A 2004 Art Documentary by Chip Shelby. Produced by CS Films Inc. for American Movie Classics, narrated by Simon Arnstein.
When William M. Gaines took over Entertaining Comics (EC) in 1947, the company was nothing special. That all changed three yea…
A 2004 Art Documentary by Chip Shelby. Produced by CS Films Inc. for American Movie Classics, narrated by Simon Arnstein.
When William M. Gaines took over Entertaining Comics (EC) in 1947, the company was nothing special. That all changed three years later 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 exceptional writing and art would raise the level of comic book storytelling to heights that had never been reached before - or since. By 1954, however, the company found itself under attack from parents who considered the magazines too violent for children.
Critics tried to link horror comics to juvenile delinquency and the U.S. Senate held televised hearings on the matter. The resulting backlash nearly killed the comic book industry. 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. But his legendary comics quickly acquired collector's item status, and in the mid-1970's, publisher Russ Cochran began reprinting them in 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. This documentary, originally aired in truncated form on American Movie Classics, 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.
