Tales from the Crypt (TV Series) Maniac at Large (1992) User Reviews

There are big names and its a treat

[filmmakersis · 7/10 · 25 August 2017]

Contrary to the older review by Coventry, there are huge names in this episode, hello, Adam Ant for one. Blythe Danner is even in this. There is definitely some of the usual quirkiness in this episode as found in others, especially the old boss at the library as she appears as a bit of a bitter, oddball stereotype. This is a good episode to watch in the series. I also recommend Surprise Party (which is really good) and skip Spoiled which was just awful.

Another top tale from the crypt.

[poolandrews · 8/10 · 19 March 2007]

Tales from the Crypt: Maniac at Large is set in a library where new employee Margaret (Blthye Danner) is working late, however she gets extremely nervous & scared since there's a serial killer at large who has already murdered seven people & when her boss Mrs Pritchard (Salome Jens) leaves her alone to get a sandwich Margaret thinks she's been locked in the library alone with the killer...

This Tales from the Crypt story was episode 10 from season 4, directed by the late John Frankenheimer I was extremely relieved to find out that the deceptively yet cleverly titled Maniac at Large was a great return to form after the truly terrible previous episode King of the Road, I used to watch Tales from the Crypt during the early 90's when it originally aired here in the UK on late night TV & there were certain episodes & specific scenes that have always stayed with me & Maniac at Large is one such episode that I always remembered. The script by Mae Woods was based on a story in the 'Crime SuspenStories' comic book & presumably like it's literary source this is a neat little crime thriller with serious tone throughout & a typical Tales from the Crypt twist ending which I didn't see coming & I thought was brilliant, this episode is all about the build up, the setting of the scene, the planting of false information & red herrings & the thoughts, motivations & feelings of character's so when the cool twist is revealed it's even more effective.

This one looks good & has a stylish 50's art deco feel about it with the interior decor of the library & the clothes people wear, it's well made as usual with good production values & it has a nice atmosphere to it. Forget about any swearing, nudity or gore as there isn't any apart from a stabbing at the end but Maniac at Large relies on strong storytelling rather than special effects. The acting is good from a small cast & English singer Adam Ant of Adam and the Ants 'fame' makes a cameo appearance.

Maniac at Large is a great tale from the crypt, a horror based series that proved it could have variety & do different types of stories yet still maintain high standards.

Alright episode

[bellino-angelo2014 · 8/10 · 27 June 2021]

New library employee Margaret (Blythe Danner) works late at night and does her job well. However after a while she becomes nervous and scared because she reads reports of a serial killer that already murdered seven people and when her boss one night leaves for getting a sandwich, Margaret thinks that she is left alone in the library with the serial killer running around.

This episode wasn't that special for me but in the end I liked it because I found the twist very unexpected. Not a must see but still good.

Creepy and original tale!

[Coventry · 9 May 2006]

No famous names in the cast, no grotesque gore effects and not that much morbid humor in the screenplay. This episode doesn't feature any of the usual "Tales from the Crypt" trumps, yet it surely ranks amongst the absolute finest installments of the entire series! Instead of the usual good stuff, "Maniac at Large" offers a fairly intelligent story, a constant creepy atmosphere and – most of all – truly uncanny music. There's exclusively one setting, an ancient downtown library, and that definitely contributes to increase the claustrophobic ambiance John Frankenheimer obviously wanted to create. The city of Los Angeles (I think) is under the spell of a serial killer who already wasted seven victims and whose vile actions are exploitatively described in the newspapers. The sensible Margaret, who's new in town and just started working in the library, is petrified and begins to suspect everyone who enters the library as a potential murderer. The twist ending is rather predictable, but nevertheless pleasing and totally unique in the history of "Tales from the Crypt". The uncanny silences are filled up with spooky music similar to tunes used in some of the greatest horror classics ever made and the fairly unknown cast gives away terrific performances. Trained horror fans will recognize the charismatic veteran Irwin Keyes ("The Exterminator", "House of 1.000 Corpses") in a too brief cameo appearance. Very good episode, highly recommended to fans of the franchise as well of fans of old-fashioned spooky horror.

a neat setup

[shellytwade · 7/10 · 15 April 2022]

I really liked the closed in environment on this one, it kept everything pretty tight and suspenseful. It wasn't particularly mind blowing but it was one of the more fun episodes to happen in a while. Great cast having a great time with the material. What more do you want?

