Tales from the Crypt (TV Series) Dead Wait (1991) User Reviews

Good tale from the crypt.

[poolandrews · 7/10 · 14 April 2007]

Tales from the Crypt: Dead Wait is set on a Caribbean island where murderous thief & con man Red Buckley (James Remar) convinces rich plantation owner Emil Duval (John Rhys-Davies) to give him a job, however Buckley has ulterior motives as he wants to steal a precious jewel known as the Blcak Pearl from Duval. Buckley also falls in love with Duval's wife Katherine (Vanity) who also wants to steal the pearl, one night as a fight between rebels & the island's army breaks out they sense their chance to steal the pearl & make their getaway but it doesn't end up being that simple for either of them...

This Tales from the Crypt story was episode 6 from season 3, directed by Tobe Hooper I liked Dead Wait. The script by the show's regular producer & story editor Gilbert Adler & A L Katz was based on a story in 'The Vault of Horror' comic book & is a nice dark morality tale of various unpleasant people getting what they deserve & the basic principal money isn't everything. This one doesn't have a comic edge but it does have it's fair share of double crosses & a decent if unspectacular twist ending along with a couple of nasty gore scenes. I loved the closing Crypt Keeper (John Kassir) segment on this one where he becomes a talk show host & actually tries to interview guest star Whoopi Goldberg in a funny few closing minutes.

At just over 30 minutes in length Dead Wait is slightly longer than the usual Tales from the Crypt episode although it's well made as usual & has decent enough production values along with some good gore. There's a decapitation, a headless chicken, a severed rams head & a pretty gross scene where someone's stomach is sliced open & the gaping wound is full of worms. The acting is good by an impressive cast.

Dead Wait is another good tale from the crypt that while isn't quite up there with the very best it's not too far behind, well worth a watch.

A nice enough episode starring Whoopi

[SleepTight666 · 6/10 · 25 July 2009]

A nice enough episode starring Whoopi. It is the very first episode with an actor on the show appearing together with the Crypt Keeper.

The story is about a criminal looking for a pearl somewhere in Africa. There wasn't really a great story behind it, and the twist wasn't all too surprising. But what makes this episode fun was Whoopi and the gore. It is one of the goriest episodes yet. There is a headless chicken and Duval being sliced open full of worms.

The acting was all right, but would not consider it to be great. Especially with such a great cast. The dialog is mainly forgettable and the effects are so-so. Still, a fun episode.

Decent episode even with his scary scenes

[bellino-angelo2014 · 7/10 · 19 June 2021]

The story is set on a Caribbean island. Red Buckley, a murderous thief and con man named this way because of his hair colour; he also try to convince rich plantation owner Emil Duval to give him a job, but as an excuse to steal the precious Black Pearl since Red wants to sell it for achieving the money. Buckley also falls in love with Duval's gorgeous wife Katherine who is also interested in the pearl and while one night there is a fight on the island between the rebels and the army they see this as a chance for stealing the pearl, but it won't be easy as they thought as a mysterious priestess (Whoopie Goldberg) is scheming while lying and waiting.

There were some gross scenes (such as the one when Red and Katherine search the pearl inside Duval's stomach and there are also lots of worms, and also the one where the Priestess chops Red's head off and we see the attachment of his cut neck) but they didn't turned me off (probably because I loved ABRA CADAVER). It's a nice episode despite this, and check Whoopie's reactions to the Crypt Keeper's questions at the end!

Voodoo-Whoopi!

