12 Movies Like Tales from the Crypt You Need to Watch
Find eerie anthologies, cult horror, and darkly funny picks with Tales from the Crypt, Tales from the Hood, Candyman, and more.
If you’re hunting for movies like Tales from the Crypt, the best picks mix dark humor, eerie twists, and anthology-style chills that keep every segment moving. This page brings together cult favorites such as Tales from the Crypt (1989), Tales from the Cryptkeeper (1993), and Tales from the Hood (1995), plus offbeat genre entries like Creature from the Haunted Sea (1961) and Humanoids from the Deep (1980). You’ll also find animated horror from A Creepshow Animated Special: Survivor Type/Twittering from the Circus of the Dead (2020), along with crowd-pleasers including Night of the Demons (1988) and Candyman: Day of the Dead (1999). Whether you want comedy, crime, fantasy, horror, or mystery, these titles capture the same mischievous, macabre energy that made the original so memorable.
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01
Tales from the Cryptkeeper
animation · comedy · drama · fantasy · horror · mystery · sci-fi · thriller
Tales from the Cryptkeeper is an animated series aimed at children made by Nelvana Limited, PeaceArch Entertainment, kaBOOM! Entertainment and Warner Bros. Television Animation. It was shown on TVO and ABC, and is still shown near Halloween on Teletoon. It was based on the live-action television show, Tales from the Crypt, which aired concurrently on HBO. Being directed at children, Tales From the Cryptkeeper was significantly milder than the live-action HBO version.
Directed by Laura Shepherd, Rick Marshall, Mike Csunyoscka, Jessie ThomsonCast John Kassir, Elizabeth Hanna, David Hemblen, Stuart Stone, John StockerAmazon Prime VideoMore details on IMDb → -
02
Tales from the Hood
crime · drama · horror · thriller
A strange mortician tells four horrific tales to three drug dealers that he traps in a local funeral parlor.
Directed by Rusty CundieffCast Clarence Williams III, Joe Torry, De'aundre Bonds, Samuel Monroe Jr., Wings HauserStarzMore details on IMDb → -
03
Creature from the Haunted Sea
comedy · horror
A crook decides to bump off members of his inept crew and blame their deaths on a legendary sea creature. What he doesn't know is that the creature is real.
Directed by Roger CormanCast Antony Carbone, Betsy Jones-Moreland, Robert Towne, Beach Dickerson, Robert BeanFreeveeMore details on IMDb → -
04
A Creepshow Animated Special: Survivor Type/Twittering from the Circus of the Dead
fantasy · horror · mystery · thriller
Two animated tales of terror: “Survivor Type,” a man determined to stay alive alone on a deserted island no matter what the cost. “Twittering from the Circus of the Dead,” a teen's family road trip includes a visit to the gravest show on earth.
Directed by Greg NicoteroCast Kiefer Sutherland, Joey King, Fayna Sanchez, Mason PikeAMC+More details on IMDb → -
05
Candyman: Day of the Dead
horror · thriller
As the Day of the Dead celebration approaches the barrio of East Los Angeles, Caroline is challenged to control the horrifying legend of her ancestor, the "Candyman".
Directed by Turi MeyerCast Donna D'Errico, Tony Todd, Alexia Robinson, Leonardo Guerra, Mike MoroffStarzFreeveeMore details on IMDb → -
06
Humanoids from the Deep
horror · sci-fi
After a new cannery introduces scientifically augmented salmon to a seaside town in the Pacific Northwest, a species of mysterious, mutated sea creatures begin killing the men and raping the women.
Directed by Barbara Peeters, Jimmy T. MurakamiCast Doug McClure, Ann Turkel, Vic Morrow, Cindy Weintraub, Anthony PenaAmazon Prime VideoAMC+FreeveeMore details on IMDb → -
07
Night of the Demons
comedy · fantasy · horror
When partygoers at a deserted funeral home decide to have a séance on Halloween night, they awaken something evil with a thirst for blood.
