Data East

Tales from the Crypt

Pinside Rating

This game received 372 approved Pinsider ratings and currently rates 7.986 _/10

7.986

Top 100 ranking

This game ranks #87 in the Pinside Pinball Top 100.

Score breakdown

Score breakdown in the 4 main categories:

Game Design: 8.036

Artwork: 8.04

Sounds/Music: 7.32

Other Aspects: 8.226

Pinside staff rating

This is how we, the very knowledgeable (wink wink) Pinside.com staff & moderators rate this game. 7 of us have rated this game.

7.561

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Found 217 ratings (with comment) on this game

There are 217 ratings (that include a comment) on this game.
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9.316/10

10 years ago

PAR

Prosedsp

Inactive member

Tucson, AZ

10y 33,900 317 9

Love this pin. Can be very challenging if you want it to be. Lots to do on the playfield, but still very open. I like that not every shot connects with something. You really have to know what you are aiming at, which I enjoy. Perfect for the player looking to get better through completing multiple challenges, but also great for when friends come over. I have had this pin for some time now and am continually challenged by it. Go get one, you won't be disappointed.

Prosedsp edited previous rating on October 19, 2013.

9.360/10

10 years ago

SKG

ashburton

Pinside member

Vlg Wellingtn, FL

11y 49,300 398 1 6

Well I've owned two games twice now, and this is one of them. I am a huge horror fan and grew up watching the show as a kid on HBO so the theme never gets old for me. Action is fast paced and can be challenging when set up correctly. Artwork is fantastic, displays a great blend of the HBO show and the original. The sound is great with some awesome call outs and the DMD animations are some of the best I've seen. LED's look great in this machine as it really puts on a show. I've played higher end Bally Williams and newer Sterns and no matter what anyone tells you about Data East pins, TFTC holds its own against all comers. Its a real (crypt) keeper for me!

ashburton has this game on the wishlist.

8.752/10

10 years ago

DAD

toddsolus

Pinside+ Frequent

Salt Lake City, UT

11y 73,300 1,137 3 32

This machine is pretty addicting....the ramps are great and the difficulty keeps me trying. I love the artwork and the DMD animations. The shaker motor is always present to bring you in...crucial. Did I mention the 6 ball Electric Chair multiball? if the cad drawingas were just better the crypt would have been easier to hit from the lower flippers...but oh well makes it a bit more challenging.

toddsolus has this game on the wishlist.

7.908/10

10 years ago

GTO

Pinside member

Frisco, TX

10y 81,300 577 3 10

I did enjoy this one. Being a fan of the series, I loved the playfield and the sounds (although the Crypt Keeper can get on some people's nerves). The game flow was not as smooth as it should have been, but I still consider this one to be one of Data East's best pins.

GTO has this game on the wishlist.

8.069/10

10 years ago

CLA

Cgbuddy

Pinside member

Québec, QC

10y 23,550 8 6 16

I personaly own it , and i want play it again an again, very addictive and challenging!

Cgbuddy edited previous rating on April 02, 2017.
Cgbuddy has owned this game in the past.

8.864/10

10 years ago

JEF

OldSchoolBlood

Pinside member

Savage, MN

10y 56,650 777 2 43

TFTC is easily Data East's best game. I really like the theme and they did a great job doing it right by not holding back on the gore and made really an adults only machine. The dotmatrix animation on this one is excellent. Eyeballs exploding, chainsaws cutting faces in half and decapitations in all its dotmatrix greatness can only be found here and most likely never again. This game is very deep, and it is not easy to reach the "Crypt Jam". Right 180 ramp is a tough shot and very unique. Trick shot leading to the right flipper is neat too. Multiball is frequent and fun. (Electric chair multiball is a standout) Great undervalued machine that holds its own with A titles if you can stomach the theme.

OldSchoolBlood edited previous rating on July 27, 2023.

3 Pinsiders starred this!

6.325/10

10 years ago

???

colonel_caverne

Pinside member

Biscarrosse

10y 80,800 3,262 3 72

it's difficult to rate that one coz i thing that is a good one but i never succeded to like the theme, the artwork and sounds/music. You need to be precise, ramps are not very large!

colonel_caverne has owned this game in the past.

7.658/10

11 years ago

CY

MeestaShane

Inactive member

Monona, WI

11y 13,150 4 14

Mediocre artwork, but the game plays better, at least. The "shaking" isn't for everybody, and wasn't for me. Overall, about average.

9.740/10

11 years ago

FOX

UCSBrandon

Inactive member

San Diego, CA

11y 38,150 85 22

Great game that was one of my favorite back when the HBO series was popular and still one of my favorites today. So many different creature feature modes (i want to say at least ten) and beating them all to unlock the crypt jam is one of the most challenging things I've done on any machine. A lot of grumbling about the artwork, but for any old EC comics fan you'll get it. It is done true to the style of the EC greats from the old days and to those who have followed the comic is an amazing homage. Always loved the HBO John Kassir cryptkeeper so the CK's horrible puns are right up my alley. The shaker moter, raising/lowering crypt, 360 loop ramp make the playfield fun. Some of the DMD animations are amazing, especially for the time...the muli-ball jackpot is still one of my favorite. All in all by far my favorite Data East game ever made and one of my favorites of all time.

