S3E33 A Crypt Reunion With John Leonetti

The How NOT To Make A Movie Podcast

Welcome to another in our series of “TALES FROM THE CRYPT” reunions. This episode’s guest – JOHN LEONETTI – isn’t just a great director of photography and director, he’s from one of HOLLYWOOD’S LEGACY FAMILIES. His dad FRANK LEONETTI was a sought after gaffer who helped light THE WIZARD OF OZ and SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN. John’s brother MATT LEONETTI DP’d movies like POLTERGEIST, FAST TIMES AT RIDGEMONT HIGH, COMMANDO and JAGGED EDGE. While John would go on to DP and direct movies like THE CONJURING and ANNABELLE, John’s really here to celebrate the thing we all have in common: TALES FROM THE CRYPT.

We’ve said on the podcast repeatedly what a remarkable experiencing it was making Crypt.

How Crypt Changed TV

With hindsight, we can now see all the many ways in which Crypt really was remarkable. And remarkably influential. Crypt changed television because Crypt changed HBO.

Before Crypt, back in the 1990’s, the feature film world and the TV world were two separate things.

One could – like Robin Williams or Tom Hanks – go from TV into features. But, if you were going from movies into TV? Your career was dying.

The first two original series at HBO – First And Ten and Dream On – were basically regular TV shows but with tits and the word “fuck” thrown in.

Then Crypt executive producers – Joel Silver, Dick Donner, Walter Hill and Bob Zemeckis approached HBO with an idea to do little horror movies every week as a TV show – all based on a classic comic book from the 1950’s.

How Crypt Changed HBO

John Kassir – the voice of the Crypt Keeper – tells a story (he told it, in fact, on this podcast) about the cast and crew screening of the first three episodes just before the show premiered.

Some crew guys – having just seen the first episode – were talking amongst themselves. “Wow,” says one, “That’s great TV!”

“It’s not TV,” says the crew guy next to him, “It’s HBO”.

The two HBO executives in the row ahead suddenly turn and look back. They just heard HBO’s new ad slogan – and HBO’s new way of seeing itself.

When it comes to how Crypt “saw” itself, one of the key people responsible was JOHN LEONETTI. He was director of photography on eleven episodes including some of the very best.

In fact, John Leonetti DP’d Season One, Episode One, the very first Crypt episode ever: Walter Hill’s amazing “The Man Who Was Death”.

Conjuring Annabelle

After Crypt, John made a name for himself as both a DP and a director of horror. His success putting James Wan’s vision onto the screen in THE CONJURING got John the gig directing ANNABELLE.

As you’ll also hear, John grew up living and breathing the movies – cameras especially. His family’s been in the movie business almost from its start.

Remember how John’s dad Frank (before he opened a hugely successful film equipment rental house) was a gaffer at MGM.? He worked on movies like WIZARD OF OZ and SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN. Well, ironically, one of the Crypt episode’s John DP’d was “STRUNG ALONG” which starred DONALD O’CONNER. From SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN.

See? It comes full circle.

The guy’s not just a Tales From The Crypt Alum, he’s a movie legacy.

Here’s John – and our Crypt reunion…