Tales from the Crypt (TV Series) The Switch (1990) User Reviews

Sarcastic Conclusion

[claudio_carvalho · 8/10 · 15 December 2013]

The millionaire Carlton Webster (William Hickey) is infatuated by the gorgeous and young Linda (Kelly Preston) that does not know that he is a wealthy man. When he proposes her to get married with him, she tells that he is too old for her and Carlton becomes obsessed to look younger. He visits an infamous doctor (Roy Brocksmith) that asks one million dollars to switch his face with the younger Hans (Rick Rossovich) that will receive 900,000 dollars. When Carlton visits Linda again, she tells that his torso is too old and the doctor now asks two million dollars for a new surgery and his associate Hans again is the donator. But when Linda sees Carlton's legs, she tells that they are scrawny legs. Carlton goes to the doctor that asks his last three million dollars for the surgery. Carlton becomes young with Hans's body but when he visits Linda, he finds that she has moved for a fancy neighborhood and soon he learns what she is looking for.

"The Switch" is another episode of "Tales from the Crypt" with black humor and a sarcastic conclusion. Directed by Arnold Schwarzenegger, William Hickey is fantastic in the role of a rich man that wants the impossible and Kelly Preston is extremely sexy in the top of her beauty. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "The Switch"

Scrawny legs, indeed

[ctomvelu1 · 8/10 · 24 January 2010]

William Hickey as a wealthy octogenarian is transformed into hunky young Rick Rossovich, as he attempts to woo Kelly Preston in THE SWITCH. Hickey loves her and proposes marriage, but she refuses because of his advanced age and appearance. So he goes to a shady surgeon who lives in a wonderful Dracula-like castle. This surgeon, for huge sums of moolah, agrees to replace parts of Hickey, a little at a time. The ending is a twist and a hoot. Someone here suggested it plays out like an old Twilight Zone episode, and I concur. The ending leads to a definite moral statement, having to do with man trying to be something he's not. The episode was shot in 1990, when Preston was at her peak.

Enjoyable episode

[Woodyanders · 8/10 · 4 February 2011]

Elderly millionaire Carlton Webster (a strong and touching performance by veteran character actor William Hickey) desperately wants to woo the lovely young Linda (the gorgeous Kelly Preston in fine foxy form), so he pays a creepy mad doctor (well played with oily gusto by Roy Brocksmith) to transform him into strapping young stud Hans (likable beefcake Rick Rossovich). Director Arnold Schwarzeneggar relates the absorbing story at a steady pace and maintains a pleasingly droll tone throughout. The smart script by Richard Tuggle and Michael Taav offers some nice pointed commentary on America's obsession with youthful appearances and defying old age at all costs. The splendidly ironic and surprising ending makes an additional provocative statement on how money and wealth always win out over everything else. Kudos are certainly in order for the sound acting from the capable cast, with Hickey in particular bringing a moving pathos to Carlton's desire to win over the woman he's infatuated with. Jost Vacano's polished cinematography boasts several smooth pans and tracking shots, thereby giving this episode an attractive glossy look. A worthy show.

Predictable but fun.

[Dodge-Zombie · 7/10 · 2 August 2022]

I saw the reveal coming a mile away but that didn't make it uninteresting. I was surprised to find out that Arnold Schwarzenegger directed this one. Can't really fault his work here.

"Perhaps next time you will know better than to grow old..."

[Foreverisacastironmess123 · 10/10 · 28 November 2011]

Mr. Schwarzenegger is clearly having a wonderful time introducing the episode he directed himself. Gratuitous cameo aside, I really think he did an excellent job here, this has always been one of my all time favourite tales, I think it perfectly exemplifies the macabre dark irony and artfully revealed ridiculous yet grandiose twist that the original comics were all about, I mean it's very fantastical and has a weird quirky surrealness to it that stretches the credible limits of surgical possibility as well as plain logic to a pretty insane degreee...but it's also very funny and enjoyable because of that, it's gleefully tongue in cheek, and I just love it, it's a live-action zany horror comic come to life! The hook of the story I s so simple, yet perfect. A nice enough rich old man, worships a far younger woman, but she refuses to be with him because he's so ancient. Ordinarily that would be that, but this is Tales From The Crypt, so the old man is willing to do literally anything to make her happy, and so he seeks out a surgeon who is mad enough to undertake the ~forbidden~ surgery that will grant him a "whole new face". I love the late great Roy Brocksmith's performance as a perfectly mad and campy mad scientist/surgeon. He so looks the classic part: big eye magnifying glasses, creepy comb-over and a Transilvanian accent, gothic castle lab complete with Egor! He slyly agrees to do the procedure, but only in stages. First he does the face, then the torso, then the legs, exponentially increasing amount of money each time, until eventually the very misguided Carlton Webster has no fortune left at all. Now there's an interesting strange subplot involving the doc, and the seemingly moronic donor who has been training his strong young body with Carlton piece by piece that you don't fully grasp until the ending, and even then it's sorta tricky.. For at the very end it seems that Carlton has traded himself for himself in a mad and twisted and surgical conundrum nightmare! It's so unfair for poor Carlton after he went through all that trouble, the silly odd woman he was in love with wants to be with the new(?) old man because he is rich. All he really ever had to do to win her greedy heart was be honest with her! Would a healthy young guy really trade all his youth and body, even for millions? And wouldn't the surgically altered Webster still be old internally? Some plot elements may be a bit hard to swallow for some, but to me who the hell really cares when an episode is such a hoot! The ending is pitch perfect, with Carlton's replacement laughing maniacally in his face in victory...Bravo! Perhaps not the smartest but it sure ticks all the boxes for what makes a great Tales episode in my book, I love this one and find it terrific to this day. 😷

