Tales From The Crypt (EOTWS)

End Of The Week Shorts #52 extract: Tales From The Crypt (1972)

An episodic horror film that features a selection of shorts depicting the fatal sins of a group of sight-seers. 

I've said this before, and I'll say it again, I don't see much reason or purpose in episodic films--I'm just not a fan of them. So often inviting qualitative comparison before providing a cohesive narrative and a full set of characters, the episodic film is usually a set of mini-spectacles that would benefit more from elaboration as opposed to juxtaposition with other shorts. In being directed by just Freddie Francis, Tales From The Crypt is better, aesthetically and stylistically, unified than other films featuring multiple directors. This provides the opportunity for thematic resonance across the different shorts, and this is arguably achieved quite well with the latter, stronger shorts. Ultimately, the glue keeping the shorts together is rather weak, leaving you with only an ok film.