The Vault of Horror (Tales from the Crypt, Part II) (1973)

61% of users liked it
(1,916 ratings)

Vault of Horror is the first sequel to 1972's horror hit Tales from the Crypt. It is also known as Tales from the Crypt, Part II. It continues it's predecessor's popular formula of using established stars in five witty short horror episodes. The first, "Midnight Mass," shows that having a vampire… More Vault of Horror is the first sequel to 1972's horror hit Tales from the Crypt. It is also known as Tales from the Crypt, Part II. It continues it's predecessor's popular formula of using established stars in five witty short horror episodes. The first, "Midnight Mass," shows that having a vampire for a relative can be upsetting, to say the least. In "The Neat Job" a nagging neat-freak is neatly nullified. In "This Trick'll Kill You," a colonial overlord learns that it's not safe to steal magic tricks from natives. "Bargain in Death" exposes the greed of two insurance swindlers, and "Drawn and Quartered" takes "The Picture of Dorian Grey" one better. Among the stars appearing in these episodes are Terry-Thomas, Glynnis Johns, Curt Jurgens, Denholm Elliott and Tom Baker. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 25 min.
Directed By: Roy Ward Baker
Genres: Mystery & Suspense, Horror

In Theaters: Mar 16, 1973 Wide
On DVD: Sep 11, 2007

Critic Reviews

Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
Baker failed to get any oomph out of it.

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

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Featured Audience Ratings

Bruce B

No more then a sequal to the 1972 Movie Tales from the crypt. Some what enjoyable, unless you have watched present day Tales from the crypt. Another almost good Drive In Movie. 3 stars
Adam M

I wanted to see a portmanteau movie... This one was successful in that each of the individual stories is well-paced, no matter how brief the length or scant the plot elements. As for the framing device ... The characters' discussions inside The Vault felt eerie enough, since it… More
I wanted to see a portmanteau movie... This one was successful in that each of the individual stories is well-paced, no matter how brief the length or scant the plot elements. As for the framing device ... The characters' discussions inside The Vault felt eerie enough, since it was difficult to tell what anyone remembered about their real lives. The design of the overhead shots through the vault ceiling are a valiant attempt to modernize the gothic. But the rest of the cinematography consists of hack shots and quick gambits to jolt the audience -- like someone wearing a joy-buzzer and grabbing you by the wrist before you can shake hands. "Bargain In Death" is not getting much praise in the comments here, but it has the most unique plot and the real (untelegraphed) surprise of the whole movie. Otherwise, "The Neat Job" makes spectacular use of the energy and precision of the two leads. In "Drawn & Quartered", Tom Baker's presence is scarier than any of the black magic. Also in that episode, the filmmakers try to outdo the gunman's POV from Hitchcock's Spellbound. Don't think there's enough room in that idea to surpass the original, which was done stylish and dreamlike and somewhat artificial, but granted, it was uncomfortable to have a quivering gun pointed at my face for what felt like 3 minutes. It's like the movie is saying, "Be scared or I'll blow your head off." -- Fine, fine, you're so desperate, you're definitely starting to freak me out.
Jason C

This is the sequel to the original Tales from the Crypt movie. What the hell was wrong with the people who made this? I'm guessing they only had one or two of the comics laying around. With such a wide selection of great stories, the selections here are pretty uninspired.… More
This is the sequel to the original Tales from the Crypt movie. What the hell was wrong with the people who made this? I'm guessing they only had one or two of the comics laying around. With such a wide selection of great stories, the selections here are pretty uninspired. Even the good ideas are often poorly executed, and it's lacking in good plot twists. The exception is "Drawn and Quartered". The final tale almost makes up for the rest of the movie.
Lee ?

