Viewed: Like two weeks ago.
Season/Episode: 01/03
Appeared in: Haunt of Fear #21
Did I read the issue?: Yes
Changes from the comic to the TV episode: Added a love interest, emphasized less on the deaths, removed a crucial foreshadowing element from the comic.
Synopsis: Carnival side show act tells the story of his fortune while suffocating from being buried alive. A doctor had found him while he was a homeless bum and offered him cash to be a part of an experiment. The experiment, a success, was to add the gland that gives cats nine lives to a human--effectively giving the human nine lives. Doctor proves that the man now has multiple lives, as the man comes back to life after being shot to death by the doctor; and together they start taking advantage of this peculiarity by becoming a carnival side-show. Both become very successful, but said success drives the protagonist to kill the doctor so he can keep the profits to himself. As the man finishes telling his tale, he realizes that he has never factored in the fact that the cat dying to give up its gland was one of the deaths. Terror overcomes the protagonist as he realizes he will soon die.
Highs: Acting is not too bad. Robert Wuhl does a really good job. Comical direction is unique, adds to the "carnival" feel of the episode, and makes this a light hearted--yet gruesome--episode.
Lows: Writing for the episode surprisingly ignores a key point in the comic, removing an element of foreshadowing. Still slightly boring.
Views: As I continue to watch this Tales from the Crypt, I confirm to myself that this never really was a very good show. That being said, this episode has been my favorite so far; and I don't have much to say about it. The writers go out of their way to imagine creative deaths for the protagonist to undertake and provide a bit of social satire: people love violence, and would not think twice about having the opportunity to kill a man or watch him die if the consequences were removed. Why not profit from people's macabre love of violence?
Still, the episode drags and comes across as boring. Maybe when (and if) I watch an episode inspired by a comic I have not read before I will enjoy it more for what it's worth. Until then, I do have one point of complaint, however. In the comic, when the protagonist sacrifices one of his lives by killing himself and the doctor in a car wreck, the doctor gives the protagonist a knowing--and evil--smile. For the rest of the story, the cat-man ponders the meaning of that smile; and the reason for it dawns on him right before he realizes his doom. I have no real understanding why they removed that from the television version of this story, as it would have added an element of suspense.
Not a bad episode, but still nothing to get excited about.
Rating: 2.75 out of 5 stars.
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