Movie Info
Movie Name: Creepshow
Studio: Warner Bros.
Genre(s): Horror
Release Date(s): November 12, 1982
MPAA Rating: R
“Where’s My Cake!?!?!”
The Creep welcomes you to his lair. He’ll tell you stories of zombies, alien plants, lovers lost to the ocean, creatures that were supposed to remain undiscovered, and relentless invasions of a common pest. After you hear his tales, you won’t want to turn off the lights.
Directed by George A. Romero and based on stories by Stephen King, Creepshow was a homage to classic horror comics of the ’50s. The movie was met with mostly positive reviews and was one of the highest grossing horror movies for 1982. The film was also converted into a comic book tie-in which often now sells for high rates.
I love Creepshow and it is a perfect “introductory” horror movie. Creepshow has it all from ironic horror, to jumpy horror, and to darker and deeper horror. The movie has stories written exclusively for the film (“Father’s Day”, “Something to Tide You Over”, and “They’re Creeping Up on You!”) and stories already written by King (“The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verrill” aka “Weeds” and “The Crate”). The mix is a great combination of stories that tap into lots of different styles of film.
They float down here, Leslie!
Normally, with an anthology series, you’d have a bad episode that you kind of dread. For Creepshow, it amazingly doesn’t exist. I think all the stories are quite strong. “Father’s Day” is a fun creeping horror story where no one is really innocent and everyone is going to get what is coming to them. “The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verrill” is the “funny” story with a lot of humor. “Something to Tide You Over” is a revenge horror with scorned lovers and a maniacal villain. “The Crate” provides the horror that makes you jump with a scary monster. “They’re Creeping Up on You!” plays on fears of insects and bugs…something that seems more realistic. Even the little bookend stories are fun and smart in their telling.
The movie is also loaded with some decent actors. Leslie Nielsen (pre-funny), horror maiden Adrienne Barbeau, Hal Holbrook, E.G. Marshall, Fritz Weaver, Ted Danson, Ed Harris, and even Stephen King and his son Joe King (aka current author Joseph Hill) make the cut. The cast does a nice job not taking itself too seriously and overplays their roles when it is necessary.
Still scary as hell…
Stylistically, Creepshow also excels. The movie really taps into the old E.C. comics that caused so much controversy in the ’50s. The gore and style of the comics translates well to the film and the movie kind of comes off as a tribute to Hammer horror also. Romero’s sometimes overly cartoony style doesn’t work in all his films, but it does work here.
Creepshow is one of those series that continues to gain popularity even years after its release. The movie was followed by a less-than-stellar sequel (which did have its moments) in 1987 and a really horrible straight-to-DVD third film in 2007. In 2019, Shudder launched a Creepshow series featuring works of multiple directors and writers.
Related Links:
Creepshow—Season 1 Review and Complete Episode Guide
Creepshow—Season 2 Review and Complete Episode Guide
