Tales from the Crypt – Season 1 Episode 2 – And All Through the House
Christmas Eve isn’t going particularly well for poor Elizabeth. Having just murdered her husband for the insurance money, she is busy disposing of the body when her (laughable) plans are interrupted by an escaped psychiatric patient dressed up as Santa Claus. As the homicidal maniac stalks the neighbourhood, Elizabeth and her daughter find themselves trapped in a nightmare situation. Unfortunately for her, she has to survive the night, protect her child and avoid being caught for the crime she has already committed.
If there is one episode from the first season that demonstrates exactly why Tales from the Crypt became such a late night favourite, it’s this one. Directed by Robert Zemeckis, the man behind Back to the Future and Who Framed Roger Rabbit, this episode is a wonderfully twisted Christmas nightmare that combines suspense, dark comedy and a healthy dose of seasonal bloodshed.
The premise is just simple, and the episode wastes little time getting to the good stuff. Establishing Elizabeth as anything but an innocent victim already breaks the cliche, but that doesn’t stop us from becoming invested in her increasingly desperate attempts to survive.
Mary Ellen Trainor is excellent as Elizabeth, delivering a perfectly weighted, frantic performance that makes every close call feel entertainingly exciting. She has a particularly impressive set of lungs, too. My wife remarked that Larry Drake’s escaped killer was exactly what she imagined a homicidal lunatic dressed as Santa Claus would look like, which I have to agree with. Drake strikes a wonderfully unsettling balance and whilst the character is all but mute, you get him.
Zemeckis is inventively fun. The Christmas setting provides a cheerful backdrop against which the violence feels even more grotesque, while they are confined to one location, Elizabeth’s home becomes a trap. Festive decorations, snow and the promise of Christmas cheer become part of a distinctly fun little slasher.
As part and parcel of Tales from the Crypt, the episode never loses sight of the fact that she is responsible for her own predicament, and its blackly comic climax delivers precisely the kind of punchline the series would become best known for.
This is easily my favourite episode of Season 1. It is tightly constructed, wonderfully acted and just the right balance of horror and fun. More importantly, it understands that a good Tales from the Crypt story needs more than blood and a twist, we have a protagonist whose downfall is both entertaining and deserved.
