Oil's Well That Ends Well story
Con artist Jerry and his man-hating girlfriend Gina believe that no one can top them when it comes to extortion. The two begin planning their next caper by tricking a quartet of Southern investors into thinking that there is oil buried underneath a local cemetery. Before long, the growing costs for digging up the supposed oil begin causing everyone to begin double crossing and backstabbing everyone else, leading to an explosive conclusion. Note: This episode also features a cameo by John Kassir in his only on-screen appearance of the entire series. The Crypt Keeper is also seen playing the official Tales from the Crypt pinball machine in the intro, and watches the episode itself on VHS during the outro. Directed by: Paul Abascal. Story by: Scott Nimerfro.
12 total · 2 choice · 3 major · 7 minor
| Theme | Level | Motivation |
|---|---|---|
| con artistry | choice | The lovers Jerry and Gina hatched a plot to swindle a quartet of Southern investors out of a large sum of money, or so Jerry led Gina to believe. |
| greed for riches | choice | Gina disregarded Jerry's advice to leave town with the $20,000 they'd already obtained through con artistry. Gina instead resolving to tempt their luck by going back to swindle even more money out of the same marks, leading to death of all involved. Jerry secretly plotted to con Gina out of her life savings. The shady investors were all in on subverting the law to profit from the apparent discovery of oil under a local graveyard. |
| betrayal | major | The story built up to Gina getting backstabbed by her lover, Jerry. Instead of swindling a quartet of investors, as Gina and Jerry had agreed, Jerry turned on Gina at the last moment. He revealed to her that he'd been in cahoots with the investors all along. The real plan was to steal her life savings. Gina, however, had other designs. |
| boyfriend and girlfriend | major | Jerry and Gina were partners in crime, and lovers. |
| hell hath no fury like a woman scorned | major | The story concluded with Gina quoting this aphorism before taking out her backstabbing boyfriend, Jerry, and herself in a blaze of glory. |
| coping with unwelcome romantic attention | minor | The waitress Jo slapped a patron across the face for groping her derrière. Gina shut down the same patron when he made an advance on her at the restaurant bar counter. |
| living corpse | minor | The story is presented by the Crypt Keeper, a cackling, wisecracking cadaver. |
| misandry | minor | As part of her con, Gina feigned being jaded against men from years of working for oil company executives. |
| murder | minor | Jerry seemingly shot Larry to death for talking too much at the onset. He tried, together with four investors, to betray and murder Gina but she turned the table and killed them all, and herself, instead. |
| romantic infidelity | minor | Jerry spent the night with the waitress Jo after walking out on Gina. |