Vault of Horror (1973)

Directed by Roy Ward Baker. Starring Daniel Massey, Curt Jürgens, Terry-Thomas, Tom Baker, Michael Craig, Anna Massey, Edward Judd, Denholm Elliott, Robin Nedwell, Geoffrey Davies, Glynis Johns, Dawn Addams. [R]

Entertaining Amicus omnibus was developed as a followup to the company’s best anthology package, 1972’s Tales from the Crypt (it was even reissued as Tales from the Crypt II). Framed straight to the point with five men arriving by elevator to an underground club where they each share recurring nightmares they’ve been having: a ghoulish insurance scam goes wrong, an artist gets revenge on the dealers and critic who wronged him, a creep bumps off his sister to claim an inheritance, etc. The actual plots of the short stories aren’t anything special, but they capture the macabre corners of the imagination all the same, and consistently culminate in deliciously gruesome resolutions—vampires tapping a poor fool’s jugular with a wine dispenser is a wicked sight, indeed. Tales adapted from back issues of E. C. Comics titles dating back to the 1950s (“Tales from the Crypt”, “Shock SuspenStories”).

69/100