Directed by Kevin TenneyCast Hal Havins, Allison Barron, Alvin Alexis, Harold Ayer, Billy GalloAmazon Prime VideoAMC+FreeveeMore details on IMDb → -
08
Deliver Us from Evil
crime · horror · mystery · thriller
When a frightening wave of violence sweeps through New York City, troubled cop Sarchie fails to find a rational explanation for the bizarre crimes. However, his eyes are opened to a frightening alternate reality when renegade Jesuit priest Mendoza convinces him that demonic possession may be to blame for the gruesome murders. Together, they wage a valiant supernatural struggle to rid the city of an otherworldly evil.
Directed by Scott DerricksonCast Eric Bana, Edgar Ramírez, Olivia Munn, Chris Coy, Dorian MissickStarzMore details on IMDb → -
09
Deathstalker and the Warriors from Hell
action · adventure · fantasy
Deathstalker’s back—and this time he’s facing off against Troxartes, an evil wizard with a zombie army and two magical jewels that hold the key to the lost city of Erendor. Teaming up with Princess Carissa, Deathstalker must protect the third gem, storm a heavily guarded fortress, and ride a bolt of lightning straight into battle.
Directed by Alfonso CoronaCast John Allen Nelson, Carla Sands, Terri Treas, Thom Christopher, Aarón HernánFreeveeMore details on IMDb → -
10
I Sell the Dead
comedy · horror
18th century justice catches up with a pair of grave robbers. With only a few hours to go before his date with the guillotine, Arthur Blake tells his life story to Father Francis Duffy. Before long, Arthur spills the beans on how he got started in the grim corpse peddling business with seasoned ghoul Willie Grimes.
Directed by Glenn McQuaidCast Dominic Monaghan, Larry Fessenden, Angus Scrimm, Ron Perlman, Brenda CooneyAMC+More details on IMDb → -
11
Throw Momma from the Train
1 Oscar nomination Best Supporting Actress (1988)
comedy · crime · thriller
Larry Donner, an author with a cruel ex-wife, teaches a writing workshop in which one of his students, Owen, is fed up with his domineering mother. When Owen watches a Hitchcock classic that seems to mirror his own life, he decides to put the movie's plot into action and offers to kill Larry's ex-wife, if Larry promises to murder his mom. Before Larry gets a chance to react to the plan, it seems that Owen has already set things in motion.
Directed by Danny DeVitoCast Danny DeVito, Billy Crystal, Kim Greist, Anne Ramsey, Kate MulgrewAmazon Prime VideoMore details on IMDb → -
12
Monsters
comedy · drama · fantasy · horror · mystery · sci-fi · thriller
Monsters is a syndicated horror anthology series which originally ran from 1988 to 1991 and reran on the Sci-Fi Channel during the 1990s. As of 2011, Monsters airs on NBC Universal's horror/suspense-themed cable channel Chiller in sporadic weekday marathons.
In a similar vein to Tales from the Darkside, Monsters shared the same producer, and in some ways succeeded the show. It differed in some respects nonetheless. While Tales sometimes dabbled in stories of science fiction and fantasy, this series was more strictly horror. As the name implies, each episode of Monsters featured a different monster which the story concerned, from the animatronic puppet of a fictional children's television program to mutated, weapon-wielding lab rats.
Similar to Tales, however, the stories in Monsters were rarely very straightforward action plots and often contained some ironic twist in which a character's conceit or greed would do him in, often with gruesome results. Adding to this was a sense of comedy often lost on horror productions which might in some instances lighten the audience's mood but in many cases added to the overall eeriness of the production.
Directed by Ernest Farino, Bette Gordon, Jeffrey Wolf, Gerald Cotts, Michael Warren PowellCast John Bolger, Pamela Dean Kelly, Michael J. Anderson, Carlos Lauchu, Robert WeilAmazon Prime VideoFreeveeMore details on IMDb →
Wrapping Up
What makes this list useful is the range: from animated nightmares to swampy creature features, each pick offers a different take on spooky storytelling with a sly edge. If you liked the mix of scares, satire, and supernatural trouble in the classic anthology style, this roundup gives you plenty of new directions to explore. Bookmark the page and come back whenever you want another dose of eerie entertainment, because it’s updated regularly with fresh recommendations and new additions. The best part is that every title here earns its place by delivering atmosphere, attitude, or a memorable twist.
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes these movies similar to Tales from the Crypt?
These picks were matched by tone, themes, and story style using a similarity model trained on plot synopses, genres, and cast — not just shared genre tags — so the connection runs deeper than a simple category match.