Lust, murder, blackmail—and a very dangerous insurance policy. Fred and Tim explore “The Sacrifice,” Season 2, Episode 7 of HBO’s Tales from the Crypt, in Episode 13 of It Hails From the Crypt!

Our deep dive begins with the original EC Comics story from Shock SuspenStories #10 (1953), plotted by William Gaines and Al Feldstein, scripted by Feldstein, and illustrated by Jack Kamen. We examine its twisted crime-comic roots before digging into how the story made the leap from the printed page to HBO.

Then we unpack the television adaptation, directed by Richard Greenberg and written by crime novelist Ross Thomas. Starring Kim Delaney, Kevin Kilner, Michael Ironside, and Don Hood, “The Sacrifice” follows an insurance salesman whose affair with a wealthy client’s wife leads him into murder and blackmail. We explore the performances, suspense, dark humor, and deadly double-crosses—and compare the episode with its original comic counterpart.

Finally, we dig into our Vault of More for deep-cut recommendations connected to the episode: movies, television, comics, and other discoveries to keep you exploring after the Crypt Keeper closes the coffin.

Spoilers for the original comic and television episode.

EPISODE & IMDb LINKS

“The Sacrifice” — Tales from the Crypt, S2E7
Complete cast and crew

CAST

Kim Delaney — Gloria Fielding
Kevin Kilner — James
Michael Ironside — Jerry
Don Hood — Sebastian Fielding
John Kassir — the voice of the Crypt Keeper

BEHIND THE CAMERA

Richard Greenberg — Director
Ross Thomas — Screenplay
John R. Leonetti — Cinematography
Jonathan Elias — Music

#TalesFromTheCrypt #ECComics #TheThingFromTheGrave

This week on It Hails from the Crypt, hosts Fred and Tim dig up “The Thing from the Grave,” Season 2, Episode 6 of HBO’s Tales from the Crypt — a supernatural tale of obsession, murder, revenge and a mysterious necklace that proves stronger than death.

As always, we begin where Tales from the Crypt began:

📚 THE ORIGINAL EC COMIC

Before “The Thing from the Grave” crawled onto HBO, the story appeared in Tales from the Crypt #22, with artwork and story by legendary EC artist Al Feldstein.

Fred and Tim exhume the original comic, digging into its artwork, storytelling, gruesome imagery and classic EC morality before examining how the story was transformed for television nearly four decades later.

📺 THE HBO ADAPTATION

Then we turn to the 1990 HBO adaptation, directed by Fred Dekker, the cult filmmaker behind Night of the Creeps and The Monster Squad.

Beautiful model Stacy has become trapped in a relationship with her dangerously possessive boyfriend and photographer Mitch. Her friend Devlin promises that if she ever needs him, he'll be there for her — no matter what.

Mitch soon discovers that some promises survive even the grave.

The episode stars Teri Hatcher as Stacy, Miguel Ferrer as Mitch and Kyle Secor as Devlin, with John Kassir providing the unmistakable voice of the Crypt Keeper.

Fred and Tim break down the performances, direction, photography, violence, supernatural revenge and the episode's distinctly late-'80s/early-'90s atmosphere while comparing the HBO adaptation directly with its EC Comics source.

How much did Fred Dekker change? What does the television version gain — or lose — in the transition from lurid 1950s horror comic to HBO? And where does “The Thing from the Grave” fit within the increasingly ambitious second season of Tales from the Crypt?

🔓 THE VAULT OF MORE

Finally, Fred and Tim unlock the Vault of More for another collection of deep-cut recommendations inspired by the episode.

Movies. Television. Comics. Books. Horror history. And whatever other strange artifacts we can drag back from the dead.

If you love Tales from the Crypt, EC Comics, vintage horror comics, HBO horror, supernatural revenge stories, practical effects, cult movies or simply discovering obscure corners of horror history, join us as we dig into “The Thing from the Grave.”

