Tales from the Crypt (TV Series) Lower Berth (1990) User Reviews

"Whoever takes the family jewels loses theirs." Decent tale from the crypt.

[poolandrews · 7/10 · 30 March 2007]

Tales from the Crypt: Lower Berth is set in a carnival where at the sideshow the star exhibit is Enoch the two faced freak (Jeff Yagher) owned by his abusive father Sickles, however it turns out that Enoch is dying. One night Sickles is contacted by a Dr. Zachary Kling (Mark Rolston) who says he has an exhibit of his own that he can have, use & make money from, a ancient Egyptian Mummy of a slave girl that he won in a card game. Sickles senses the opportunity to keep making money form the sideshow business & agrees, however Kling has ulterior motives because of an old Egyptian curse as Enoch the two faced man falls in love with the rotten mummified remains but surely nothing can come of it...

This Tales from the Crypt story was episode 14 from season 2, the first of two Tales from the Crypt episodes to be directed be Kevin Yagher I rather liked Lower Berth. The script by Fred Dekker was based on a story from the 'Tales from the Crypt' comic book & is a nice little twisted tale of curses, murder & unlikely love. It moves along at a nice pace, it never bores & has a nice twist at the end which actually refers to the Crypt Keeper (John Kassir) himself & I think I'm right in saying that this is the only story which does. A good story with decent character's & dialogue that's well worth a watch.

This one looks great & has that seedy old school carnival sideshow atmosphere about it & the period setting is effective, the special effects are good but there's not much gore to speak of apart from someone getting a pair of garden shears stabbed in their gut. The make-up effects on Enoch the two faced man are excellent & look pretty gross & the Mummy is also well realised. The acting is solid throughout.

Lower Berth is another great tale from the crypt, if your a fan of the series it's a must.

All over the place

[SleepTight666 · 6/10 · 10 July 2009]

One of the silliest episodes yet, it is all over the place. There is a bit of comedy, a bit of drama and a bit of horror in it, but not enough of any to really make a good story. But the make-up and humorous ending make it worth the watch.

This story is about the Crypt Keeper's parents, one a mistreated side-show freak with two faces and the other a dead ancient mummy. I can see the resemblance, really.

Besides the goofy conclusion, the episode does have a decent carnival atmosphere and shows how badly the freaks were treated around that time. I felt bad for the Crypt Keeper's daddy.

Quite shallow but only the ending saves it

[bellino-angelo2014 · 6/10 · 14 June 2021]

The installment is set in a carnival. The main attraction is Enoch the two faced man, and he is constantly abused by Mr. Sickles. After some failed shows he decides to purchase a Mummy that is 2000 years old from Dr. Zachary Cling (Mark Rolston) and soon strange things happen since the Mummy is cursed. Strangely enough, Enoch chops off Mr. Sickles' private parts and when he ends sleeping with the mummy, their love child is... the Crypt Keeper!

The sight of the two faced man was a bit of a turn off but I appreciated that thanks to this episode we know how the Kript Keeper was born. The episode is good only for this in my opinion.

This one isn't too shabby! It gives us the origins of the Crypt-Keeper

[callanvass · 6/10 · 22 November 2014]

Enoch, the two-faced man, is consistently abused by an elderly man, Mr. Sickles (Gierasch) When Mr. Sickles purchases a Mummy that is over 2000 years old from Dr. Zachary Cling (Rolston) , weird things begin to happen. Not quite as weird as Enoch and The Mummy falling in love, giving birth to......THE CRYPT KEEPER! This episode is cool for a couple of reasons. The vibe is somewhat eerie and deeply twisted. I wouldn't call it a great episode, but it's definitely a step up from the past few episodes I've seen from season two. There are some very disturbing things in this show. Enoch was disturbing to look at, but we also get a creepy fat lady that laughs a lot and an eerie mummy. It manages to be watchable throughout, throwing in some frights here and there. The acting is very good. Stefan Gierasch is solid as the bitter old-man. Jeff Yagher is exceptional as the Enoch, the two-faced man. His love story with The Mummy was strangely endearing in a way. Mark Rolston plays a great weasel. The ending is what really makes this episode. It's how The Crypt Keeper was born! Any true fan of this show will let out their inner geek at that because we all love the little bastard. I don't think I'll ever watch it again, but it was a decent time-waster! An improvement to be sure. My only complaint was some of the dialog that didn't ring true. The carnival mirrored the time period precisely, I just didn't care for the dialog. "I couldn't play poker worth s****" I could be wrong, but I don't think people said stuff like that back then.

The Crypt Keeper was on fire when it came to the one-liners! "The Mummy is my Mommy!"

6.4/10

2nd self referential episode in a row.

[shellytwade · 7/10 · 1 April 2022]

While the last episode dealt with being a comic book artist for Tales From The Crypt, this episode deals with the birth of the Cryptkeeper himself! It's actually a little disappointing considering how far you could have gone with that idea but it's still an important watch just to understand the little guy's backstory.

It happened one night

[kapelusznik18 · 5/10 · 22 September 2016]

****SPOILERS**** It couldn't have happened to a better guy in how this off the wall episode of TFTC unfolded in how the spark of life that in fact brought the cute and zany little crypt keeper, John Kasslr, into our lives. It all started at a freak show run by Mr.Slckles, Stefan Glerasch, who came up with a new attraction a 4,000 year old Egyptian female mummy that became the love object of affection to his earlier top attraction and about to kick off the two faced man Enoch,Jeff Yagher, who'suffering from acute kidney failure.

