THE THIRD FILM IN THE SERIES IS THE THIRD BEST OF THE THREE

Oct 14, 2010

by FM_ALEX
posted in Movie Hype

Rating:

TALES FROM THE CRYPT
PRESENTS
RITUAL

Do you remember a little show called "Tales from the Crypt" that was running back in the day; yeah those were some good days. Days got better when the show brought forth a movie called "Demon Knight", one of my all time favorite movies ever. Then a second movie called "Bordello of Blood" which while not as good as the first was still very fun. The years passed and nothing came from the show other than the series being released on DVD, until this movie came out. This of course unlike the other two was a straight to DVD movie and had some good names behind it. I was excited when this came out and was all over it, it turned out ok but is the least in the three films.

The story is about a doctor who is fired by the hospital after making a last minute call costing someone their life. But that does not stop her from being hired by a wealthy guy in Jamaica to care for his little brother. Once there she learns of his illness and believes it to be what the last doctor said it was, but that doctor died on the job. Still that does not keep him from believing he has been cursed and is becoming a zombie. As the story moves on people around her become more and more mysterious and the tales of zombies begin to look more and more real. She starts to not only be followed but attacked as well; she begins to believe at that point.

Writer/director Avi Nesher along with co writers Rob Cohen and Inez Wallace adapted this film into a new screenplay based on the film "I Walked with a Zombie". While I can certainly see where they were going with this but it fails in most parts. In fact the film is a bit of a disappointment because of its association with Tales from the Crypt. This film would have faired much better on its own but because of the Tales association people expected more. This being the third film in the series it also turned out to be third in the rankings; in fact the order in which they were released is the order in which I like them. "Demon Knight" is one of my all time favorite films ever and while "Bordello of Blood" was no where near as good it was fun and entertaining. This however feels like an episode from the show that got turned into a feature film.

The film does manage to be good though and the Crypt keeper shows up at the beginning and end sporting a Jamaican accent. His time is short lived and not as great as past appearances but it was cool to see him again. Jennifer Grey is good enough in the lead role but the rest of the cast seems to outshine the star. Craig Sheffer, Daniel Lapaine, Kristen Wilson, and Gabriel Casseus are all good in their roles and are very believable. But it is Tim Curry that is my favorite here as he flawlessly makes this film more fun then it should be. The entire cast is good and well placed but the film is missing that one thing, what ever it may be, that would make it really good. The writing perhaps is lacking or perhaps the direction, maybe both but the acting is solid.

This is far from a classic and is not even the best in the series but it is good enough to own if found at a pawn shop or something. If you are like me and have to have everything Tales from the Crypt related then this is a must by. For a film that was planned at one point for a big theatrical push but the second film's lack of success at the box office had it scrapped, it is good. Whether this film was originally intended as that film or not makes no defense, it is a part of the Tales family so I accept it.

THE THIRD FILM IN THE SERIES IS THE THIRD BEST OF THE THREE

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woopak_the_thrill October 17, 2010

Hm. Pretty interesting. I want to go on a horror run but I am just so busy that my movie-watching habits have taken a dive, plus I have this bad cold. I know you have a few more reviews here--I'll be back.

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Quick Tip by FM_ALEX. October 14, 2010

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A Quick Tip by FM_ALEX

This film would have faired much better on its own but because of the Tales association people expected more. This being the third film in the series it also turned out to be third in the rankings; in fact the order in which they were released is the order in which I like them.

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FM_ALEX

I basically am just a normal person obbsessed with Mixed Martial Arts, pro wrestling, movies of all kinds, music of all kinds, books of all kinds, and of course foods of all kinds. Just trying to keep … more