Tales From the Crypt: Demon Knight (1995)
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32% of critics liked it
(25 reviews) -
63% of users liked it
(22,741 ratings)
This first theatrical feature spun off from the television series Tales from the Crypt (which was in turn inspired by the infamous EC horror comics of the 1950s) concerns a mysterious man named Brayker (Bill Sadler), who arrives at a church-turned-rooming house in a small town in New Mexico. Hot on… More This first theatrical feature spun off from the television series Tales from the Crypt (which was in turn inspired by the infamous EC horror comics of the 1950s) concerns a mysterious man named Brayker (Bill Sadler), who arrives at a church-turned-rooming house in a small town in New Mexico. Hot on his trail is an equally mysterious and very menacing figure known as the Collector (Billy Zane), who arrives with policemen in tow; he claims that Brayker stole some keys from him, and he wants the cops to help him reclaim them. It turns out, however, that the "keys" are actually several amulets that contain drops of the blood of Christ; they can be used to ward off evil in the right hands, but they can lead the world to doom if used improperly. The Collector and his forces lay siege to the house with the other residents caught in the middle between Brayker and the Collector, including alcoholic Uncle Willy (Dick Miller), prostitute Cordelia (Brenda Bakke), sleazy Southerner Roach (Thomas Haden Church), postal employee Wally (Charles Fleischer), sensible Jeryline (Jada Pinkett), and landlady Irene (CCH Pounder). Bordello of Blood, the second Tales from the Crypt feature, hit theaters the following year. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Directed By
- Ernest R. Dickerson, Gilbert Adler
- Genres
- Horror, Comedy
R,
- In Theaters
- Jan 13, 1995 Wide
- Studio
- MCA Universal Home Video
Critic Reviews
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Variety Staff, Variety
Pic is neither funny enough nor scary enough to be fully satisfying as either a shocker or a spoof.
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, Time Out
The first in a series, but standards will need to impove if it's to survive.
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Stephen Holden, New York Times
Between scenes of splattering gore in which severed heads literally roll across the floor, the movie has a good time spoofing itself and a gallery of mostly sleazy characters who confront a crew of blood-thirsty demons.
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David Kronke, Los Angeles Times
Next time out, let's hope it involves a story that can stand on its own, without having to be propped up by the Crypt Keeper's silly patter.
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Edward Guthmann, San Francisco Chronicle
The movie isn't particularly well-paced, and I found it dull.
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Cast
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Billy Zane
as The Collector
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Bill Sadler
as Brayker
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Jada Pinkett Smith
as Jeryline
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Brenda Bakke
as Cordelia
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CCH Pounder
as Irene
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Dick Miller
as Uncle Willy
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Ken Baldwin
as Dickerson
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Tim De Zarn
as Homer
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Gary Farmer
as Deputy Bob Martel
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Charles Fleischer
as Wally Enfield
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John Kassir
as Crypt Keeper
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John Larroquette
as Slasher (opening sequence) (uncredited)
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Sherrie Rose
as Wanda
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John Schuck
as Sheriff Tupper
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Dale Swann
as Bus Driver
- Mecki Heussen
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Graham Galloway
as Fred
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Tony Salome
as Sirach
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Thomas Haden Church
as Roach