3 Pinsiders starred this!

7.820/10

11 years ago

T.V

scaryflippers

Pinside member

Belgie

11y 47,100 70 69 27

one of my first pinballs scary to play very funny pinball shaker motor makes it a complete pinball

scaryflippers has owned this game in the past.

9.120/10

11 years ago

SSS

scottydoesntknow

Inactive member

Woodley Reading

11y 34,650 33 4 37

awesome game great fun one of the best pinballs i have played!

scottydoesntknow has owned this game in the past.

9.420/10

11 years ago

*I*

sterlingpinball

Pinside member

11y 49,300 336 3 24

In my opinion this is Data East best game, very challenging.

sterlingpinball has owned this game in the past.

9.003/10

11 years ago

T$R

I-Closed-Wolskis

Pinside member

Chicago, IL

11y 36,550 51 2 15

I thoroughly enjoy the theme as a camp horror fan - a great blend of comics, horror, and comedy. The gameplay is superb that along with challenging shots and rule sets make it an addictive game you'll want to play over and over again. Love the music and sound effects, although some will be annoyed by the cackling from the cryptkeeper. As with most Data East pins the backglass art is lacking, but still better than most of the DE pins. Layout is teriffic with some great lighting effects. Absolutely love the looped right ramp, very unique feature you won't see in other pins. The metal ramps and habittrails are gorgeous.

I-Closed-Wolskis currently owns this game.

7.708/10

11 years ago

GJB

gjbwalker

Pinside member

12y 46,450 423 18

Boy this thing is ugly looking. But the call outs and animations are fantastically disturbing and definitely not family friendly.

The game play is good, not great, but frequent multiball opportunities make things fast paced.

There are a lot of complaints about the Crypt Keeper's constant cackling. I don't mind it, but could see how it may be annoying.

8.644/10

11 years ago

SRS

ssbodyman

Pinside member

12y 74,800 840 48

Great ramps, great art, great music and a shaker what more could you ask for? Theme-that's great too. Another great horror title that is still at a reasonable price point.

ssbodyman edited previous rating on October 16, 2013.

9.028/10

11 years ago

ZUL

Caucasian2Step

Evil McBooty

12y 163K 1,455 51 1011

Tales from the Crypt is a great game. Yeah, I just said that about a DE table. Best thing John Borg did until Tron. In fact, I wished he copied it for the IJ4 table.

The Good:
The comic horror theme is executed with great precision. Chainsaws, brains and really bad puns all come together. The launch button is the coolest. Modes are realtively well done and the alternating spinner to light modes means that you need to control your ball to make the necessary shots at all time. Locking in your mode with the start button is a serious strategy on this table. The Crypt Keeper's laugh is really annoying, as it should be. Great selection of shots. The table awards you 3 mil (once again in line with the theme) for Death Saves. Best Chainsaw/Jackpot animation... EVER!

The Bad:
The BG... it should have been done in the style of the PF (this is the only time you may hear me say this). Which reminds me of the EC comics the TV show was based on. The style of the BG is a muddy airbrush rendition of the TV episodes. I does not have the single flourescent tube lighting it, and it still looks like it's been smeared on the translite. I recently played a copy of this game that had a replacement translite on it and it looked better. The Crypt wall mechanically can be trouble. Some modes are just not worth shooting for. The potato-person on the right hand side of the BG is supposed to be Whoopi Goldberg, really.

The Takeaway:
None of this Politically Correct blather that comes out of some marketing plan for this design. You'll never have so much fun laughing at things you know you should not be laughing at while playing pinball. The best DE game ever made, period. If DE made games like this with most of their titles, we would not have this mostly (deserved) negative bias towards pinball created by this company. All in all, a damn fine game.

Update:
This game is great when tuned and set to go for multiball. I hear people complaining about the mode start hole on this game all the time. Here's a tip... shoot the mode start from the upper right flipper (shoot the extra ball shot for the feed), it drops and sticks every time! Getting the superjack is no easy task and when you get it, you really feel like you have accomplished something. The subtleties of this game really start to show themselves after a while and the right orbit is KING when you have a frenzy mode running. Ripping the spinner for a wizard mode is where it's at! I absolutely love the animations, The Jackpot animation in particular may be my all time favorite just after the extra ball animation in AFM! Also, the shaker in this game at the start of multiball lets you know it's time to ACTIVATE!!! If you love the old horror EC comics... you need to play this game. If not, it's still a true player!

Update #2:
The more I learn about the game the more it is about spinners. All 3 of them for a matter of fact. If you can hit the right ramp and start a frenzy mode and then drop into multiball, or just plain rip the spinners, you will often collect more from the frenzy modes (esp at 750k a hit and up) than you will from almost any mode. Same thing with The Crypt Jam. 1 mill any switch... rip the spinners! Need to light a mode? Rip the spinners, esp the right spinner as you can hit both orbit switches without the light mode insert changing from the right (around to the left) orbit. There are only 2 shots from the upper flipper, but both are critical and in the case of the mode start, make the difference between your ability to open this table up, or not. Multiball is still king on this game, but a few modes crypt kicker in particular (lock it with the launch button!), make a huge difference in your ability to stay on the table, or not.