⚰️ EPISODE, CAST & CREW

• Fred Dekker — Director
• Teri Hatcher — Stacy
• Miguel Ferrer — Mitch
• Kyle Secor — Devlin
• John Kassir — The Crypt Keeper
• Tales from the Crypt — Full Cast & Crew

🎙️ IT HAILS FROM THE CRYPT

Join Fred and Tim as they work their way through HBO’s Tales from the Crypt, tracing each episode back to the original EC Comics story that inspired it before opening the Vault of More to uncover movies, television, comics, books and other deep cuts connected to the episode.

Subscribe, leave us a comment, and tell us what you think of “The Thing from the Grave.” How does the HBO version compare with the original EC Comics story?

#TalesFromTheCrypt #TheThingFromTheGrave #ECComics #HorrorPodcast #Horror #HBO #CryptKeeper #FredDekker #TeriHatcher #MiguelFerrer #KyleSecor #JohnKassir #HorrorComics #ClassicHorror #HorrorTV #HorrorMovies #ComicBooks #CultHorror #90sHorror #VaultOfMore #ItHailsFromTheCrypt

It Hails From the Crypt Episode 11: “Three’s a Crowd” | Tales from the Crypt S2E5

Jealousy, paranoia, marital misery and one of the nastiest punchlines Tales from the Crypt ever delivered.

In Episode 11 of It Hails From the Crypt, we tackle “Three’s a Crowd,” Tales from the Crypt Season 2, Episode 5, originally aired May 1, 1990.

And fair warning: this may not be the most politically correct or even the most well-liked trip into the Crypt.

First we go all the way back to EC Comics’ Shock SuspenStories #11 and the original seven-page “…Three’s a Crowd”, plotted by Bill Gaines and Al Feldstein, scripted by Feldstein and illustrated by the great Jack Kamen.

We compare the original 1953 comic with HBO’s 1990 adaptation: what changed, what stayed remarkably faithful, and how expanding a brutally efficient seven-page EC story into a half-hour television episode changes our relationship with Richard, Della and the story’s vicious final revelation.

Gavan O’Herlihy stars as Richard, a down-on-his-luck husband whose marriage to Della (Ruth de Sosa) is already showing some serious cracks when the couple is invited on an anniversary getaway by their wealthy friend Alan (Paul Lieber). Richard soon becomes convinced that his wife and best friend are having an affair behind his back.

We dig into an episode that can be deliberately unpleasant, darkly funny and genuinely uncomfortable, with a protagonist whose attitudes and behavior haven’t exactly become easier to stomach with age. Is “Three’s a Crowd” an underrated piece of pitch-black EC horror? An ugly relic of another era? Or does its ugliness actually make the final twist hit even harder?

We also look at director David Burton Morris, composer Jan Hammer, and the performances that turn what begins as a story of marital jealousy into something considerably darker.

And, as always, we finish by heading deeper underground with our Vault of MORE Recommendations: movies, comics, books and other obscurities connected to the episode’s themes of jealousy, paranoia, murderous husbands, marital horror, fatal misunderstandings and twist endings.

Episode Cast & Crew

🎬 David Burton Morris — Director / Co-Writer
David Burton Morris on IMDb

🎭 Gavan O’Herlihy — Richard
Gavan O’Herlihy on IMDb

🎭 Ruth de Sosa — Della
Ruth de Sosa on IMDb

🎭 Paul Lieber — Alan
Paul Lieber on IMDb

💀 John Kassir — The Crypt Keeper
John Kassir on IMDb

So grab a drink, ignore those suspicious whispers coming from the other room, and join us as we revisit one of the meaner, messier and more divisive episodes of Tales from the Crypt.

Because sometimes three really is a crowd.

#TalesFromTheCrypt #ECComics #HorrorPodcast #ShockSuspenStories #CryptKeeper #HorrorComics #HorrorTV #90sHorror #GavanOHerlihy #JackKamen #ECComicsHorror #HorrorMovies #HorrorFans #HorrorCommunity #ItHailsFromTheCrypt