Welcome to the inaugural trip into the mausoleum! Today, we’re digging up the first two instalments of the legendary HBO series that redefined televised horror.

From the neon-soaked streets of a cynical executioner to a snowy Christmas Eve from hell, we look at how Tales from the Crypt set the gold standard for the macabre...

And our first guest is an academic well-versed in both genre film and TV, who's writing a book about Robert Zemeckis, it's Dr Simon Brown...

~ [ 00:00:20 ] "The Man Who Was Death"

Niles Talbot (William Sadler) is a prison executioner who loves his job a little too much. So when the state abolishes the death penalty, Talbot decides to take his "talents" to the streets as a vigilante.

~ [ 00:33:15 ] "And All Through the House"

A woman (Mary Ellen Trainor) murders her husband on Christmas Eve, only to find herself stalked by an escaped lunatic dressed as Santa Claus. The catch? She can’t call the police without exposing her own crime.

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Credits: Theme Music: 'Hydra' by Dream Cave + SFX via Epidemic Sound.