Update v3:
This game is as good (I'd say better) than many B/W games of the same vintage. Gits the new S/W and tear it up!

Caucasian2Step edited previous rating on February 08, 2016.
Caucasian2Step has this game on the wishlist.

9 Pinsiders starred this!

9.716/10

11 years ago

???

Zyrallus

Inactive member

Unknown

11y 7,500 7 7

Easily my favorite game in my personal collection. Never get tired of playing this creepy table.

Zyrallus edited previous rating on November 02, 2021.
Zyrallus currently owns this game.

8.620/10

11 years ago

JAM

NPO

Pinside member

12y 133K 7,652 3 17

TFTC is easily one of DEs top 3 best machines. This machine has some great stuff going for it. The inverting ramp shot alone is SO sweet - the only machine I know to have a ramp that literally goes upside down. Both ramps are solid stainless steel, giving the machine a well polished look. The habit trails are winding and look outstanding - just... man - the ramps and habit trails are SWEET on this game.

People that complain about the artwork - I don't get it. This artwork is what the TFTC, Vault of Horror, Haunt of Fear, and Shock SuspenStories comics were based off of - why complain about the original source material? As for me, the artwork is fantastic. Both on the translite and the playfield, there are scenes and characters from at least 6-7 episodes of season 1 and 2 of the show all over the playfield.

The sounds are pretty good - the Cryptkeeper's cackle can DEFINITELY get old, but it's part of the territory. The modes are pretty good - some are better than others. Getting the Cryptjam is no easy task. The DMD animations are easily some of the best ever put on a machine because they are true to the source material. Want to see someone chopping off their own head? What about a chainsaw right down the middle of a face? And plucking someone's eyes out - why not? It's all here, and i would definitely say the DMD animations are possibly the most gory on any pinball machine ever made. If you have kids, don't worry - for the kiddies, there is a "censored" mode available in the options/settings.

Tombstone is a pretty good toy that is incorporated well and works great with the atmosphere. Typical DE skill shot at the beginning of each ball is to hit the drop target that is lit up as the light cycles from one to another. The ball launcher on this machine is SWEET as a fully replicated doorhandle, and you launch the ball by pushing the lever down like you would on a real door handle - one of the most unique ball launchers ever!

VUKs are known for getting a good beatdown on this game, but parts are readily available, and rebuilding a VUK is not too bad a job. I rebuilt my Super VUK in the back right corner of my machine first try with minimal difficulty.

Cabinet side art is subtle and to the point. The backbox sideart of the Cryptkeeper has a "grisly" but fitting look to it. Topper for these machines can be hard to find - now starting to go for $180+ on eBay.

Price can be anywhere from $1300 - $1900, but the price is starting to increase on these machines. Hearing a well taken care of TFTC go for $1900 to the low $2k's is starting to become a bit more common-place, and rightfully so - this is easily one of DE's masterpiece machines.

Don't let the DE badge scare you off; this is a pretty solid pin. Of the 4 I've owned, this is the last one in my home as of today, and Lord-willing, this is the one machine that stays in my home for a very long time!

NPO has owned this game in the past.

10.000/10

11 years ago

ZAK

pharoah007

Pinside member

Ottawa, ON

12y 21,900 22 5 9

Most EVIL game ever...but I still like it ;)

pharoah007 currently owns this game.

8.595/10

11 years ago

KJT

mandrick

Inactive member

Maple Ridge, BC

11y 22,150 99 8

Very fun game, flows well, some tough shots and very cool "loopy" ramps. Artwork really fits the EC Comics feel.

mandrick has owned this game in the past.

6.864/10

11 years ago

MRB

Mr_Blackwell

Pinside member

11y 26,400 21 6

Remembered this one from my college days in the "last of the true arcades" round these parts.
Picked one up a few years back, went through top to bottom bulletproofing. Was so excited to have in the collection. Lost interest after a couple of months. Simple shots...repetitive sounds and crypty's horrible laugh. Shipped it out to a new home not muchlater. Big personal letdown.

6.800/10

11 years ago

DKC

blkspiderman

Inactive member

Unknown

11y 22,550 48 3 14

Spooky, love tales from the crypt. Enjoy the pin too!!

6.492/10

11 years ago

BAY

Bay78

Phantom

Winnipeg, MB

12y 69,900 674 31 10

This game just didn't do it for me.

9.280/10

11 years ago

PED

perryd

Pinside member

Locust Grove, GA

13y 73,150 1,938 13 43

Superb fun animations on this game....Yeah the crypt keeper does get on your nerves, but the difficulty of the the shots and completing modes, keeps you coming back for more.

perryd currently owns this game.

7.395/10

11 years ago

LMB

bellbrand

Pinside member

Chino Hills, CA

13y 62,150 1,735 6

Just a blast to play. Just sold one and already miss it.. In a bigger collection I would have kept it.
Deep enough for the good players and easy enough for the novice.

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There are 217 ratings (that include a comment) on this game. Currently showing results page 7 of 9.

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