William Shatner, Wil Wheaton, And More Starred In This Forgotten HBO Series

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

It's astonishing to remember what a cultural force "Tales from the Crypt" was back in the 1990s. The original series debuted on HBO in 1989, and seemed to be under a specific creative mandate that called for as much blood, cussing, and nudity as the showrunners could muster. At the time, anyway, "Tales from the Crypt" — like the 1950s EC Comics that inspired it — seemed to be way over the edge, and curious souls tuned in every week to see what act of violence or sex the Cryptkeeper (John Kassir) had cooked up for us. The series ran for 93 episodes over the course of seven seasons. The fact that it's not currently available on streaming is a crime. 

"Tales from the Crypt" was so popular, it actually spawned numerous spinoff shows, none of which reached the same level of popularity. In 1991, "Crypt's" crack producing team attempted to launch a war-based anthology series, also based on old EC Comics from the 1950s. It was called "Two-Fisted Tales," but it never got past the pilot. Its segments ended up getting repurposed for "Tales from the "Crypt." Brad Pitt even starred in the spinoff. In 1993, a kid-friendly animated horror anthology series, "Tales from the Cryptkeeper," aired on ABC, while the spooky kid-friendly game show, "Secrets of the Cryptkeeper's Haunted House," aired in 1996. 

In 1997, the makers of "Tales" tried to replicate the "Crypt" success one last time, and created a sci-fi spinoff series called "Perversions of Science," based on EC titles like "Weird Science" and "Weird Fantasy." "Perversions" was just as sexed-up as "Crypt," and also sported a rotating bevy of celebrity guest stars. Jeffrey Combs, David Warner, Chris Sarandon, Wil Wheaton, and William Shatner were among the many names on the roster.

"Perversions of Science" was almost identical to "Tales from the Crypt" in its setup. Each 30-minute episode sported a singular story that was introduced by an intensely interested host. The host this time was Chrome (Maureen Teefy), a CGI-animated sex robot that constantly flirted and made dirty puns. In the show's opening sequence (with music by Danny Elfman, who also penned the "Crypt" theme), it's implied that every episode of "Perversions" was being viewed on a miniature screen inside of Chrome's robotic breast. 

The above-mentioned crack executive producing team behind "Crypt" included Walter Hill, Richard Donner, Joel Silver, Robert Zemeckis, and David Giler. The team was back together for "Perversions," and Hill directed the first episode, a heady story about a professor (Keith Carradine) who seems to be perpetually trapped in his own dreams. The late great Tobe Hooper ("The Texas Chain Saw Massacre," "Poltergeist") also directed a rather amusing episode about two young men (Jason Lee, Jamie Kennedy) who, while attending a party in the 1930s, have to wrestle with the panic wrought by Orson Welles' famed "War of the Worlds" broadcast. In true "Crypt" fashion, there are several enormous twists in that story that I daren't reveal. Some of the "Perversions" episodes could be listed among the best episodes of "Tales from the Crypt," which /Film once ranked. 

Russell Mulcahy ("Highlander," "The Shadow") directed two episodes of "Perversions," while William Shatner directed an episode that he and his daughter Melanie appeared in. Sean Astin directed a space opera episode that starred himself, Kathleen Wilhoite, and recognizable "Star Trek: The Next Generation" actors Wil Wheaton and Jennifer Hetrick. 

"Perversions" only lasted for 10 episodes, however, with nine of them based directly on EC Comics stories.

It's a little baffling as to why "Perversions of Science" was canceled as swiftly as it was. Perhaps ironic sci-fi stories weren't as easy a sell as ironic horror stories. Regardless, many of the tales from "Perversions" were bracing, unexpected, and great. In the episode "The Exile" (June 11, 1997), Jeffrey Combs played a mad, eugenics-obsessed doctor on a distant alien planet. He aims for a certain degree of genetic "purity" that he hasn't yet reached. He is arrested and sentenced to rehabilitation, but his shrink (David Warner) can't seem to talk him down or convince him that his experiments are evil. They choose instead to exile him to ... Ah, but that would ruin the surprise.

In the episode "Given the Heir" (June 18), the incomparable Yancy Butler plays a woman living in the future who is obsessed with her own appearance. She undergoes cosmetic surgery to look more and more beautiful, aiming to travel into the past and woo the ultimate mate (William McNamara). The twist at the end is truly disturbing and definitely wicked in the "Crypt" sense.

The episode with Shatner is semi-comedic, about a horny pilot (Kevin Pollak) who tries to resist sexualizing his android companion (Heather Elizabeth Parkhurst) in order to remain faithful to his fiancée (Melanie Shatner). 

"Perversions of Science" has never been released on physical home video in the United States, sadly, although it did get a release in Japan. Resourceful internet sleuths can find "Perversions" easily enough online, however. With a title like "Perversions of Science," though, I would recommend you don't search for videos while you're at work.