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Dawn Addams, Terry Alexander, Tom Baker, Ishaq Bux, Erik Chitty ... see more see more... , Michael Craig , Geoffrey Davies , Denholm Elliott , Roy Evans , John Forbes-Robertson , Jasmina Hilton , Edward Judd , Curd Jürgens , Anna Massey , Daniel Massey , Arthur Mullard , Robin Nedwell , Mike Pratt , Marianne Stone , Terry-Thomas , Jerold Wells , John Witty , Glynis Johns , Frank Forsyth

Vault of Horror is the first sequel to 1972's horror hit Tales from the Crypt. It is also known as Tales from the Crypt, Part II. It continues it's predecessor's popular formula of using established s... read more read more...tars in five witty short horror episodes. The first, "Midnight Mass," shows that having a vampire for a relative can be upsetting, to say the least. In "The Neat Job" a nagging neat-freak is neatly nullified. In "This Trick'll Kill You," a colonial overlord learns that it's not safe to steal magic tricks from natives. "Bargain in Death" exposes the greed of two insurance swindlers, and "Drawn and Quartered" takes "The Picture of Dorian Grey" one better. Among the stars appearing in these episodes are Terry-Thomas, Glynnis Johns, Curt Jurgens, Denholm Elliott and Tom Baker. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

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61% liked it

1,916 ratings

R, 1 hr. 25 min.

Directed by: Roy Ward Baker

Release Date: March 16, 1973

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DVD Release Date: September 11, 2007

Stats: 147 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (147)


  • October 8, 2011
    No more then a sequal to the 1972 Movie Tales from the crypt. Some what enjoyable, unless you have watched present day Tales from the crypt. Another almost good Drive In Movie. 3 stars
  • April 30, 2011
    I wanted to see a portmanteau movie... This one was successful in that each of the individual stories is well-paced, no matter how brief the length or scant the plot elements.

    As for the framing device ... The characters' discussions inside The Vault felt eerie enough, since it... read more was difficult to tell what anyone remembered about their real lives. The design of the overhead shots through the vault ceiling are a valiant attempt to modernize the gothic. But the rest of the cinematography consists of hack shots and quick gambits to jolt the audience -- like someone wearing a joy-buzzer and grabbing you by the wrist before you can shake hands.

    "Bargain In Death" is not getting much praise in the comments here, but it has the most unique plot and the real (untelegraphed) surprise of the whole movie. Otherwise, "The Neat Job" makes spectacular use of the energy and precision of the two leads. In "Drawn & Quartered", Tom Baker's presence is scarier than any of the black magic. Also in that episode, the filmmakers try to outdo the gunman's POV from Hitchcock's Spellbound. Don't think there's enough room in that idea to surpass the original, which was done stylish and dreamlike and somewhat artificial, but granted, it was uncomfortable to have a quivering gun pointed at my face for what felt like 3 minutes. It's like the movie is saying, "Be scared or I'll blow your head off." -- Fine, fine, you're so desperate, you're definitely starting to freak me out.
  • fb100000040220993
    March 19, 2011
    fb100000040220993
    This is the sequel to the original Tales from the Crypt movie. What the hell was wrong with the people who made this? I'm guessing they only had one or two of the comics laying around. With such a wide selection of great stories, the selections here are pretty uninspired. Eve... read moren the good ideas are often poorly executed, and it's lacking in good plot twists. The exception is "Drawn and Quartered". The final tale almost makes up for the rest of the movie.
  • March 12, 2011
    British horror anthology featuring five short stories told by a group of men who find themselves trapped in a hidden room in an apartment building basement. Not a big lover of anthologies but this one was pretty good fun. Each story was entertaining enough and neither I found to ... read morebe bad. Upon the conclusion of the fifth story the twist is revealed but you could probably guess it after the first 15 minutes. It's 40 years old and a lot milder than my preffered slice of horror but I enjoyed this one more than other films of its type.
  • February 28, 2011
    I would have given this four stars, but I watched an edited version of the film. I hope this is made available uncut in the U.S. someday. I'm not really sure why it was cut in the first place. You get a sense of what the explicit effects were and they don't seem all that out t... read morehere - at least compared to what we're seeing today. I enjoy Amicus' anthology films, even the mediocore to bad ones. This one would be a great follow up, but I have to get my hands on a copy of an uncut version of it first.
  • December 19, 2009
    Perfect for those blessed with a penchant for camp horror but cursed with a short attention span. Five spine tingling vignettes in less than 90 minutes.
  • December 18, 2008
    Pure camp fun. Pretty watchable Amicus adaptation of five EC comics' stories. Some are weak (This trick'll kill you, Bargain in death) but the other three worth my money.
    Mystery and dark comedy from the great Brit horror anthologies.
  • December 21, 2006
    I'd have to say Drawn & Quatered was my absolute favourite of the lot. For it alone I'd give three stars. True Tales from the Crypt quality. The Neat Job was alright, as well, but the rest were rather dull.
  • fb511192930
    November 15, 2011
    fb511192930
    The round table of terrible men telling what haunts their dreams continues in the second of the Tales From the Crypt movies. The strangest and maybe my favorite story is of the artist who uses magic to get revenge of the people who ripped him off because voodoo is his first line ... read moreof defense. Voodoo! Who thinks of that? Well a guy with an afro ginger beard with evil intent.
  • sayers1977
    February 23, 2012
    sayers1977
    I really like Amicus' portmanteau films. This and 'Asylum' are great films and have a great atmosphere throughout. The fact that they are a little dated adds to their appeal and I love the fact that all those involved have a sticky end. The production values aren't bad considerin... read moreg they were made on a shoestring budget and it's interesting that at this time Amicus were producing more interesting films than their competitor Hammer. I must try and track more of these down. I wish they'd made an updated version with British talent today. Could be great.

Critic Reviews


Dennis Schwartz
October 30, 2008
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews

Baker failed to get any oomph out of it. Full Review

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