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Tales from the Crypt: From Comic Books to Television! 2004. Added by: joachim (7/17/12, 5:12 PM) Last edited by: joachim (4/22/13, 9:36 PM) |
Resource type: Film Language: en: English BibTeX citation key: Selby2004 Email resource to friend View all bibliographic details |
Categories: General Keywords: Documentary film, DVD, EC, Horror, USA Creators: Selby |
Views: 16/955
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Attachments | URLs http://www.cryptdvd.com/ |
Abstract |
When William M. Gaines took over Entertaining Comics (EC) in 1947, the company was nothing special. That all changed one day in 1950 when Gaines and editor Al Feldstein decided to write horror stories. Kids and teens went wild over Feldstein’s ghoulish host, the Crypt Keeper, and sales of the books went through the roof. EC’s quality writing and exceptional art would raise the level of comic book storytelling to heights that had never been reached before – or since.
By 1954, however, EC found itself under attack from parents who considered the magazines too violent for children. A book titled Seduction of the Innocent was published that year which tried to link horror comics to juvenile delinquency. The U.S. Senate held televised hearings on the issue. The resulting backlash nearly killed the comic book industry. In an effort to save themselves, many publishers banded together and created their own brand of censorship – the Comics Code Authority – which banned horror comics. Gaines was forced to fold the EC line. The CRYPT KEEPER Lives! EC’s horror comics quickly acquired collector’s item status, and in the mid-1970’s, publisher Russ Cochran, a devoted EC fan, began reprinting them in handsomely-bound hardcover volumes. The Cochran reprints soon caught the eye of Hollywood mega-producer Joel Silver, himself an EC fan, who created an anthology television series for HBO based on the comic book stories. Tales from the Crypt, and its host, the Crypt Keeper, became pop culture icons. Tales from the Crypt: From Comic Books to Television tells the story of these famous, controversial and influential comic books. In addition, several authors and film directors, including John Carpenter, George A. Romero, Joel Silver and R.L. Stine, discuss how EC’s horror comics inspired their work. Clips from such feature films as The Fog, Creepshow and Night of the Living Dead, as well as the Tales from the Crypt television series, are used to demonstrate this influence. The DVD is packed with more than 3 hours of bonus material, including the first-ever roundtable discussion between EC Editor/Artist Al Feldstein and legendary science fiction author Ray Bradbury (who had many of his short stories adapted by EC), and never-before-seen interviews with several EC artists, including Al Williamson. Added by: joachim Last edited by: joachim |