"Do you think faces grow on tree's?" Decent tale from the crypt.

[poolandrews · 6/10 · 15 March 2007]

Tales from the Crypt: The Switch starts as the elderly multi millionaire Carlton Webster (William Hickey) proposes to an attractive young woman named Linda (Kelly Preston) whom he has fallen in love with, she says no because he is too old. Not to be defeated in his quest to marry Linda Carlton makes an appointment with a mad scientist (Ray Brocksmith) who claims he can give him the youthful looks he's after but at a high price, both financially & in a way Carlton hadn't considered as his plan to win the affections of Linda backfire spectacularly...

This Tales from the Crypt story was episode 2 from season 2, although hard to believe The Switch was directed by none other than Arnold Schwarzenegger which quite frankly boggles the mind. The script by Michael Taav which was based on a comic book story in 'Tales from the Crypt' is a decent enough effort but I just thought it was a bit one dimensional & a bit too predictable. Usually the ironic macabre twist endings are what makes a good tale from the crypt but here I just found it a little lacklustre as things turned out pretty much as I had expected them to, don't get me wrong as the ending is still satisfying but it didn't come as much of a surprise. This episode preaches the moral that you should just be yourself & not waste your entire fortune on crackpot medical procedures, but that's just common sense really. A good episode but not a great one & the Crypt Keeper (John Kassir) has a guest in his dungeon that is none other than the Terminator himself Schwarzenegger, seeing the now governor of California trade bad puns with the rotten corpse that is the Crypt Keeper is a somewhat surreal & memorable experience!

Technically The Switch is top-notch with some very familiar name both in front of & behind the camera. Another aspect of this episode I wasn't keen on is that there's absolutely no gore & it doesn't go for scares or atmosphere as it seemingly tries to preach it's moral message yet still trying to be a dark horror comedy, how successful it is will depend on your individual opinion although as a good way to pass 30 odd minutes I can't really complain.

The Switch isn't the best ever tale from the crypt but even OK Tales from the Crypt are worth watching, decent enough but not as good as season 2's opener Dead Right.

One of the earliest and best crypt episodes ever. Just proves everyone is out for money, and trying to obtain the fountain of youth can backfire on you!

[blanbrn · 9/10 · 25 August 2006]

Early on in The Crypt when Hollywood stars started to direct episodes, this particular one "The Switch" done by Arnold turned out to be one of the best with a great twist ending! Everything from the story, acting, and message it sends makes "The Switch" so great. You have the legend himself William Hickey as a wealthy old man, who's one last wish is to again become young so he can woo a lovely babe(played by Kelly Preston) with love. He will do anything for her love not just plastic surgery, but even he will trade his body with a hunk(Rick Rossovich)! So the transformation goes body by body part from face to torso, to lower body to satisfy his lover, but his money is taken in large sums for each body exchange. The Hickey character in the end sees, that he put to much of a priority on youth, as all along he should have saved his money, because it turns out the young babe wanted wealth! Now talk about a switch, you see in the end what a dirty game and twisted tale this was! Finally I took this message from the episode is that money is highly valued people will do anything to get it from you, plus the fountain of youth can't be turned back and money can buy love for some and for some not. "The Switch" is one of the best crypt episodes ever, good acting, writing, and a great plot twist. Last but not least it was good to see Hollywood talent like Schwarzenegger directing.

Feels like watching The Twilight Zone

[SleepTight666 · 7/10 · 27 June 2009]

Although a bit of a step back from the previous episode, and it contains absolutely no gore or things that would make it scary.

It is still quite an interesting episode, almost feels like watching The Twilight Zone. I really liked the clever surprise ending. Did not see it coming, though it was very fitting.

The worst part about the episode was the acting, none of them were particularly great -- especially the terrible hunk of a man.