It's Emoch's handler Ernest Feeley, Lewis Arquette,in seeing his meal ticket-The two Faced Man-about to depart from him who then tries to grab the jeweled necklace around the mummy's neck only to loses his family jewels as we'll as life instead. This has Enoch the Two Faced Man get away from the abusive Feely and take off with the mummy that he took a shine too. Found later in a nearby cave it's discovered that the two had a lot more in common with each other then just their striking "Good Looks".

***SPOILERS***One of the most off the wall among all the off the wall episodes of the TFTC series that explains where the friendly little Crypt Keeper came from and it wasn't, like most of us suspected: From a test tube. And at the end of the episode even the Crypt Keeper couldn't hold back his tears in telling us the true story of his making it big in the world of entertainment without cracking up and going completely bonkers!

Neat episode

[Woodyanders · 8/10 · 24 February 2011]

Enoch, a grotesque, yet pitiable two-faced freak who's a sideshow attraction at a seedy traveling carnival, develops a crush on a 2,000 year old Egyptian mummy. Director Kevin Yagher, working from a compact and engrossing script by Fred Dekker, does an expert job of creating a suitably lurid carnival atmosphere and makes the most out of the vivid and flavorsome late 19th century period setting. This episode further benefits from sterling acting from an excellent cast: Jeff Yagher gives a moving and sympathetic performance as the wretched Enoch (the scene between Enoch and a sweet little girl is genuinely touching), veteran character actor Stefan Gierasch contributes a terrifically hateful portrayal as Enoch's sadistic keeper Mr. Sickle, Mark Rolston likewise shines with his deliciously dandy turn as suave gambler Dr. Zachary Cling, and Lewis Arquette does well as mean carny owner Ernest Feeley. Moreover, this yarn offers a few cool bits of gore and nicely illustrates how cruel and horrible human beings can be to each other. Best of all, the story concludes on a bang-up note with the birth of the Cryptkeer. Robert Draper's sharp cinematography provides an appropriately gaudy and shadowy look. Michel Columbier's melodic score also does the trick. A typically on the money show.

Crypt story

[BandSAboutMovies · 5/10 · 16 February 2024]

"Shhhh! Aw... There, there. Isn't he just so cute that you wanna... Oops! Crypt Keeper here kiddies and speaking of kiddies, tonight's sickening saga should be subtitled a "Tale from the Crib." Yes, fear fans. I've got a real nursery crime for you this time. It's all about the humble beginnings of my favorite horror hero. So call the babysitter and break out the barf bags as I narrate a nauseating novella with a very special place in my heart. I affectionately call this one "Lower Berth.""

Directed by Kevin Yagher and written by Fred Dekker and Steven Dodd, this is an origin story told by the man who created the Crypt Keeper for the show, special effects expert Yagher. Enoch (Jeff Yagher) the two-faced man meets and makes it with a 4,000 year old mummy, giving birth to The Crypt Keeper at a sideshow. Lewis Arquette shows up as well.

This is based on the Al Feldstein and William Gaines written and Jack Davis penciled story "Lower Berth" that was in Tales from the Crypt #33, which even sort of appeared on the cover.

Now you know where the host came from!

"Naughty boy!"

[Foreverisacastironmess123 · 8/10 · 28 December 2013]

I really don't get the second word of that title. Surely "Birth" would have been much more fitting, I guess that may have been the joke.. I love the authentic feel and impressive production values of the rustic, old-world carnival of freaks - such a cruel world that the carnival presents! The atmosphere was what I enjoyed the most about this episode and the physical effects work done on "Enoch" were terrific. The way the second mouth moved and twitched was very well put together. It's no surprise the effects were so good as the director of this was the man who also did the practical effects on Child's Play, A Nightmare on Elm Street, and he actually designed the Cryptkeeper! I believe the X-Files quietly ripped off the Enoch's design in the brilliant episode called "The Post-Modern Prometheus." I felt really bad for the poor thing, being whipped and locked in a cage just because he looked different, it was kind of tragic and sad..to an extent, the story is very weird! I found the scene touching where the kind little girl gives him the doll. Such sweet heartfelt moments were very rare indeed in this series, and even rarer still when you actually bought them as genuine It was neat how Enoch could speak clearly when he put his mind(s) to it. And of course in classic tradition the real monsters were the 'normal' regular human beings running the carnival. The late Lewis Arquette as the man who introduces the acts sounded strikingly similar to the Cryptkeeper himself! Gore wise, the hedge trimmers to the stomach were a real wince-inducing moment! That's what you get when you dare to hassle a man named "Sickles" twice who is holding such an implement in this! The mummy girl also looked very cool and slimy, the closeup of her eyes was pretty creepy. I wonder why mean old Mr.Sickles getting his manhood cut off would be the trigger that brought her back to life, the mind boggles.... A lot of the show's fans seem to go wild for that little extra surprise at the end, but I personally think it's a little silly. The Cryptkeeper tells the tales, so how could he be 'born' in one? I don't need the character to have some dopey origin, he's the macabre jolly host that wraps the stories together and in his own special way makes them complete, and that's good enough! So, he was never alive to begin with and was always a demented, zinger-spouting walking corpse...cute. Very odd indeed but not a bad little romp at all! It was a very weird and sneaky way of developing a little back-story for our beloved cackling cadaver while still keeping the fine tradition of a separate Tale From the Crypt. Oh, you Keeper!

Good underrated episode

[scoobyboobruh · 8/10 · 24 December 2021]

Based on imdb episode ratings, I think this episode needs to have a higher score. This episode has unique directing for the series, and amazing exposition and plot building. The twist is a classic and makes the whole episode that much better.