Tales from the Crypt (TV Series) Mournin' Mess (1991) User Reviews

A top tale from the crypt.

[poolandrews · 8/10 · 18 March 2007]

Tales from the Crypt: Mournin' Mess starts as a homeless man named Robert (Vincent Schiavelli) investigates his friend Dancer's (Stack Pierce) screams only to find his severed hand... Wanted for Dancer's & several other homeless people's murder Robert contacts lousy newspaper reporter Dale Sweeney (Steven Weber) who has just been fired so he's after a big story, Robert wants Dale to write an article revealing the true homeless killer but is killed later that night before he can tell Dale the truth. However before he was killed Robert talked about a homeless charity called the 'Dignified Homeless', Dale does a little investigating himself & discovers a shocking secret...

This Tales from the Crypt story was episode 10 from season 3, written & directed by Manny Coto I liked Mournin' Mess a lot. The script was based on a story from the 'Tales from the Crypt' comic book & it isn't too far from in style & substance the segment entitled 'Midnight Mess' featured in the cracking British horror anthology film The Vault of Horror (1973), anyway I really liked this story as it's a nice little horror tale with a dark sense of humour & a satisfying twist ending. As with most Tales from the Crypt episodes this one moves along at a nice pace & never bores but it's the actual story which impresses here with a great macabre & morbid little tale that will last longer in the memory than most Tales from the Crypt stories, a great full blooded horror that's lots of fun to watch. The Crypt Keeper (John Kassir) opening & closing segments are cool here as he does a spot of cooking & indulges in some flesh eating all while maintaining the high standard of his jokes & puns.

This is another good looking episode that's well made, Mournin' Mess is as gory an episode of Tales from the Crypt I've seen with severed limbs, ripped off ears, badly mutilated corpses & a load of blood splatter. The acting is good but there's no 'names' in this one.

Mournin' Mess is easily one of the best stories from season 3 so far & I reckon it's well worth a watch if you have a twisted taste in TV!

"You look good enough to eat!"

[Foreverisacastironmess123 · 8/10 · 18 December 2015]

A mysterious butcher of the homeless is running amok and an unscrupulous reporter thinks that he can get ahold of a sicko scoop and hit it big - much to his cost! The "Grateful Homeless Outcasts and Unwanteds Lawaway Society." I must admit that is one pretty clever and awesome acronym they thought of! Of course noticing it does immediately tend to spoil any chance of not seeing the twist in the tale coming a mile off.. Ghouls as a mythological monster of legend are very vague, weird, and spooky, with most descriptions traditionally having them as the twisted descended spawn of evil insane men who feasted on the buried flesh of the dead... And this incarnation is a good one, even if technically they don't appear until the final scene. Their design is pretty scary as is the way they behave like degenerate aristocrats, that whole unsettling kind of vibe.. This episode has a bit of a creepy tone, the way that they're like a cult that disguises themselves as humans and are only pretending to be a benevolent charity organisation that offers burial for the homeless because they want to eat them! It's got some terrific set pieces, I love the secret underground tunnels below the cemetery and the macabrely elegant dining room. The sadly lost but forever great Vincent Schiavelli features and brings a lot with his trademark edgy neurotic crazy man routine as a bum accused of murder that knows who the real monstrous fiends responsible are and who dies trying to show Steve Weber's scuzzy reporter the ghastly truth. I love him in it, he was always just so naturally funny and he was such a wonderfully odd treasure of a man! He was a true character. He's certainly my favourite one in this tale. Weber is okay as a not particularly sympathetic type of guy who gets in way over his head and ends up as dinner for one wicked lady and her friends in an excellent closing scene that is one of the show's scariest ever. Heh, when you watch it again it's so gross when he has a romantic encounter with the woman. and you know what it is he's actually f*****g! So to me this episode doesn't exactly shine and isn't one of my favourites, but it's still one of the many tales that you can see again and again and still be easily entertained by. Such was the magic of the Crypt!

Another episode good on paper, but gross in its execution

[bellino-angelo2014 · 6/10 · 19 June 2021]

The episode begins with two homeless persons (one of the two played by Vincent Schiavelli) that walk in an alley at night. When Schiavelli returns from a walk, he finds only the chopped-off hand of his friend and he is accused of being the notorious Homeless' Butcher. The day after there is a conference held by the Mayor where he announces the foundation of the GHOULS (Grateful Homeless Outcasts and Unwanted Layaway Society) that should help homeless people and finally stop the killing spree. Young reporter Dale Sweeney wants to make a scoop out of the Homeless Butcher's capture and tries to find out everything about him (with also some help from Schiavelli until is found dead) and will also end up in a terrifying conspiracy held by the Mayor and his cohorts.

