Staired in Horror (14 Dec. 1994)

Fugitive Clyde is on the lam from an angry mob. He seeks refuge in a decrepit old mansion owned by an elderly woman. Unbeknownst to Clyde, said creepy abode has an unusual curse attached to it.

Director:

Stephen Hopkins

Writers:

Teller (screenplay), Colman deKay (screenplay)

Stars:

D.B. Sweeney, Rachel Ticotin, R. Lee Ermey

Cast

Episode cast overview:
D.B. Sweeney	...	Clyde
Rachel Ticotin	...	Charbonnet / Lilian
R. Lee Ermey	...	Sheriff
John Kassir	...	Crypt Keeper (voice)

Storyline

Fugitive Clyde is on the lam from an angry mob. He seeks refuge in a decrepit old mansion owned by an elderly woman. Unbeknownst to Clyde, said creepy abode has an unusual curse attached to it.

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime | Horror | Mystery | Thriller

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 December 1994 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

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

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

User Reviews

OK Tales from the Crypt episode.

Tales from the Crypt: Staired in Horror starts late one night as wanted thief & murderer Clyde Woodrow (D.B. Sweeney) tricks his way into elderly woman Charbonnet's (Rachel Ticotin) house while on the run from the local Sheriff (R. Lee Emery) & his men. Clyde sees an old defenceless woman whom he can steal from & use to make good his escape from the law, however the house has a terrible secret that will ultimately be his undoing...

This Tales from the Crypt story was episode 9 from season 6, directed by Stephen Hopkins this is probably the worst of the three episodes he directed the others being the great Beauty Rest (1992) from season four & the excellent Abra Cadaver (1991) from season three. The script was written by Colman deKay & bizarrely Teller from Penn and Teller extreme comedy magic routine 'fame' & was based on a story from 'The Vault of Horror' comic book, one has to say that while Staired in Horror is a pleasant enough way to pass twenty five minutes if you like the show or short horror anthology in general there's nothing overly special about it. The story feels a little flat, the whole curse placed on the stairwell in the house is quite cool but not much is done with it & the ironic ending with the bad guy Clyde becoming what he hates the most feels a little routine & predictable. I mean it's just another 'just desserts' type ending isn't it? The whole episode takes place in the same house, there's no variety to it, the whole episode is basically a build up to the twist ending which you can see coming before it happens & the whole episode is just underwhelming & a bit disappointing although by the middle of season six Tales from the Crypt as a series was getting stale & most of the good source material had been used.

As already mentioned the entire episode takes place in a single house, the set is very good with lots of detail & the whole thing is lit with a warm yellow tint from both the moon light coming in through the windows & candles burning in the house. It looks nice enough anyway. The gore levels are none existent, there are some good old age make-up prosthetics but not a single drop of blood in the entire episode. Another aspect of Staired in Horror which makes it a bit routine is that it's not scary & there's no atmosphere, there's no real horror in it, there's no blood or gore, it's not funny or amusing & despite some moody photography it feels flat like the production team didn't quite know how to play it. An experienced set of actor's do a decent job here especially distinctive character actor R. Lee Emery whose recent works include The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003) remake & it's sequel The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning (2006).

Staired in Horror is an average Tales from the Crypt episode, by the time season six was airing it had become clear the show wasn't what it once was but this is still perfectly watchable at least if rather uninspiring.