AlthoughTom Hanksis best known for his comedic and dramatic roles, he made his acting debut in a horror movie, and while he hasn’t made another one since then, he returned to the genre 12 years later in an iconic TV show. Tom Hanks is one of the most beloved and respected actors of his generation, and he has done a bit of everything in his over 40-year career. Hanks has left his mark in rom-coms likeYou’ve Got Mail, dramas likePhiladelphia, comedies likeBig, and even animated movies liketheToy Storysaga.
Tom Hanks’ successful acting career began in 1980 with the slasher movieHe Knows You’re Alone. Directed by Armand Mastroianni,He Knows You’re Alonefollows Amy (Caitlin O’Heaney), a young bride-to-be who is stalked by a serial killer who targets brides. Hanks played Elliot, a guy Amy and her friend meet while jogging along a forest trail, but he’s not around for long. Since then,Hanks hasn’t made another horror movie, but 12 years later, he returned to the genre in the iconic TV seriesTales From The Crypt, doing double duty.
Tom Hanks Directed One Episode Of Tales From The Crypt
Tom Hanks Directed The Episode “None but the Lonely Heart”
Tom Hanks has a long history on TV, which also began in 1980 with an episode of the rom-com drama seriesThe Love Boat. That same year, he starred in the sitcomBosom Buddies, followed by an episode ofTaxi,Happy Days, and two episodes ofFamily Ties. In 1992, Hanks paid another visit to the horror genre in the classic anthology seriesTales from the Crypt. Created by William Gaines and Steven Dodd, the show was based on theTales from the Crypthorror comic by Gaines and Al Feldstein.
The show was hosted by the Cryptkeeper, and he presented each episode.Tales from the Cryptran from 1989 to 1996 for seven seasons, and Tom Hanks joined the show in season 4.Hanks directed season 4’s premiere episode, “None but the Lonely Heart”, which followed a sociopathic criminal named Howard (Treat Williams), who married rich elderly widows, only to poison them and get their money. Before going on the run, Howard decided to go after one final victim, that being Effie Gluckman (Frances Sternhagen).
Hanks had a cameo appearance as the owner of the video dating service that Howard used to find a new wife.
However, things got more complicated than Howard could have anticipated when he started getting notes from someone who knew what he was doing and warned him to stop if he didn’t want to face consequences. Like any otherTales from the Cryptepisode, Howard’s story takes a horrifying turn, but it can’t be denied that he had it coming. In addition to directing the episode, Hanks had a cameo appearance as the owner of the video dating service that Howard used to find a new wife.
Although this episode isn’t part of most rankings of thebestTales from the Cryptepisodes, it’s a fun episode with a good dose of horror and some disturbing scenes in its third act, and it proves that Hanks can also do horror behind the camera. Despite his role being very brief, thisTales from the Cryptepisode was a fun return to the horror genre for Hanks, and he came back to it one more time, 25 years later, but with a twist.
Tom Hanks Returned To Horror On TV In 2017 In Animated Form
Tom Hanks Reprised His Most Famous Halloween Role
One of Tom Hanks' most popular and beloved characters is David S. Pumpkins, created by Mikey Day, Bobby Moynihan, and Streeter Seidell for aSaturday Night Livesketch titled “Haunted Elevator.” The character was a big hit with the audience, and Hanks has reprised this role a couple of times onSNL, but in 2017, Pumpkins got his own thing.The David S. Pumpkins Halloween Specialaired on NBC in 2017, andit’s a 21-minute animated specialwith Peter Dinklage serving as narrator and Hanks voicing Pumpkins.
The David S. Pumpkins Halloween Specialfollows siblings Kevin and Dotty, who go trick-or-treating and end up in a pumpkin patch, where they meet Pumpkins and his trusty dancing skeletons. Although the animated Halloween special didn’t have the same impact and critical reception as the originalSNLskit, it’sTom Hanks' most recent venture into the horror genre.
