The Best TV Series?
Which one was the best TV series back in the day? The Hitchhiker? or Tales from the Crypt?
shareTales from the Crypt may have been more popular but I found it to be a little overratted. It had nice gore effects but the storylines weren't just as interesting nor were the characters as well-developed.
The Cryptkeeper had impressive puppety and animotronics with a nice wicked laugh. But as a host he only introduced the stories ok and overused bad puns at the end of the stories which could be annoying at times.
The Hitchhiker on the other hand - obviously casted for his rugged looks and perfect ass - wasn't much of an actor. At least he introduced the characters and story well and crypticly hints as to what might happen in the story. It brought a level of intrigue to the story. He always closed it with a commentary of what happened with an occasional wit in there. He was cliche'-free in his speeches and sometimes had an epitah-like speech to say. All in under thirty seconds too I might add.
Also in the Hitchhiker series, each episode was unique. Almost all the storylines were interesting and characters written that could draw you in. The coolest thing about the Hitchiker, was even when you knew there was going to be a twist at the end, you still could not predict how it was going to end.
I can not say the same for any other TV show or movies as being so unpredictable at the end. Even that Shyamalan is overrated to me I think.
One bad thing about Tales From the Crypt, this won't be to much of a spoiler if you have seen it, many people felt it jumped the shark because it became predictable at the end. Usuallly it ends with the main character dying a gory death.
Yes, the Hitchhiker has one episode that doesn't last up to repeat viewings, nor a few episodes that gel well. They don't have the quality acting or gore of Tales from the Crypt. But the storylines were almost always so cool that you could forgive these faults of the Hitchhiker. They also had some occasional nudity in the episodes is why I am not sure the Hitchhiker could be made in this day and age with all the prudes about nudity out there. cough** cough*** Jesicca Alba.
Anyways, these are my reasons why I think the Hitchhiker is better than Tales from the Crypt.
I'm not one who usually replies to someone's posting, but I agree with you. Tales From The Crypt was a great show, in it's own right. The Hitchhiker had the same element of drame/horror, but was a little bit more intense. Tales From The Crypt had a skeleton puppet (with a silly laugh) to introduce the show. The show ended up being creative, but not that scary.
The Hitchhiker had a dark, mysterious person introducing the episodes. Though his presence at the beginning of the episodes was brief, it set the tone for the show. Granted, I was 14 when show was in it's hay-day, but I still remember it as a great show.
You can't really compare the two shows, I think. Firstly, TFTC is a horror-comedy show with lots of gore and silly humour. It's kind of like a B-Movie in the shape of a 20-odd minute show. Yes, you always knew there would be a "sinners get their just desserts" resolution, as this was the main theme behind the series, BUT: it kept the viewer hooked, wanting to see how they would up the gore/silliness factor by each episode (and with the exception of the disappointing final season, they kept a consistent quality), plus it was always cool wondering which Hollywood big name actor(s) would be featured in the episode. On the other hand, The Hitch-hiker was (obviously) the one that played it serious, and the one with the better storylines. It hardly played for laughs, instead it was a classy horror/mystery/thriller, with an intriguing narrator character integrated into the story rather than a goofy introductor.
And the well-written storylines more than made up for the lack of star power (although there are several familiar faces/before-they-were-famous people in it).
Secondly, TFTC is the more recent show, starting shortly after or towards the end of the run of 80s horror anthology heavyweights, like Twilight Zone, the Hitch-hiker, or Tales from the Darkside. It was a passing-of-the-baton of sorts, into a new generation of anthology shows as we moved into the 90s.
Both shows have left their own legacy on television, especially having seen recent efforts like Night Visions and New Twilight Zone failing to deliver. So it would really be unfair trying to compare the two shows. It's an apples-and-oranges situation.
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I agree with not really being able to compare the two shows. They are pretty much different from each other in overall tone. Still, I would rather watch Hitchiker.
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