Superior episode

[Woodyanders · 8/10 · 1 August 2011]

Meek and excitable librarian Margaret (a first-rate performance by the lovely Blythe Danner) overreacts after hearing reports about a serial killer on the loose. Director John Frankenheimer, working from a wickedly clever script by Mae Woods, relates the engrossing story at a breathless snappy pace, adroitly milks an amusing line in sharp dark humor, and pulls out all the snazzy stylish stops for the thrilling climax. The excellent acting from a bang-up cast helps a whole lot: Salome Jens as stern and formidable head librarian Mrs. Pritchard, Frankenheimer regular Clarence Williams III as boozy security guard Grady, Obba Babatunde as the no-nonsense Deputy Jameson, and, in an especially stand-out turn, Adam Ant as creepy and obsessive oddball Pipkin. The hulking Irwin Keyes has a neat bit as a menacing figure. John R. Leonetti's slick cinematography boasts a lot of graceful and agile pans and gives this episode a nice glossy look. Bill Conti's classy and sprightly score hits the stirring spot. The surprise twist ending is a real doozy. One of the fourth season's finest and most enjoyable half hours.

A little gem

[dtucker86 · 10/10 · 26 February 2024]

Tales From The Crypt was a popular show on HBO back in the 1990s and has retained an enormous cult following. This is the first show that I have watched and it really grabbed me. What a fine bunch of people were involved in the making of this show from the acclaimed actress Blythe Danner to "Rocky" composer Bill Conti and the piece de resistance is that this episode is directed by the legendary John Frankenheimer (the guy who made The Manchurian Candidate, Frankenheimer began his career as a live tv director in the 1950s). Danner is Margaret a mousy timid librarian who is having a terrible night at work. She has to deal with obnoxious customers (including English rock star Adam Ant who is a wonderful ham as a weird customer who loves talking about serial killers). She also has to put up with a drunken library guard (played by Clarence Williams III) and a newspaper headline telling about a serial killer on the loose. Frankenheimer is the master of suspense and keeps us guessing until the end who the killer is and SUPRISE its Margaret herself. It just goes to show you that those quiet ones are the ones you have to watch out for.

"It could've been that killer!"

[Foreverisacastironmess123 · 10/10 · 10 August 2016]

This is a great episode, it's very economically paced and sharply directed and is one of the more performance-driven tales in the series. I love the little world of the story that is established so well almost immediately. It's not the prettiest one ever, but the setting of a spooky old city library is inspired, and the classy music is a real joy to listen to and helps make the tone very distinctive, you get who all of the small cast are quickly and how they relate to each other, and the story just builds up the tension really well and has a terrific atmosphere of dread. The acting was good all around, even from Adam Ant, who I don't think was even an actor as such, but he seemed to have been a real natural in front of the camera. His character was so weird, you didn't know if he somehow knew of Margaret's dark secret and that was why he kept pushing her, or if he was merely an extremely thoughtless and eccentric nut with an unhealthy obsession with murder literature and was just being over-friendly with the sweet innocent librarian... He certainly had her pegged whether he realised it or not. I thought Blythe Danner gave an outstanding performance that carries and made the whole story work. For most of it she looks like she couldn't hurt a fly but then also brings on the twisted mania as it reaches the end as well. I mean her character is totally insane, she's terrified of a vicious killer that's lurking in the big dark city that is actually herself and it's like she isn't even really aware of it... Now that's creepy, it's like her own nightmare circle that she's trapped in forever of triggering and building up her fear until she kills and gets her release, and is left light and calm again till next time. The poignant little monologue that she gives in the final scene actually makes her a pitiable character, how she's afraid of everything and nothing. She looks so beautiful in her absurd madness. I really love that ending, it's a little more thoughtful and lightly comically eerie than with a lot of the more bigger and in-your-face endings that they'd usually go with and it works. Blythe has more presence in her little finger than that daughter of hers has in her whole body! I know that it's meant to be a bit of a whodunit and everyone says things at different points that makes them sound suspect, but to me just how paranoid and irrational Margaret becomes as it nears the end makes it dead clear just who the real maniac is. Also something that bugs me a little is how it's kind of badly edited for a second when she butchers the stern but innocent Mrs. Pritchard, but I once knew a real dragon of a head librarian just like her so that was cool to see! I love it, it's definitely one of the top tales for me. It seems that sometimes fear truly is the mind killer...