Me & The Crypt Keeper
That photo is me (hard to believe I was ever that young) and an old friend - the Crypt Keeper.
Now, I didn't invent the Crypt Keeper. Special effects master Kevin Yagher created the puppet. It took six puppeteers to make the Crypt Keeper come alive.
I wasn't the Crypt Keeper's voice. That was the amazing John Kassir. He tells a great story about how he got the gig. Kevin interviewed him first and then insisted John was the only guy who could be the CK's voice.
I wasn't the Crypt Keeper's first writer. Hell, there were 24 episodes of Tales From The Crypt before I got hired.
But, one of the reasons I got hired WAS the Crypt Keeper. After 24 episodes of the character doing pretty much the same thing every time, I wanted to shake it up.
I wanted to know: what does the Crypt Keeper do when he's not being the Crypt Keeper? What are his interests? His hobbies? His likes and dislikes? What food does he like? Does he cook it himself? Does he have friends? Who are they - and can we meet them?
I wanted to know WHO exactly the Crypt Keeper was when he punched the clock at the end of the day and went home.
For a decade, I wrote almost every word that guy said.
We shot the CK segments in batches of three or four episodes-worth. Tops & bottoms. So, I wrote the segments in batches.
Writing them was like pulling teeth. Then putting the teeth back into my head and pulling them again. It was incredibly hard because - yeah, dumb jokes - but it had to work for the character we were building together - me, John & Kevin.
Once that voice - a combo of John's and my own sense of the CK - got into my head, I was kinda its prisoner. Even after I stopped working on Crypt, it took a decade before I stopped making Crypt Keeper jokes in my head for nearly everything.
I never expected to have him back in my life. But, oddly, my life took a very strange and wonderful turn this year.
On a semi-related matter, I do a podcast where I talk about - among other things - my time on Crypt. It was a glorious creative experience. Truly special in myriad ways! The podcast tells the story of what happened when we veered and made a movie called "Bordello Of Blood" which derailed the entire Crypt team.
Telling that story brought me back into contact with the people I'm now back at work with.
I'm really, REALLY proud of this podcast. And I'm really, really, REALLY proud that Entertainment Weekly calls it "The Best Film Podcast of 2022". It's a very personal story - told for very personal reasons. So - that it's gotten the love it's gotten is mucho gratifying. Here's a link to episode one -
https://how-not-to-make-a-movie.com/2022/03/29/hollywood-sausage-making/
I'm producing a benefit tomorrow for a great cause - the Motion Picture Home. I've promoted it here and will again yet. The podcast put me back in touch with the rest of the team that created the Crypt Keeper.
The benefit has me putting words back into the Crypt Keeper's mouth. He's emceeing the event!
I tell ya, I can feel the old feelings coming right back!
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Gustav Melichar
Matt Binder
A L Katz
Kyle Clark
Chase Woodruff
Clare Clarke
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