The Vault of Horror

Dawn Addams - Inez
Tom Baker - Moore
Michael Craig - Maitland
Denholm Elliott - Diltant
Glynis Johns - Eleanor
Edward Judd - Alex
Curd Jürgens - Sebastian
Anna Massey - Donna
Daniel Massey - Rogers
Terry-Thomas - Critchit
Robin Nedwell - Tom
Geoffrey Davies - Jerry
Terence Alexander - Breedley

Vault Of Horror is a formulaic Amicus horror compendium of five stories played for laughs but falling flat. The first sequel to Tales from the Crypt (1972), the owners of EC Comics were not happy with the tone, and so dashed any plans for a third instalment.

Five men exiting an elevator inexplicably find themselves locked in the basement of a skyscraper, and decide to pass the time by recounting their terrifying nightmares. The first twisted tales involves Rogers (Daniel Massey) in ‘Midnight Mass’, as a man trying to murder his sister for money, without realising that she is a vampire, and so is everyone else in the town. ‘Neat Job’ tells the story of Critchit (Terry Thomas), an obsessively tidy man who drives his wife Eleanor (Glynis Johns) insane - so far that she chops him up and bottles the pieces. In ‘This Trick'll Kill You’, Sebastian (Curt Jurgens), a illusionist and his wife, try to buy an Indian rope trick but end up paying the ultimate price. ‘Bargain in Death’ exposes horror writer Maitland (Michael Craig), who plans to be buried alive for the insurance, but is double-crossed by his partner (Edward Judd). The final story, ‘Drawn and Quartered’, features Moore (Tom Baker), a voodoo-practising artist who returns to England intent on murdering three men who have wronged him by using enchanted paintings against them. All goes according to plan until an accident leads to his self-portrait becoming defaced – leading to fatal consequences.