On the plus side, Arnold was at the beginning of the episode. It was quite funny to see, he would have been a much more suitable guy to play the part of the young guy.

Some women just aren't worth the hassle

[callanvass · 9/10 · 19 October 2013]

Carlton Webster (William Hickey) is in love with a woman named Linda (Kelly Preston) Linda says he is far too old for her. He is willing to go to extreme lengths to make her fall in love with him. He tries a normal plastic surgeon, but he tells Carlton he can't do what he's looking for. He decides to visit a a special doctor (Roy Brocksmith) He happens to specialize in making old men, look MUCH younger. Carlton pays ludicrous amounts of money to get the special surgery, and replace his body parts.

For some reason, I just knew this was going to be one of the best Tales from The Crypt Episodes when Arnold Schwarzenegger popped up to make quick cameo with the crypt keeper. It was just an epic moment for me, and made me say "Yep. This is gonna rule" It was something I was NOT expecting, considering Arnie was a HUGE star. His cameo is very quick, but hilarious. I'm a huge Arnold fan, so that made my night. This episode is gleefully twisted, booming with creativity. We've all been in a situation where an ungrateful woman keeps rejecting you, despite the amazing lengths you'll go to win her. I immediately empathized with Carlton, just for that reason. That poor sap literally reshapes his whole body to please this girl. Kudos to Kelly Preston for playing a bit of a vindictive witch and you know what the amazing thing about her vindictiveness is? It was in a subtle manner! She did it very politely, which made her all the more infuriating. Not much gore to speak of here, but there are some creepy images. Rick Rossovich's body trouble in this one, gave me the willies. The twist ending was very well done. As a couple of other reviewers rightfully pointed out, it has a bit of a moralized message to it. If a woman won't accept you for who you are, forget it, and move on. Always be yourself, kiddies!

Final Thoughts: This is one of my favorite Tales from The Crypt episodes. Come on! Not only do you have a tremendously entertaining 25 minutes or so of great T.V, but Arnold freakin' Schwarzenegger even takes time to visit? Do you really need my recommendation?!

9/10

Straightforward body swap story with an unusual choice of director

[Leofwine_draca · 6/10 · 12 November 2016]

While lacking the finesse and atmosphere of the Amicus anthologies of the '70s, which were based on the same source material, the EC comics of the 1950s, the TALES FROM THE CRYPT series passes the time amiably enough, adding some gore into the otherwise light proceedings to help things move along. Fortunately the episodes carried on the tradition of adding a neat twist to the tale at the end of the stories, which is prominent in the episodes on this compilation tape I viewed.

THE SWITCH is an entertaining story, although it can hardly be counted as horror. Under the direction of a certain Arnold Schwarzenegger the simplistic tale benefits from some different special effects work (the makeup effects are very good) and some good acting, as well as an obvious but clever twist in the tale. William Hickey overacts as a devious old codger and there is even a classic mad scientist sub plot.

A winner in the show with a nice moral lesson

[bellino-angelo2014 · 9/10 · 13 June 2021]

Carlton Webster is an old man that is head over heels with a young woman named Linda (Kelly Preston). He brings her some flowers and she says that she appreciates his kindness, but he is also old enough to be her grandfather. So he will go to extreme lengths to be with her. First he visits a normal plastic surgeon but he tells Carlton that he is asking too much. Then he goes to a unique doctor that is specialized in making old men look much younger. Carlton pays huge amounts of money for having his body parts replaced with those of a much younger man named Hans (Rick Rossovich). First he changes his face: Linda says that his face is young but the body old and decrepit. Then he changes his torso: Linda says he looks fabulous but when they go to the beach together she notices he still has scrawny and wrinkly legs. With his last money left, he changes his legs and when he visits Linda, he has probably the surprise the viewer would expect...

This episode is very different as there aren't victims nor blood splattered. It's a great tale about a loser that would do everything for being with a younger woman, but she searched something else. Kelly Preston is good playing a vindictive woman, and she does it in a subtle manner. Rick Rossovich (who is remembered today for his supporting roles in TERMINATOR and TOP GUN) hasn't really that much to do other than being used for body parts. And the episode has also a great soundtrack especially in the bodybuilding scenes with Rossovich, it makes you want to exercise in the garden outside. And director Arnold Schwarzenegger (who worked with Rossovich in TERMINATOR and with Preston in TWINS) makes a nice cameo at the beginning.

If you are into the show, do not miss it!

A good deal of fun.

[Hey_Sweden · 7/10 · 31 December 2023]

Wealthy, elderly Carlton Webster (William Hickey, "The Nightmare Before Christmas") yearns to be with beautiful young Linda (Kelly Preston, "Twins"). Unfortunately, he is not really what she is looking for. So he goes to see a maniacal surgeon (Roy Brocksmith, "Total Recall") who transforms Carlton - a bit at a time - into the studly Hans (Rick Rossovich, "The Terminator").

