Anthology horror series have been a constant presence on television from the 1950s to today. With television's inherent limitations on gore and adult content, writers have throughout the years come up with many creative ways to creep viewers out and perched firmly on the edge of their seat. Today, we look at Creepy Tales Told on Television That Will Get You in The Halloween Mood...
5. Tales From The Crypt - Television Terror
Before Paranormal Activity and before The Blair Witch Project, HBO's Tales From The Crypt was a trailblazer in faux reality horror with season 2's "Television Terror." Starring real life talkshow host Morton Downey Jr, whose show was a weird mix between Jerry Springer and Rush Limbaugh and featured some of the first on camera fistfights between guests. This tale is a pretty faithful adaption of The Haunt of Fear #17's Television Terror originally published in the 1950's In an obvious tribute to Geraldo Rivera's"The Mystery of Al Capone's Vault" (A 2 hour live television special where the only highlight was Geraldo's look of stunned confusion when nothing but a couple of bottles of wine was discovered in the much hyped vault) "Horton Rivers," leads a film crew into an abandoned boarding house where residents were murdered for their social security checks. Against the advice of a psychic expert who claims the house is a "pit of seething evil" Rivers enters the house. At first, nothing happens. Rivers is forced to fill the time to keep thing interesting. Just as viewers begin to turn the dial and the network begins to think they have a flop on their hands, things begin to get weird and noises begin to emanate from upstairs.....Television Terror asks the question, if you've just stumbled over the body of your disemboweled cameraman, who is holding the camera?