Number 2 — TALES FROM THE CRYPT: DEMON KNIGHT

For the month of October, we’re counting down the best horror movies of 1995! Check back every day for a new entry in the list.

Greetings she-mons, he-mons, and whatever you want to be-mons! It is I, your vicious vassal Vito here again to act as your spooky cinematic squire in Neon Splatter’s continuing countdown of the top horror films of 1995! Our present penultimate petrifying picture is none other than TALES FROM THE CRYPT: DEMON KNIGHT (1995)!

“But Uncle Veety,” you might say, scratching yourself with musky anticipation. “What makes TFTC:DK (that’s what the cool kids call it) better than say SCREAMERS (1995) or PROJECT: METALBEAST (1995)? You know, the crème de la crème of mid-nineties midnight creature features.” Firstly, I’m impressed with your knowledge and taste in ‘90s genre films. Secondly, I’m glad you asked, True Believer, because we here at Neon Splatter don’t gatekeep, we crypt-keep! It is within the territory of this tender internet testimonial I hope to tutor you through throngs of thought-provoking tidbits on the tremendousness of TALES FROM THE CRYPT: DEMON KNIGHT!

Let’s begin our cinematic stocktaking with the tumultuous trek taken by the text. An early incarnation of the script surfaced around 1987 in the hands of director Tom Holland, of FRIGHT NIGHT (1985) fame, who even began early FX concept work before departing the project to direct FATAL BEAUTY (1987). Then it landed on the desk of PET SEMETARY (1989) director Mary Lambert where it received some interesting tweaks but she too passed on it to helm PET SEMETARY TWO (1992). After a prolonged pause over at Charles Band’s Full Moon Features the film finally found its way to prolific producer Joel Silver who purchased it as part of a pitch for Universal Pictures to put out a trio of Tales From The Crypt theatrical spin-offs.

Originally intended as the second film in a trilogy that included DEAD EASY (a New Orleans  oriented Fat Tuesday zombie flick) and BODY COUNT (described as mix between FRANKENSTEIN (1931) and FIRST BLOOD (1982) set in El Paso) it was pushed to the front of the line by studio big wigs and went into production in 1994 with a desired Halloween release date. Now I like BORDELLO OF BLOOD (1996) and RITUAL (2002) as much as the next guy, but how rad do DEAD EASY and BODY COUNT sound just from those brief blurbs? I’m super bummed that neither have come to fruition… yet… but I digress. The Halloween ‘94 projected premiere was postponed to avoid competing with more established theatrical terrors such as WES CRAVEN’S NEW NIGHTMARE (1994) and PUMPKINHEAD II: BLOOD WINGS (1994). Instead, TALES FROM THE CRYPT: DEMON KNIGHT was released across 1,468 theaters in the United States and Canada on Friday January 13th, 1995. “Funny how you remember the big dates, isn’t it?”

Next, we consider the content of the chronicle that clawed itself out of Dante’s concentric circles of developmental hell. Unlike the stories that made up the oeuvre of the HBO series, DEMON KNIGHT was an original yarn, not directly adapted from the pages of the titular horror mag published by EC Comics. The meat of the manuscript is made up of so many masterfully mingled moments of mirthful macabre that it’s no wonder so many horror picture power players saw the potential. The text oscillates between foreboding, funny, frightful, and fascinating so fastidiously that despite not initially intended as a tale from the crypt, it fits the mold miraculously.

You can credit director Ernest R. Dickerson for the creative continuity with the cable series. As a cinematographer, Dickerson found himself collaborating on the first several Spike Lee joints. After Dickerson’s directorial debut with JUICE (1992) and the frantic follow up of SURVIVING THE GAME (1994), Dickerson wanted to do a horror movie. With much of the production team carrying over from the HBO series, producer Joel Silver wanted Dickerson in the director’s seat due to his technical prowess and knack for collaborating with talent in front of and behind the camera without ego or micromanaging. His directorial style is very much based on giving a member of his production team a task and trusting them to do it well. This was essential to maintain the visual language of the show while also expressing the new narrative integrity of the movie.

An analogous artistic agency also applied to actors. In regards to this production, Dickerson modestly quipped “85 to 90% of directing is casting. When you cast the right person for the role, all you have to do is sit back and watch it happen.” The cast is all killer but there were three specific choices that Dickerson fought for vehemently to help make his vision for DEMON KNIGHT a reality: William Sadler as Brayker, Billy Zane as The Collector, and Jada Pinkett as Jeryline.

After that iconic opening intro scored by Danny Elfman and slasher spoof sequence starring the resplendent pairing of Peggy Trentini and John Larroquette we are treated to the thunderous and foreboding baseline of Filter’s “Hey Man, Nice Shot” accompanying the worried and weary gaze of Brayker played by William Sadler. Although Ernest Dickerson mentions not being a fan of DIE HARD 2 (1990), he was taken by Sadler’s performance and knew he would provide the perfect amount of grit and gravitas as the battle-hardened and bedraggled Brayker. The ambiguity in the first few scenes is enhanced by casting against type and exploring the range of our two male leads.

This brings us to the foil for Mr. Brayker, The Collector. Dickerson felt “a demon must be seductive” in order to sell the concept of a gaggle of ghouls laying siege to a desanctified church while preying on the fears and desires of the people held within. Ernest describes Billy Zane as a “beautiful motherfucker” but what really inspired the casting of him as The Collector was Zane’s ability to evoke terror as seen with his performance in DEAD CALM (1989). The duality of brutality and beauty working in concert for temptation acts as the central conflict in the film but Zane also injects ample charm and humor to the performance, channeling Robin Williams' Genie from ALADDIN (1992) but in his words "the version from hell.” I wouldn’t be surprised if James Cameron saw Zane with a sponge in his mouth mockingly chuckle “If it feels good, do it” and casted him as Caledon Hockley in TITANIC (1997).

[Brief Sidebar: This film also served as Billy Zane’s bald coming out party. The actor's curtailed coif was a closely guarded Hollywood secret but when he met with Dickerson to discuss the role with his trademark suitcase full of wig options, the director convinced Zane to play the role au naturel.]

The keystone to Dickerson’s cast is Jeryline. While the studio pushed hard for Cameron Diaz, Ernest was adamant about Jada Pinkett for the role after seeing MENACE II SOCIETY (1993). He wanted someone small in stature but tough in temperament. Dickerson was “determined to put a sister in the role,” continuing “I wanted to see a film where a black woman saves the world.” The heart of the film is showing oppressed people as the redeemers of humanity. If that kind of progressive positivity doesn’t persuade you to put TALES FROM THE CRYPT: DEMON KNIGHT near the top of your list of 1995 horror pictures, then I don’t know what will, but I think my editor is trying to tell me something so it’s via con diablos for now, intrepid readers!

[Whistles the Tales From The Crypt Theme]

Oh, still here creeps? What’s the matter? Didn’t get your minimum deadly allowance of murder, madness, and mayhem? Then look out for our next article on our top-rated horror movie of 1995 coming tomorrow to a Neon Splatter near you! Hee-hee-hee-hee!