British horror anthology featuring five short stories told by a group of men who find themselves trapped in a hidden room in an apartment building basement. Not a big lover of anthologies but this one was pretty good fun. Each story was entertaining enough and neither I found to be… More
British horror anthology featuring five short stories told by a group of men who find themselves trapped in a hidden room in an apartment building basement. Not a big lover of anthologies but this one was pretty good fun. Each story was entertaining enough and neither I found to be bad. Upon the conclusion of the fifth story the twist is revealed but you could probably guess it after the first 15 minutes. It's 40 years old and a lot milder than my preffered slice of horror but I enjoyed this one more than other films of its type.
Tim S

I would have given this four stars, but I watched an edited version of the film. I hope this is made available uncut in the U.S. someday. I'm not really sure why it was cut in the first place. You get a sense of what the explicit effects were and they don't seem all that… More
I would have given this four stars, but I watched an edited version of the film. I hope this is made available uncut in the U.S. someday. I'm not really sure why it was cut in the first place. You get a sense of what the explicit effects were and they don't seem all that out there - at least compared to what we're seeing today. I enjoy Amicus' anthology films, even the mediocore to bad ones. This one would be a great follow up, but I have to get my hands on a copy of an uncut version of it first.
Randy T

Perfect for those blessed with a penchant for camp horror but cursed with a short attention span. Five spine tingling vignettes in less than 90 minutes.
Pierluigi P

Pure camp fun. Pretty watchable Amicus adaptation of five EC comics' stories. Some are weak (This trick'll kill you, Bargain in death) but the other three worth my money. Mystery and dark comedy from the great Brit horror anthologies.
vieras e

I'd have to say Drawn & Quatered was my absolute favourite of the lot. For it alone I'd give three stars. True Tales from the Crypt quality. The Neat Job was alright, as well, but the rest were rather dull.
Greg A

The round table of terrible men telling what haunts their dreams continues in the second of the Tales From the Crypt movies. The strangest and maybe my favorite story is of the artist who uses magic to get revenge of the people who ripped him off because voodoo is his first line of… More
The round table of terrible men telling what haunts their dreams continues in the second of the Tales From the Crypt movies. The strangest and maybe my favorite story is of the artist who uses magic to get revenge of the people who ripped him off because voodoo is his first line of defense. Voodoo! Who thinks of that? Well a guy with an afro ginger beard with evil intent.
David S

I really like Amicus' portmanteau films. This and 'Asylum' are great films and have a great atmosphere throughout. The fact that they are a little dated adds to their appeal and I love the fact that all those involved have a sticky end. The production values aren't… More
I really like Amicus' portmanteau films. This and 'Asylum' are great films and have a great atmosphere throughout. The fact that they are a little dated adds to their appeal and I love the fact that all those involved have a sticky end. The production values aren't bad considering they were made on a shoestring budget and it's interesting that at this time Amicus were producing more interesting films than their competitor Hammer. I must try and track more of these down. I wish they'd made an updated version with British talent today. Could be great.
Emily B

A sequel to "Tales From The Crypt" by Amicus. As with most horror anthology's they can be rather hit and miss, which this certainly is. The story starts with five men in a lift, only to be taken down to the basement and trapped. As they all sit around they start to… More
A sequel to "Tales From The Crypt" by Amicus. As with most horror anthology's they can be rather hit and miss, which this certainly is. The story starts with five men in a lift, only to be taken down to the basement and trapped. As they all sit around they start to tell each other their dreams and fears. First up is Daniel Massey's episode "Midnight Mess". In it he tracks down his sister (played by real life sibling Anne Massey) to a strange town with some strange residents. He eventually meets his end in a rather humorous way involving vampires. One of the better episodes. Next up is Terry Thomas in "The Neat Job". This is another one of the better episodes, with Terry Thomas' neat freak character being rather laughable. The third episode is "This Trick'll Kill You". Rather predictable and one of the worst in the anthology. It involves a man and his wife who are desperate to get their hands on an Indian girl's (who's not really Indian at all) rope trick. Of course there are terrible consequences. Next is the shortest and weakest story in my opinion. Intitled "Bargain In Death" it involves Michael Craig faking his own death in an insurance scam. Last is "Drawn and Quartered" and is defaintly the best of the lot. It stars Tom Baker as an artist who takes revenge on the people who lied to him using Voodoo. Whatever the artist paints comes true, so of course he paints portraits of the critics who doubled crossed him and altars them in some way to cause harm to his victims. Overall, "The Vault Of Horror" is very dated. It's worth watching for the few entertaining episodes, but overall pretty average.