Tales from the Crypt

 ((Sat. (2), 10-11:30 p.m., HBO))

By TONY SCOTT

Filmed in So. Calif. by HBO. Exec producers, Richard Donner, David Giler, Walter Hill, Joel Silver, Robert Zemeckis; producer, Gilbert Adler; co-producers , Jennie Lew Tugend, A.L. Katz; art director, Colin D. Irwin; production designer, Gregory Melton; series theme, Danny Elfman.
 
Cast: Hector Elizondo, Miguel Ferrer, Patsy Kensit, Billy O'Leary, John Shea, Sam Waterston, Adam West.
 

"As Ye Sow": director, Kyle MacLachlan; writer, Ron Finley; "Death of Some Salesmen": director, Gil Adler; writers, Katz, Adler; camera, John R. Leonetti; editor, Anthony Adler; music, Michael Kamen. Cast: Tim Curry, Ed Begley Jr., Yvonne De Carlo, Kathe Weeks.

"Forever Ambergris": director, Gary Fleder; writer, Scott Rosenberg; camera, Rick Bota; editor, Lou Angelo; music, Jay Ferguson. Cast: Tim Ahern, Lysette Anthony, Marshall Bell, Kevin Benton, Steve Buscami, Roger Daltrey, Paul Dooley, Luis Ramos, Titus Welliver.

Crypt Keeper wraparounds produced by Kevin Yagher Prods.; director, Kevin T. Yagher; art director, Colin T. Irwin. Opening sequence produced by Richard Edlund for Boss Films.

Puppet's voice: John Kassir.

The ghouls, jealousies, horrors and ironies jump up for a fifth season with three sleekly produced stories sure to give the juve trade nervous giggles. The third, "Forever Ambergris," gets stomach-churning mileage out of grotesque makeup; none of the three, despite strong acting and direction, betray their pulp roots. Gregory Melton's production designs are terrif.

First out of the three-seg "Crypt's" opener, "As Ye Sow," pits Hector Elizondo against his own jealousy as he hires sleazy P.I. Sam Waterston to find out whom his wife, Patsy Kensit, is romancing. When he's told it's a progressive priest she sees every day at mass, John Shea, he's sure Waterston's right after meeting the cleric. If the ending's no surprise, the production is well acted and handsomely produced.

In "Death of Some Salesmen," A.L. Katz and director Gilbert Adler offer a witty horror tale about a phony cemetery salesman, Ed Begley Jr., who pulls his stunt on an odd farmer-type, his wife and grim daughter (all played amusingly if not completely credibly by Tim Curry), but the man of the house loathes salesmen and has a horrifying manner of demonstrating it. Begley's terrif, and Yvonne De Carlo appears as one of the saleman's victims. Program's a lulu for shock fans.

Jealousy and revenge play it big in "Forever Ambergris," Scott Rosenberg's tale of a combat photographer, Roger Daltry, who's on the skids, with the younger fotog, Steve Buscemi, on his heels. Buscemi's girlfriend(Lysette Anthony) back home worships him, and eventually shows how much. Daltry, grabbing for a last chance, sends trusting Buscemi without a warning to a village decimated by germ warfare; the youthful lenser returns infected but with terrific film; terrible things develop.

Camera, John R. Leonetti; editor, Stanley Wohlberg; music, Branford Marsalis.