Easel Kill Ya (17 Jul. 1991)

Painter Jack Craig gains himself a wealthy patron when he sells a morbid painting. He soon finds that in order to please his patron, he must continue to paint pictures of death - and this leads him down a murderous path.

Director:

John Harrison

Writer:

Larry Wilson (screenplay)

Stars:

Tim Roth, Roya Megnot, Nancy Fish

Cast

Episode cast overview:
Tim Roth	...	Jack Craig
Roya Megnot	...	Sharon
Nancy Fish	...	Landlady
Debra Mooney	...	Ellen
William Atherton	...	Malcolm Mayflower
John Kassir	...	Crypt Keeper (voice)
Stuart Mabray	...	Dr. Mowbray
Mary McKuen	...	Group Leader
Rod Britt	...	Man
Kevin Brief	...	Detective

Storyline

Painter Jack Craig gains himself a wealthy patron when he sells a morbid painting. He soon finds that in order to please his patron, he must continue to paint pictures of death - and this leads him down a murderous path.

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Plot Keywords:

painting | painter | poetic justice | color filter | irony | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime | Horror | Mystery | Thriller

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 July 1991 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Home Box Office (HBO), Tales From The Crypt Holdings

Technical Specs

Runtime:

28 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

User Reviews

Those bloody artists!

This "Tales from the Crypt" episode has a rather random and unoriginal plot but it's entirely saved by Tim Roth's intriguing performance. Roth is a classy British actor so it's somewhat surprising that he agreed to star in this cheesy American TV-show. Nevertheless, he's great as always and he even looks genuinely uncanny from time to time as the down and out painter who lost his inspiration since he stopped drinking. His sexy female AA-colleague wants to help him, but the only way for Jack to re-discover his talent is by making ultra-morbid paintings for a rich and eccentric collector. Of course, in order to make these paintings, Jack has to stage the tableau first, which leads him to bloody murder… The concept of crazy artists using real people for their work is very popular and old. Roger Corman used it in 1960 already for his "Bucket of Blood" and the idea has been imitated ever since. It was to expect that "Tales from the Crypt" would borrow this familiar storyline as well, but the result is nonetheless entertaining. There's a fair amount of gore and even a bit female nudity to admire. The ironic ending is a bit too predictable, though. Next to Tim Roth, there's also the splendid (and hugely underrated) William Atherton as the obsessive art collector. Another great way to kill 25 minutes of your life!