An all-star cast is front and center in this episode about a con-man and a con-woman who attempt to cheat a foursome of good ol' boys by making them think that there's oil beneath a graveyard. Lou Diamond Phillips (Young Guns) and Priscilla Presley (The Naked Gun) are the con artists and have decent chemistry but it's the seasoned cast that makes the show. Noble Willingham (The Last Boyscout), Steve Kahan (Lethal Weapon 1-4), Alan Ruck (Ferris Bueller's Day Off), and legend Rory Calhoun are all great. The plot, however, is full of holes. luckily the episode's cast helps you forget the logic and enjoy a twisted, fun little tale from the crypt. FF(Fun Fact): In the cryptkeeper wrap-around, he remarks on the acting chops of a certain actor in the show. The actor just happens to be John Kassir, the voice of the cryptkeeper. Also, the cryptkeeper begins the story by playing a limited edition Tales from the Crypt pinball game, a rare collectible.
4 Reviews
Disappointing Tales from the Crypt.
poolandrews5 May 2008
Warning: Spoilers
Tales from the Crypt: Oil's Well That Ends Well is set in small American town where lovers Jerry (Lou Diamond Phillips) & Gina (Priscilla Presley) are setting up an elaborate hoax & huge con in order to swindle $20,000 out of four local residents. Jerry & Gina both claim to work for an oil company & have found a rich oil well under the local cemetery but will keep it quiet & mine the oil themselves & share the profits with the four residents if they stump up some cash. They agree & the con works perfectly, but Gina becomes even more greedy when the chance to make even more money occurs but all is not as it seems...
This Tales from the Crypt story was episode 11 from season 5, directed by Paul Abascal this has to be one of the poorest episodes from the entire seven season & ninety three episode run of Tales from the Crypt. The script by Scott Nimerfro was based on a story from 'The Vault of Horror' comic book & my main problem with Oil's Well That Ends Well is that it feels more like a far fetched crime thriller than a dark macabre horror, in fact if you boil it down there's no horror elements here at all. There's no blood, no gore, no supernatural elements & what we are left with is a rather complicated, contrived & silly con scheme to embezzle money which in reality wouldn't work & the ending is a mixture of twists & turns with each one being sillier than the last. Apart from the Cryptkeeper sequences at the start & end it would be impossible to tell that Oil's Well That Ends Well is even an episode of Tales from the Crypt, feels more like a Tales of the Unexpected episode if I wanted to make comparisons.
The production values on Tales from the Crypt were always excellent & that is the case here but not that much happens & there's no blood or gore at all. The cast is interesting, Priscilla Presley was the one time wife of Elvis Presley, Lou Diamond Phillips is a familiar TV & film face while Oil's Well That Ends Well was veteran actor Rory Calhoun's last screen role, Steve Kahan is probably better know as Riggs & Murtaugh's long suffering police Capatin in the Lethal Weaopn series & John Kassir has a small role who in fact provided the voice of the Cryptkeeper which is given a little self referential nod during the closing Cryptkeeper sequence.
Oil's Well That Ends Well is one of the worst Tales from the Crypt episodes out there in my opinion, to be honest it's not really what the series is all about & feel more like a silly crime thriller with one to many implausible twists but at only twenty fives minutes long at least it's short & we do get to see the Cryptkeeper play a Tales from the Crypt pinball machine!
This Tales from the Crypt story was episode 11 from season 5, directed by Paul Abascal this has to be one of the poorest episodes from the entire seven season & ninety three episode run of Tales from the Crypt. The script by Scott Nimerfro was based on a story from 'The Vault of Horror' comic book & my main problem with Oil's Well That Ends Well is that it feels more like a far fetched crime thriller than a dark macabre horror, in fact if you boil it down there's no horror elements here at all. There's no blood, no gore, no supernatural elements & what we are left with is a rather complicated, contrived & silly con scheme to embezzle money which in reality wouldn't work & the ending is a mixture of twists & turns with each one being sillier than the last. Apart from the Cryptkeeper sequences at the start & end it would be impossible to tell that Oil's Well That Ends Well is even an episode of Tales from the Crypt, feels more like a Tales of the Unexpected episode if I wanted to make comparisons.
The production values on Tales from the Crypt were always excellent & that is the case here but not that much happens & there's no blood or gore at all. The cast is interesting, Priscilla Presley was the one time wife of Elvis Presley, Lou Diamond Phillips is a familiar TV & film face while Oil's Well That Ends Well was veteran actor Rory Calhoun's last screen role, Steve Kahan is probably better know as Riggs & Murtaugh's long suffering police Capatin in the Lethal Weaopn series & John Kassir has a small role who in fact provided the voice of the Cryptkeeper which is given a little self referential nod during the closing Cryptkeeper sequence.
Oil's Well That Ends Well is one of the worst Tales from the Crypt episodes out there in my opinion, to be honest it's not really what the series is all about & feel more like a silly crime thriller with one to many implausible twists but at only twenty fives minutes long at least it's short & we do get to see the Cryptkeeper play a Tales from the Crypt pinball machine!
Another nice tale set in the desert
bellino-angelo20143 July 2021
Jerry (Lou Diamond Phillips) and his girlfriend Gina don't have equals when it comes to extortion. One day after some digging in the desert they plot a scheme for robbing the money out of four men without their notice! They make them believe that there is oil buried underneath a cemetery, and when they all want a piece of the action they will arrive to backstab each other up until the explosive conclusion...
While the plot may not seem THAT original, it looked very original for a show based on horror. Lou Diamond Phillips (who was an household name in those years) gives an enjoyable performance and it was nice seeing veterans Noble Willingham and Rory Calhoun (in his final performance before his death in 1999) as two of the four Southern investors. There is even John Kassir (the actor who voiced the Crypt Keeper) that made his only live action performance in the show as one of Jerry's allies up until the explosion. Not to be missed also for this.
While the plot may not seem THAT original, it looked very original for a show based on horror. Lou Diamond Phillips (who was an household name in those years) gives an enjoyable performance and it was nice seeing veterans Noble Willingham and Rory Calhoun (in his final performance before his death in 1999) as two of the four Southern investors. There is even John Kassir (the actor who voiced the Crypt Keeper) that made his only live action performance in the show as one of Jerry's allies up until the explosion. Not to be missed also for this.
Entertaining episode
Woodyanders22 June 2012
Warning: Spoilers
Cunning'n'sassy Gina (marvelously essayed with sexy aplomb by Priscilla Presley) and her slick partner Jerry (well played with rascally charm to spare by Lou Diamond Phillips) are a couple of crafty con artists who concoct a fake gold scheme in order to fleece four guys out of their money. However, there's a bit more to the plan than meets the eye. Director Paul Abascal, working from a salty and clever script by Scott Nimerfro, relates the smart story at a steady pace, maintains an engaging tone throughout, and tosses in a few neat twists at the conclusion, with a real doozy of a literally explosive ending. The tip-top cast have a ball with the juicy material: Phillips and Presley display a fine chemistry in the leads, with excellent support from Noble Willingham as the hearty Mr. Petermeyer, Alan Ruck as crude jerk Carty, John Kassir as the sleazy Larry (Kassir also does the voice of the Cryptkeeper), Steve Kahan as the shrewd William, and, in his last role, Rory Calhoun as craggy old-timer Spider. Frank Becker's twangy score does the harmonic trick. The sharp cinematography by Levie Isaaks provides a pleasing glossy look. Moreover, this episode even offers a cool central message about the dangers of greed. An enjoyable show.
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