A worthy episode, co-written by Richard Tuggle ("Escape from Alcatraz"), this focuses on the obsession our culture has with youth & beauty, and how Carlton is willing to blow so much of his fortune on trying to please his love interest. Debuting director Arnold Schwarzenegger (who also has an uncredited cameo during the intro) shows a nice flair for the macabre, and gets fine performances out of the cast.

This being 'Tales from the Crypt', it does lead to a twist ending that is not exactly a great surprise, but is still quite delicious anyway. It's darkly humorous like the best TftC episodes, and features some typically excellent makeup effects by Chris Walas ("Gremlins").

Also putting in appearances are Ian Abercrombie ("Army of Darkness"), J. Patrick McNamara ("Close Encounters of the Third Kind"), Christopher Lawford ("Thirteen Days"), who was Arnolds' in-law at the time, Mark Pellegrino ("The Big Lebowski"), and two of Arnolds' longtime associates, Peter Kent ("Re-Animator"), and Franco Columbu ("Conan the Barbarian").

Seven out of 10.

The Switch

[a_baron · 5/10 · 29 November 2014]

No fool like an old fool; few come older and none more foolish than Carlton Webster. Extremely wealthy, he falls in love with a woman who is young enough to be his grand-daughter, or if truth be told, his great-grand-daughter. Unwilling to enjoy a platonic relationship or simply worship from afar, he decides to submit himself to plastic surgery, but when this is not enough he is given an introduction to a mad scientist who just might be a genius.

The good doctor delivers, but takes most of Carlton's money in the process. The ending is curious, because although he doesn't win the hand of the woman he loves, it remains to be seen why he is so angry considering what his millions have bought him.

This episode was directed by Arnold Schwazenegger who makes a cameo appearance at the beginning.

Arnold!

[BandSAboutMovies · 6/10 · 24 November 2023]

Arnold Schwarzenegger has only directed two projects: the TV movie Christmas In Connecticut and this episode. It's based on "The Switch" from Tales from the Crypt #45, written by Carl Wessler and drawn by Graham Ingels. Strangely, this is the first story from the actual Tales from the Crypt comic book to be adapted for the show.

It's a simple little parable. A rich elderly bachelor named Carlton Webster (William Hickey) wants to impress Linda (Kelly Preston) by switching his body with Hands, who is a more vital younger man (Rick Rossovich). Tey being young again turns out to be very expensive. And is she looking for looks or - shudder - money?

The Crypt Keeper even gets interrupted by Arnold in this!

Crypt Keeper: "Welcome horror hooligans, this is your shiver chef. It's disgusting what people will do to stay young."

Arnold: What's the matter with you? Want to keep that 90-pound corpse for the rest of your death? Keep pumping while I tell the story. Tonight's story is about an old man who finds a new wrinkle in the fountain of youth. A twisted tale that we call "The Switch.""

Roy Brocksmith, who plays the doctor who operates on Carlton, must be an Arnold favorite. He was Dr. Edgemar in Total Recall, the man who sends Arnold on an adventure. Arnold also enjoyed working with Kelly Preston on Twins, so he cast her, and he was in The Terminator with Rossovich (who is in Spellbinder with Preston).

Hilarious.

[shellytwade · 8/10 · 29 March 2022]

Arnold Schwarzenegger directs and funny enough this is the exact type of episode you think he would direct; very body focused. With that in mind, this is easily one of the funniest episodes of the show. I don't want to ruin anything but yeah, you should check this one out.

Arnold Schwarzenegger directs - and does a good job!

[gridoon2024 · 7/10 · 21 July 2018]

Funny and, in a twisted way, romantic episode. Great acting and, in the second half, voice-acting by William Hickey. Arnold directs competently, and cannot resist the temptation of some muscle-fetish shots, particularly when showcasing the amazingly studly physique of Rick Rossovich (who had a small but memorable part in the first "Terminator"). *** out of 4.

Directed by Arnold Schwarzenegger?

[mattressman_pdl · 6/10 · 8 May 2011]

Yep, this season two episode was directed by Arnold Schwarzenegger...and he didn't do too badly. He even acts in the beginning with the cryptkeeper.

As for the story, it's a slightly silly little tale about an old man who resorts to a drastic and expensive procedure to woo a much younger woman. But will an EC style twist be waiting around the corner? You bet! This episode is a little low on horror, but its pretty entertaining. Also, this marks Rick Brocksmith's third appearance after The Man Who Was Death and Cutting Cards and he's a hoot as the eccentric surgeon.