Hey there, kiddies! Midsummer Scream, the world’s largest Halloween and horror fan convention, will be commemorating the 30th anniversary of HBO’s Tales from the Crypt at the Long Beach Convention Center August 3 and 4.
On Sunday, August 4, Midsummer Scream will host 30 Years of Tales From the Crypt with cast and crew who helped create the show and its spin-offs on the main stage in the Grand Ballroom, including John Kassir, the voice of the Crypt Keeper, Academy Award-winning special effects supervisor Richard Edlund, Masters of Horror filmmaker Ernest R. Dickerson, and others.
Inspired by the 1950s-era line of EC Comics that were ultimately banned for depictions of the undead and other horror themes, a live-action version of Tales from the Crypt was a natural fit for premium cable channel HBO, which had minimal network standards.
Tales from the Crypt was executive produced by Richard Donner, David Giler, Walter Hill, Joel Silver, Robert Zemeckis, and featured a main title theme by Danny Elfman. Spanning 96 episodes from 1989 to 1996, Tales from the Crypt was often helmed by A-list directors and starred leading Hollywood talent. The series would go on to spawn two feature films, an animated series, and several music albums including a Christmas record!
30 Years of Tales From the Crypt will offer a behind-the-scenes look at making the series and feature films, and a discussion of both its appeal and enduring legacy.
Panelists
● John Kassir is an actor, comedian, and voice actor, best known as the voice of the Crypt Keeper on HBO’s Tales from the Crypt, its movie spin-offs, and the animated series, Tales from the Cryptkeeper.
● Richard Edlund is an Academy Award-winning special effects supervisor and producer with credits including Star Wars, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Species, The Monster Squad, Fright Night, Poltergeist, and the title sequence used to open each episode of Tales from the Crypt.
● Ernest R. Dickerson’s film and television career includes directing Surviving the Game, Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight, Bones, and several episodes of The Walking Dead and Dexter. He is currently shooting several episodes of CBS All Access’ true-crime drama Interrogation.
● William Malone’s directing credits include two episodes of Tales from the Crypt, as well as three episodes of Freddy’s Nightmares, and the feature films House on Haunted Hill and Feardotcom.
● Gregory Melton’s production design work includes feature films Idle Hands, Majestic, The Mist, the first season of The Walking Dead, and TV series Freddy’s Nightmares, Tales from the Crypt, and most recently, 106 episodes of Agents of Shield.
● The panel will be moderated by Robert Parigi, a post-production supervisor and associate producer who worked on two seasons of Tales from the Crypt and the feature film spin-off, Demon Knight. Parigi also wrote and directed Love Object.
John Kassir will also be meeting fans and signing autographs all weekend on the Midsummer Scream show floor.
Tickets are on sale now at MidsummerScream.org. More news and information regarding Midsummer Scream 2019 will be announced in the weeks and months ahead.
