Some of you may be wondering how in the world the Tales from the Crypt reboot, as partially conceived by infamous filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan, could even have any trailers or footage out, considering the TNT project was postponed over behind-the-scenes issues. But it appears the creative team put together at least a couple of conceptual videos to show off the reboot's dark tone, and while one of them has already gone missing from the Internet, the teasery video below is definitely creepy enough to stand on its own. Check it out!
Obviously, there isn't a whole lot going on in this Tales from the Crypt teaser trailer that comes off as groundbreaking within the genre, but that's perfectly fine, as this is a TNT-developed take on darkly hilarious HBO show, so I don't know that anyone was hoisting expectations atop this thing. But that's precisely what makes it work so well. As a horror buff, this is just the kind of project that I look forward to with blinders on, hoping for the best and not considering any alternatives, but lots of people hear Crypt and Shyamalan in the same sentence and start howling loud enough to wake a whole graveyard. Perhaps this video would have calmed others.
Because even though it isn't the most complex or original, the teaser still shows off some skills with genre tropes. Old janitor clueless to the danger just outside his periphery? Check. Haunting figure doing arbitrary damage to itself in a monotonous rhythm? Check. Requisite jump scare to show us all what the haunting figure really looks like? Check. Man throwing up hands in fear and creating Illuminati symbol? Check. Well, that last one doesn't show up quite as often as characters bashing their heads into things until they bleed, but tit's here. Now watch this GIF and try not to make guitar sounds with your mouth.
TNT's Tales from the Crypt reboot was first paired with M. Night Shyamalan last spring, as it would have been a lynch pin in the network's planned block of horror programming, which Shyamalan was set to narrate and oversee. There was some controversy at the time when it was announced that the Crypt Keeper would not be involved with the series, which was later refuted by Shyamalan. And in a second video that surfaced with the above teaser, the film director can be seen talking about different aspects of the show, according to Polygon, and it's here he compared the cackling coffin-dweller to a "dark Walt Disney."
It was around the end of 2016 when TNT announced the Tales from the Crypt reboot was being delayed indefinitely, citing difficulties securing the rights to bring new life to the property. The network has apparently tried everything in its power to grease the wheels, but without any eventual luck. Without an official cancellation ever laid at the project's feet, M. Night Shyamalan's Tales from the Crypt could very well make it to our TVs at some point before we've all passed on. But don't hold your...death. (Cackles into the night)
We'll likely be waiting a while to hear about anything moving forward with TNT's Tales from the Crypt reboot, but you can have faith I'll be hollering about it from the rooftops if it happens. In the meantime, check out some other horror series we want to see, and then head to our midseason premiere schedule to see what shows are definitely coming to the small screen soon.
