Before HBO became the powerhouse behind dragons, gangsters, and prestige drama, it was home to a grinning, pun-loving corpse who introduced twisted tales of horror. That corpse—the Crypt Keeper—became one of television’s most iconic figures, a blend of grotesque charm and dark comedy. But few know the story of how he came to life. Behind the skeletal grin was a writer named Alan Katz, who not only gave the Crypt Keeper his voice, but also helped redefine what horror—and television itself—could be.
From Comedy to Chaos: Alan Katz Enters the Crypt
Alan Katz didn’t come to Hollywood chasing blood and guts. He arrived as a comedy writer, but his career took a wild turn when he partnered with producer Gil Adler. Together, they entered the chaotic world of Tales from the Crypt, a horror anthology series on HBO that had already burned through budgets and baffled network executives. With no traditional development process and almost no structure, the show was in desperate need of focus. HBO turned to Gil—and by extension, Katz—to help bring it back from the dead.
Inventing a Monster with Personality
The Crypt Keeper, a decaying puppet host with a penchant for puns, was physically created by Kevin Yagher and voiced by John Kassir. But there was one big problem—no one had written him a personality. That changed when Katz stepped in. Drawing on his love of Groucho Marx and his own warped sense of humor, Katz gave the Crypt Keeper a distinct voice that was both hilarious and horrifying. Suddenly, he wasn’t just a prop. He became the heart of the show, delivering twisted intros and outros that gave every episode a pulse.
Why It Worked: Chaos as a Creative Catalyst
Tales from the Crypt wasn’t created in a boardroom. It was built in the trenches—fast, messy, and often without a clear plan. That chaos turned out to be a breeding ground for creativity. HBO gave the team nearly free rein, offering only three notes over the course of 75 episodes. With little oversight and a shoestring approach, Katz and his team leaned into the absurdity, sharpening the Crypt Keeper’s wit and the show’s bite with every script. Their irreverence gave the series its edge—and gave horror fans something they had never seen before.
The Keeper Becomes the Franchise
By the time Katz was done, the Crypt Keeper wasn’t just a narrator—he was the brand. Fans tuned in for the stories, but they stayed for the Keeper’s gruesome gags and razor-sharp one-liners. His presence was so central that future reboots were blocked because the TV Crypt Keeper had become its own piece of intellectual property, separate from the EC Comics character. Katz’s version had become too iconic to replace. His writing had turned a puppet into a pop culture phenomenon.
Legacy: More Than a Punchline
Katz’s work didn’t just influence horror. It helped HBO find its identity. The network’s slogan, “It’s not TV. It’s HBO,” is rumored to have originated from a Tales from the Crypt crew screening. That show—irreverent, boundary-pushing, and genre-defying—set the tone for the bold original programming that would follow. For Katz, the Crypt Keeper may have started as a writing assignment. But what he created endures as a masterclass in character, tone, and the power of storytelling.
Alan Katz didn’t just write horror—he reshaped it. By infusing a skeleton with soul, he brought humor to horror and gave HBO the confidence to take creative risks. The Crypt Keeper may be long gone from our screens, but his voice—and the writer behind it—left a mark that’s still felt today.