[Coventry · 8 March 2006]

"Dead Wait" is a strong contender for the price of BEST "Tales from the Crypt"-episodes of all the seven seasons! This tale has pretty much everything: an adventurous plot, quite a lot of gore and an impressive list of cast members. The man in the director's chair of course adds a lot of value as well. Tobe Hooper, creator of the undeniable horror milestone "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre", delivers a fun and exciting story that revolves on voodoo, treasure-hunting and icky tropical diseases. Small but ambitious thug Red Buckley plans to steal the famous black pearl possessed by island plantation-owner Duval. He infiltrates the mansion, seduces Duval's sexy wife and hopes to get off the island just in time before the rebels take over command. There are several obstacles, however, like Duval's dedication to the pearl and a peculiar voodoo priestess who's interested in Red's hair… Hooper's career may have been simmering since the mid-80's, but this horror episode was a modest highlight in between several inferior long-feature films ("The Mangler", "Night Terror", "I'm Dangerous Tonight"...). James Remar and John Rhys-Davies are both pretty good but the most memorable part is for Whoopi Goldberg as the voodoo priestess. For all you gore-lovers out there, this episode features a decapitation and a truly nasty autopsy (sort of…)

"Your head must have a very special spirit..."

[Foreverisacastironmess123 · 7/10 · 31 July 2015]

This is a tale that you might say, is all about getting a head! It focuses on a conniving thief who has a good head on his shoulders and is willing to do whatever it takes to get what he wants. Nevertheless on his latest duplicitous endeavour to steal a priceless black pearl, he does end up getting, a little ahead of himself - there we go!! This is definitely not one of the most sparkling Crypt episodes to date, the plot just has no real momentum to it and it never takes off that much, if at all. It's just pretty standard stuff that just doesn't compare to the real champion episodes of the third season like "Abra Cadaver", "Carrion Death", "Top Billing", etc.. But I don't know, to me at this point the series was hitting its stride in such a strong way that was so wonderfully living up to macabre fun spirit of the original comics that it was always meant to, that even the most mundane of stories are still very enjoyable to watch. It's nice and all how it's directed by Tobe Hooper, but you'd never notice that by watching it, nothing about it specifically screams out his name. We don't get so much as a chainsaw! John Ryhs Davies is effective as the sickly owner of a plantation on a tropical island that just happens to be in the throes of revolution. I always like him because he's been in tons of stuff for years, but even when he's playing smaller roles like this he always gives it his all. I really love the part where they have to cut open his corpse and dig around in his worm-infested guts for the pearl. That's easily the best part of the episode, it's so gross and vile and it makes you go eww! I think Whoopee Goldberg was a little wasted in it, because she plays it completely straight-faced and is kind of boring. I know that she could've played it a lot more crazy, I've seen Ghost! She cuts such a commanding figure with her striking dark features with just a hint of wry humour. I've always liked her a lot, she's really cool! I like how at the end she takes his head as the trophy and just tosses the pearl away like a worthless rock. And in the closing scene at the very-very end where she appears as herself with the Cryptkeeper is fun, as she finally does what everyone's been waiting for and corrects him on his lovably-terrible macabre puns, then tells him to shut up! Okay episode, not great but very worth seeing. See ya!

Quite good episode!

[TalesfromTheCryptfan · 7/10 · 23 November 2017]

Red Buckley (James Remar) is a natural red headed treasure seeker in search of a one-of-a-kind black pearl. He finds a job on an island plantation owned by Mr. Duval (Jonathan Rhys-Davies) where the pearl is said to be. Shown to his room in Duvall's home by Voodoo mistress Peligre (Whoopie Goldberg), he finds a ram head behind the door. She says it is there for his protection but he demands it be removed. After spending a night with Duvall's girlfriend, Kathrine (Vanity), they decide to become partners in stealing the pearl and bad things are gonna happen.

A highly enjoyable episode, not one of the best ones but still one of the more enjoyable ones. Tobe Hooper who directed The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Poltergeist directed this episode and has an EC feel to it, the script is very good and the performances are solid even Remar and the ever sexy Vanity. There is some suspense and some gore in this episode even surprises, at the end of the Crypt wraparound segment Whoopie Goldberg herself guest stars besides playing Peligre,

TOBE!

[BandSAboutMovies · 7/10 · 26 April 2024]

"Welcome aboard, fright-seers! Looking for a little hell-iday fun? You've come to the right place! We specialize in all sorts of hackage tours! (cackles) So what will it be? A few days in a scream park? Or would you like me to book you into a nice, quiet dead and breakfast? Or perhaps you'd like to go treasure haunting like my friend, Red. He wants to steal a priceless black pearl in a tasteless tidbit I call: "Dead Wait.""

