Creepshow (1982)
Review by Peter Syslo

CREEPSHOW (1982) is a movie that I have always loved. For my money, I think that it is the best horror anthology movie, ever. For those who aren’t as familiar with the film, it is a combination of George Romero’s directing and Stephen King’s writing and it is actually my favorite King work. The film is a collection of six short stories which are told in a comic book fashion, complete with “surprise” balloons which frame some of the scenes, like the panels of a comic book. It is a mixture of many different horror elements and there is a pervasive, dark sense of humor throughout. The result is a great time and I have to say that it has aged very well – it is just as good now, as it was when I was a kid.

CREEPSHOW is directed by George A. Romero and is written by Stephen King. The film stars Hal Holbrook, Adrienne Barbeau, Leslie Nielson, E.G. Marshall, Ed Harris, Ted Danson, Stephen King, and Tom Atkins. The film also features make-up effects by Tom Savini and music by John Harrison.

The best way to go about this is to provide a brief summary of each of the six stories in the movie:

1.“Father’s Day” is about a zombie who rises from the grave to take revenge on his murderous (justifiably) daughter and her family.
2.“The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verrill” is about a simple man (King) who finds a meteorite and after touching it, he starts turning into a human “weed”.
3.“Something To Tide You Over” is about an enraged, psychotic husband (Nielson) who takes revenge on his wife and her lover (Danson). He buries both in the sand, with only their heads exposed, and as the tide quickly rolls in, the revenge is complete – or is it?
4.“The Crate” is about an abused husband, Henry (Holbrook), whose domineering, embarrassing, and trashy wife (Barbeau) rules his life and has left him an empty shell of a man. His friend Dexter runs the anthropology department at the university, where they both teach, and one of the janitors finds an old crate under a stairwell. The crate, to their surprise, contains a 150 year-old creature which goes on a murderous rampage when anyone gets close to it or the crate. Henry finds that the creature may not be as bad as his wife and the end result is quite a twist.
5.“They’re Creeping up On You” is about a germ-o-phobic businessman who is a ruthless corporate raider. He is obsessed with ridding his penthouse of cockroaches but they overtake him and he finds that getting rid of them won’t be that easy.
6.“Epilogue” is the wraparound story about a boy who takes revenge on his jerk father (Atkins) by ordering a voodoo doll from the “Creepshow” comic book his father threw away.
Some of the stories aren’t necessarily new ideas, but the execution of each story, really makes this movie unique. My favorite story is “The Crate” – it is a creepy little tale of a beast that lives in a crate under the stairs but it is also a tale of revenge/vigilante justice. The humor in this one is just great; Barbeau is the star of the show and she plays Billie, the overbearing wife, with such zeal – you just love to hate her. There is one hilarious scene in the beginning, where Henry is daydreaming about shooting her in the head – everybody around him claps; that’s a great scene. Believe me, Henry is a good guy and once you figure out what he plans to do with the beast in the crate, you are excited about it – Billie is that good of a villain. I thought that this one was just a great story, with great acting, and the whole atmo sphere was perfect (deserted university).

Overall, I could choose favorite scenes from all of the stories. Each one is very unique and the whole thing has the revved up feel of a 1950s horror comic book. Some of the dialogue is so quotable, like Jordy’s lines – I think it was King’s finest acting job. There is the large element of camp to the film and it is over-the-top in places, but all of it makes the film work so well. Also, Savini’s gore/makeup effects are simply awesome – the “Father’s Day” zombie looked great and it is the classic look of a risen corpse, when you think about it. The music deserves mention as well, because this is some of the best horror music and it should be placed up there with the greats, like HALLOWEEN. My favorite musical section is after Richard buries Wentworth (Danson) – it is a synth melody played over a low, two-note accompaniment which is eerily perfect in that moment (also they used that music for the THANKSGIVING trailer in GRINDHOUSE – the trampoline scene).

Cutting to the chase: CREEPSHOW is fun, scary, and very likeable. It is a very easy movie to watch and almost anyone can get involved in it. The stories are based upon simple ideas that are transformed into masterpieces through the directing, acting, writing, effects, and music. In a way, it is almost like the “grindhouse” experience – it is the quintessential 1950s drive-in experience or horror comic experience. If you are a fan of Romero, King, Savini, horror comics, B-movies, or low-budget drive-in fare then you will probably enjoy CREEPSHOW. It is the perfect horror anthology and it always guarantees a good time. I give it a 10 out of 10; it’s one of the best horror films from the 1980s.