I was liking the episode and was even scoring it a 8. However, as I arrived to the part of Dale in the underground, I was nearly grossed out when he ended up in the caskey with Schiavelli's decaying body and also when they all turn into ghouls. My verdict: just because is an horror show, it doesn't necessarily mean that you can put a feast of gross images while the episode is good on paper.

Small tribute to the great Vincent Schiavelli

[Coventry · 2 February 2006]

Recently, a great and hugely charismatic actor named Vincent Schiavelli passed away the rather young age of 57 years old. Schiavelli was a very underrated actor, who appeared in over 150 films and TV-shows, but he nearly always played supportive roles or appeared in cameos and therefore he never got the credit he really deserved. Yet, his starring was always memorable because he played eccentric characters in his very own and unique style. From his entire and versatile repertoire, one of my favorite Vincent Schiavelli roles has got to be in the legendary Tales from the Crypt episode called "Mournin' Mess". Here he plays a homeless guy who's wanted for murder, but he discovers a morbid conspiracy that camouflages itself as a charitable institution. He then tips off unemployed journalist Steven Weber who hopes to have a scoop with the story. Vincent Schiavelli only appears in two extended sequences, but he looks genuinely scary with his bizarre eyes and untidy hygiene. Many Coto (writer and director of the outrageous mini-classic "Dr. Giggles") solidly directed the episode that also contains a couple of cheerful gore-effects and a delightfully absurd twist in the end. Vincent Schiavelli played in several important cinema milestones, such as "One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest", "Amadeus" and "Ghost", but we certainly won't forget the smaller, more horror-oriented parts he played. This comment is for you, Vincent

Made me fear for my own life

[SleepTight666 · 9/10 · 18 October 2009]

After a few duds, the show is back in shape and delivers one of the best episodes until now.

This is one of the very few episodes that actually freaks me out. There were a few jumpy moments that made me fear for my own life.

The main lead is also great, the story is basically about a reporter/journalist trying to figure out who is killing homeless people.

In the end, he gets eaten up by ghouls. The make-up was excellent! Definitely one of the best looking episodes yet. The humor was sharp and the gore was at it's best. Definitely a classic!

Such a great episode

[nahumada-32238 · 10/10 · 7 November 2022]

Still one of the best of season 3. Remember the scene at the end freaked me out as a kid. Such a great storyline and such a great twist also. More gore than you would see in many episodes. Tales from the crypt was such a feel good show for me as a kid. I remember watching it every week in hbo with the famed theme song playing before every episode. Just hearing it now takes me back big time. They don't make shows like this anymore let me tell you. A damn classic! Ironically, the eating people thing...this episode came out a little more than a week after the dahmer murders came to light. The irony.

A taste for homeless flesh. A ghouls feast!

[blanbrn · 8/10 · 16 March 2008]

"Mournin'Mess" is another episode from season three that's well done and acted just right and the ending has another surprise twist. This episode also has good star power with Ally Walker, Rita Wilson, and Steven Weber. Weber stars as an alcoholic and low life sleazy womanizer who's latest story and mystery involves who is killing all of the city's homeless people. As one by one homeless people are turning up dead. Then a plan develops from a group of ex homeless people of a layaway society for homeless in you guessed it a cemetery! So go figure you may already know what's in store. The Weber characters sneaky reporter snoops around a little to much and to hard for his own good. As in the end his life becomes a big feast munched on by ghouls! Overall pretty well done and gory crypt episode.

Underrated

[shellytwade · 9/10 · 7 April 2022]

You don't often see this episode being talked about as being one of the best TFTC episodes but I really think it is. A great sense of foreboding mystery lingers over the whole thing and the twist is a true knockout. I actually picture this working as a full length movie but as it stands here, it's wickedly fun.

Nifty episode

[Woodyanders · 8/10 · 28 April 2011]

No-count sleazeball newspaper reporter Dale Sweeney (well played by Steven Weber) uncovers more than he bargained for when he researches a scoop about a cemetery and a mysterious charitable organization that disposes of the corpses of deceased vagrants. Writer/director Manny Coto relates the compelling story at a quick pace, does a sound job of creating and maintaining a creepy enigmatic atmosphere (the grimy back alley location in particular projects a genuine sense of spooky menace), and whips up a real doozy of a dark and twisted surprise ending. This episode further benefits from fine acting by the capable cast: the fetching Rita Wilson is appropriately sultry and enticing as attractive charity spokesperson Jess Gilchrist, Vincent Schiavelli contributes a top-notch portrayal as desperate homeless man Robert, and the always commanding Stack Pierce has a nice small role as ill-fated ailing bum Dancer. Moreover, there are a few cool moments of graphic splatter, with Sweeney meeting a satisfyingly nasty demise at the gruesome conclusion. Robert Draper's slick cinematography gives this tale a neat glossy look. Nicholas Pike's shivery score does the spine-tingling trick. A very solid and effective episode.