Creepshow, 1982.
Directed by George A. Romero.
Starring Hal Holbrook, Leslie Nielsen, Adrienne Barbeau, Ed Harris, Ted Danson and Stephen King.
SYNOPSIS:
Inspired by the E.C. comics of the 1950s, George A.Romero and Stephen King bring five tales of terror to the screen.
In 1982, the same year as this reviewer’s birth, horror was getting a shot to the arm with an injection of a different kind: comedy. In the wake of the paranoid, dark horror of The Exorcist, The Shining and Rosemary’s Baby, such films as An American Werewolf in London, and later Evil Dead 2, were beginning to buck the trend, and allow some cackle with their snap and pop.
Creepshow, from that same year, promised “the most fun you’ll have being scared” with its huge pedigree and it’s excitement factor (something all horror films should to some degree), and does for the for the most part, succeeds exactly how you would want it to as a “comic” horror.
Split into five mini segments, Creepshow goes from cartoonish to depraved, hilarious to sickly, and everything else in between in its 2 hours of mayhem, and for the most part, its devilish good time. Stand-outs have to be “Something to Tide You Over,” with the late, great Leslie Nielsen fiendishly burying Ted Danson in sand after finding out his wife had a salacious affair with him, only for Danson and said wife to get their vengeance, as well as E.G Marshall’s run-in with some friendly household bugs.
All five elements have there plus points, however none have the same combination of playfulness and scares as the aforementioned segments do. “Father’s Day”, starring a young Ed Harris, in particular is the weakest of the bunch with its predictable scares, and despite the presence of Stephen King himself in “The Lonesome Death of Lordy Verrill” it too is slightly lacklustre.
The biggest strengths of the film though are George A. Romero and Tom Savini. Romero, ably supported by King’s snappy dialogue, has always had a great eye for gore, pacing and atmosphere are here in abundance, and echo the same stellar work that won him so many plaudits for Night of the Living Dead and Dawn of the Dead, as well the underrated The Crazies from 1973.
It says something for the power of the early Dead films that even today, they are still considered pinnacles of the genre. What’s sad about re-watching Creepshow is that despite his early acclaim, Romero was sadly never able to match their success, and finished his career, for now at least, in the awful Survival of the Dead in 2009.
Savini meanwhile was in his heyday when Creepshow was released, and had just come off his successful make-up effects for Friday the 13th and The Burning when he continued his run with some superb effects here. From turning King into an alien plant, to the aforementioned creepy crawlies, Savini was a true craftsman, and with Rick Baker and Rob Bottin, is a true genius of the craft.
Looking back on Creepshow, it just about holds up, but looks stunning on this new Blu-ray disc. Colours are sharp, the details are crisp and clear, and for a film made in 1982, it’s truly amazing the transfer it has got here. Coupled with some great special features (commentary tracks are great), Creepshow still has some great splashings of horror and comedy, and is well worth seeking out.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film ★ ★ ★ / Movie ★ ★ ★
Scott Davis
Originally published October 29, 2013. Updated April 11, 2018.