Red Buckley (James Remar) and his partner Charlie (Paul Anthony Weber) have been planning to steal a black pearl from plantation owner Emilie Duvall (John Rhys-Davies). There's not much time, because the island where Duvall lives is about to be taken over by a revolution. So Red kills Charlies as they argue and decides to get the pearl for himself. He then meets Emilie at a bar - he's pretty sickly, as he's filled with water worms that have carved tunnels through his skin - along with the man's much younger wife Kathrine (Vanity), who seduces the crook and they decide to kill her husband and split the pearl. The problem? Emilie has a worker named Peligre (Whoopi Goldberg) who does voodoo and plans on taking care of Red.

If you're wondering how gross this one is going to get, well, Emilie has swallowed the pearl and Red has to dig through his worm-filled corpse to find it. That's what you get when Tobe Hooper directs! But seriously, this is an intriguing episode.

It was written by Gilbert Adler, who also wrote Children of the Corn II: The Final Sacrifice and directed and wrote Bordello of Blood.

There's also a scene afterward where the Crypt Keeper has a talk show and interviews Whoopi.

Crypt Keeper: Oooh. Talk about being headed off at the pass. We've got a guest, kiddies. Whoopi! It's a pleasure to meet you. I want you to know that I loved your movie The Killer Purple.

Whoopi: That's Color Purple, Crypt Keeper.

Crypt Keeper: Oh! Right. Well, um, congratulations on winning that Academy A-weird.

Whoopi: Well thanks, but it's actually called an Academy Award.

Crypt Keeper: Whatever. Look, it's a pleasure to meet a big star like you.

Whoopi: Now, you're a pretty big star. I mean, I'd love it if you would be in my next film.

Crypt Keeper: Really?

Whoopi: (pulls out a machete) Yeah, it's just a bit part.

Crypt Keeper: I'm flattered!

Whoopi: But you don't know what bit I want.

Crypt Keeper: Well, as long as I don't wind up on the cutting room floor!

Whoopi: (Points the machete at him) Okay!

Crypt Keeper: (Gasps)

Whoopi: (Smiles at the camera)

This episode is based on "Dead Wait!" from Vault of Horror #23. It was written by Al Feldstein and William Gaines and drawn by Jack Davis.

Good.

[shellytwade · 8/10 · 6 April 2022]

Good but a lot of what we see feels like we've seen before on other episodes. It's in a way kind of a greatest hits from episodes in the past. This isn't a bad thing but it doesn't feel totally fresh when you compare it to some of the others that came before this season.

Okay episode

[Woodyanders · 5/10 · 24 March 2011]

Volatile no-count hoodlum Red Buckley (a marvelously edgy and intense performance by James Remar) wants to steal a rare black pearl from ailing, but wealthy plantation owner Duval (smoothly played by John Rhys-Davies). However, Red has to deal with Duval's seductive, yet duplicitous trophy babe Kathrine (the ever luscious Vanity in fine sexy form) and voodoo priestess Peligre (solid work from Whoopi Goldberg in a neat change-of-pace straight part). Despite the sound acting from a tip-top cast, this episode alas fizzles when it should have sizzled thanks to Tobe Hooper's bland direction, a sluggish pace, an insipid and predictable script by Gilbert Adler and Ab Katz, and, most damagingly, an unfortunate lack of tension, energy, and creepy atmosphere. Granted, all the elements for a worthy episode are present and accounted for (sex, gore, an exotic tropical setting, etc.), but they fail to blend together into an effective and satisfying whole. On the plus side, Vanity shows some skin and has a cool sweaty sex scene with Remar and there's a handy helping of hideously explicit splatter. However, you know this yarn just ain't working the way it should have when Whoopi's mock interview with the Cryptkeeper at the show's very end registers more strongly and makes more of an impression than the rest of the show. Watchable, but overall pretty underwhelming and hence instantly forgettable.