The horror pulps viewed through Serling's prism

I agree with those who said that this pilot is much better than most of the subsequent series--it's better written and more interesting.

Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA

Please! If there is a god, let him show himself now! Get me into the picture! I must get into the picture! Please, please! God, Christ, anyone! Get me into the picture! I must get into the picture!

Norma Crane and Richard Kiley in Pilot (1969)

Ossie Davis and Roddy McDowall in Pilot (1969)

Sam Jaffe and Richard Kiley in Pilot (1969)

Joan Crawford

Ossie Davis

Richard Kiley

Rod Serling

A seemingly haunted painting drives a greedy man insane. A rich blind woman gets a new pair of eyes that allow her to see for only one brief ironic moment. An idyllic painting gives a Nazi war criminal in hiding some fleeting comf...

Boris Sagal

Barry Shear

Steven Spielberg

Pilot

The horror pulps viewed through Serling&apos;s prism

Serling performs a refining act on the &quot;Tales from the Crypt&quot;-brand of horror with this grim triptych. Each story is a little morality tale in the style of &quot;The Twilight Zone,&quot; but instead of that series&apos; sense of surreal wonder, the focus is now firmly on the macabre. The plotlines follow the model of the 1950s horror pulp comics, with characters spoiling for their comeuppance: a black-sheep nephew suffers a revenge beyond the grave after murdering his rich uncle; a ruthless blind woman blackmails a surgeon into performing a transplant using the eyes of a desperate bum; a war criminal finds what he thinks is respite from his pursuers when he is miraculously transported into a museum painting. The rest is pure Serling, though, with sharply drawn characters, stylish dialogue, and his characteristic final twist of irony. The execution is first rate, with a terrific cast, good production values (music, editing, photography), and inventive visuals from directors Boris (&quot;The Omega Man&quot;) Sagal, Barry (&quot;Across 110th Street&quot;) Shear, and Steven Spielberg (in his maiden effort).

Serling performs a refining act on the "Tales from the Crypt"-brand of horror with this grim triptych. Each story is a little morality tale in the style of "The Twilight Zone," but instead of that series' sense of surreal wonder, the focus is now firmly on the macabre. The plotlines follow the model of the 1950s horror pulp comics, with characters spoiling for their comeuppance: a black-sheep nephew suffers a revenge beyond the grave after murdering his rich uncle; a ruthless blind woman blackmails a surgeon into performing a transplant using the eyes of a desperate bum; a war criminal finds what he thinks is respite from his pursuers when he is miraculously transported into a museum painting. The rest is pure Serling, though, with sharply drawn characters, stylish dialogue, and his characteristic final twist of irony. The execution is first rate, with a terrific cast, good production values (music, editing, photography), and inventive visuals from directors Boris ("The Omega Man") Sagal, Barry ("Across 110th Street") Shear, and Steven Spielberg (in his maiden effort).

A seemingly haunted painting drives a greedy man insane. A rich blind woman gets a new pair of eyes that allow her to see for only one brief ironic moment. An idyllic painting gives a Nazi war criminal in hiding some fleeting comfort.

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Pilot

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