Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight

Former soldier Frank Brayker guards an ancient key believed to unlock a source of immense evil. A demon called the Collector pursues that key because its power could herald the end of days. After decades running from hired killers who want him for the key, Brayker stops at a dusty boarding house in New Mexico. With the help of the residents, he resists the Collector and his nighttime army of ghouls, hoping to keep the relic out of demonic hands. The film blends scares with punchy humor as the uneasy group faces off against a supernatural threat while grappling with trust, sacrifice, and the price of bargain with dark forces. Their uneasy alliance is tested as darkness grows. Hope remains.

Directed by Ernest R. Dickerson and released in 1995 as part of the Tales from the Crypt franchise, Demon Knight adapts the show's dark humor into a standalone feature. Dickerson's brisk practical effects push the horror toward a punchy sensibility.

Worldwide gross reached about 21,089,146 dollars against a 13,000,000 budget, confirming a solid if modest return for a genre film in the mid 1990s. The numbers reflect a receptive audience for horror with humor, and helped shape future horror releases.

It helped anchor the Tales from the Crypt film line as a hybrid of splatter and gallows humor, giving Billy Zane a flamboyant villain with showy style and turning the demon into a pop culture fixture. The Collector remains a memorable emblem for fans. Its influence lingers in later horror.

Critics noted the film's brisk tonal shifts and energetic performances, especially Zane and Sadler, while praising Dickerson's direction for marrying scares with a comic bite. The story respects horror tradition while leaning into camp, and it probes greed, loyalty, and the cost of power. In the broader 90s horror revival.