that they talking about their love affair. He gets drunk and blabbers to his wife later in the night how all he wanted to do was have a baby with her but now its over. He does not tell her he thinks she is having an affair. She doesn't understand and "goes for a walk."

Meanwhile as the wife is walking, the "friend" meets with the husband and ultimately the husband ends up brutally killing the friend because, of course, he thinks the "friend" is banging his wife. Well, the enraged husband hunts for his wife waiting for his next kill. He finds her. He kills her. He then drags her to the storage cabin located in the back of the property, where the friend has been staying. He opens the door and... SURPRISE! His family and loved ones are gathered together to celebrate not only the couple's anniversary but also, the new expectance of a baby boy. The husband stands in the entrance, dead wife in hand.

Just an example of the many episodes that have the same characteristics. I went crazy over season 2 and Netflix pinned me once again. The season ends with a little good-bye from the narrator, and as he says, "Until next time BOILS AND GHOULS!"