The Thing from the Grave?  Isn’t that every episode of Tales from the Crypt?

OK, after the excremental Three’s a Crowd, this is a move in the right direction.  Miguel Ferrer and Teri Hatcher are almost always interesting, and writer-director Fred Dekker previously wrote two good episodes.

Photographer Devlin Cates is shooting a layout with Teri Hatcher in a bathing suit holding a spear-gun.  They could have ended the episode here and it would have been better than the last two.

Yada yada spectacular.

Miguel Ferrer shows up and acts obnoxious, accusing Cates of hitting on Teri.  As her manager and fiancee, he considers her his port of entry.  After Ferrer leaves, Cates offer her the spare key to his studio in case, you know, she just ever needs to get away.

Sure enough, she shows up at his studio one night.  Note to self: have spare key made; also, a studio.  He gives her a locket an old blind woman gave to him; she said that any promise made while holding that locket would come true.   He holds it and tells Teri he will always protect her.  Ya know, he could have told the old woman he would restore her sight, but I’m sure she was no Teri Hatcher.  Meanwhile Ferrer is outside peeping at them.

The next day, he calls Cates and says that Teri is in trouble and to meet him at the old mill; or something.  Cates foolishly shows up and we are at the point where a flash-forward already showed us Ferrer shooting him, tossing him in a grave, and covering him up.

A flash-forward is usually used to get a little action into the early set-up of the story.  It is not necessary when you start out with a 26 year-old Teri Hatcher in a bathing suit.

Back at Teri’s place a week later, Ferrer shows up at her place and tells her he knows about her hook-up with Cates.  But he tells her that he is probably off with other models, that’s why she can’t reach him.

The next day, she goes to his studio.  She finds a bag of groceries and picks up an incriminating carton of ice cream.  Although, it is melted as you would expect, it is also half empty which makes no sense.  I could lose a few pounds, but even I don’t eat half the Ben & Jerry’s in the car on the way home.  She plays his answering machine with Ferrer’s voice as he grabs her from behind.

He ties her to the bed, and from her shrieking it sounds like he was up to no good.  He confesses that he killed Cates and buried him in the woods.  As he gets undressed, Cates emerges from the grave and slogs toward Teri’s house.

Ferrer goes outside and is grabbed by Cates who drags him back to the grave, pulling him under the ground with him.

This is really just a pretty straightforward, workman-like effort. But coming off a streak of bad episodes, it is very refreshing.  The Dutch angles are back, the bold palette, the humor, some star power.  Pretty lackluster twist, but I am happy with it.

Post-Post:

• This is predates Teri Hatcher’s appearance on Seinfeld and in Lois & Clark by 3 years.