Shudder Day: 'Tales From the Crypt'- The Pilot Episode

 It's about time this happened, boys and ghouls!

Tales from the Crypt is now available on Shudder (1 Season at a time).

Let's check out the very first Episode/Pilot...

In this Episode, a guy takes his job to the next level.

What happens to...

The Cryptkeeper is here to introduce the tale.

He does his puns, but he sounds...off.  
I'm sure it is just a case of a Voice Actor finding the Character.

William Sadler- who has been in nearly every Tales from the Crypt thing I've covered so far- is the guy who runs and uses the Electric Chair in a Prison.

He talks to the Audience like he's Deadpool, which is weird when we already have a Narrator.

He's happy until he's laid off when Capital Punishment is abolished in the State.

A bad guy apparently killed someone, but gets off on a legal technicality.

Sadler is watching in the Gallery and tells us that he's going to get justice.

He sets a trap and electrocutes the guy, getting 'justice.'

Another pair of shady people- including famous 'That Guy' Gerrit Graham- get away with murder.

After a bit of nudity (from her, of course), Sadler electrocutes them in a hot tub.

He then tells us that he has no problem getting women.

This is as he plans to kill an Exotic Dancer who spurned him...before he's caught by the Police.

Life goes full circle as he's convicted, sent to jail and then executed in the electric chair (as the State brought back the death penalty).

The End.

A strong start to the Show.

That said, I do wonder a bit about this setup.
Having the Cryptkeeper introduce the Story and THEN have Sadler as a mostly omniscient Narrator was a weird choice.

He's also talking to us until he's caught, so is he just crazy...or are we?

I do really enjoy William Sadler, so I'm not really going to complain too much about more of him.  This one was also Directed by Walter Hill, which explains the quality here.

This is before they reunited for 1992's Trespass.

The tale is a pretty simple one and works because Sadler is just so charismatic.  You can see the arc (accidentally made an electricity pun) coming a mile away.

It's not the greatest of twists, but it works.
Oh, and this is based on one of the Comics- The Crypt of Terror #17 from 1950.

A strong, if oddly shot Episode.  Itis a good update to an old Story, showing the potential of the Show in the future (our past).