Creepshow (1982) User Reviews

Creepily Comical.

[drownsoda90 · 8/10 · 29 July 2006]

"Creepshow" is a unique, funny, and creepy horror anthology from Stephen King and George A. Romero. The film centers around five stories - consisting of a murderous revenge tale of a father on fathers day ; a redneck (played by Stephen King himself) who begins growing a green substance on his body after coming in contact with a meteor ; a man who buries his wife and her lover up to their heads on the beach as the tide begins to come in ; a strange monster that lives in a crate that was discovered beneath a stairway ; and a Scrooge-like businessman who lives in a purely sanitized apartment that can't get rid of pesky cockroaches.

Each of the stories displayed in this movie are a little bit corny to a certain extent, but they are still well done and are quite amusing. There is a very good cast, including Ed Harris, Leslie Nielsen, Ted Danson, Adrienne Barbeau, and E.G. Marshall, whom all give good performances in the movie. The whole movie is tied in with the classic E.C. comics from the 1950s, each story as if it were from a comic book. I thought that whole comic aspect was pretty unique, and I liked the stories in the film ("The Crate" is by far the best of them all, the one with Leslie Nielsen is my runner up for second place).

Bottom line - if you are expecting some serious, intense horror movie, this is not for you. This movie isn't scary at all, I watched it when I was very young and it failed to even scare me then. "Creepshow" is a comical, campy, and well-done horror anthology. I only recommend it if you like this sort of thing, because it is more comic than horrific. Otherwise, it's really quite good for what it is. 8/10.

Entertaining Horror Tales

[claudio_carvalho · 7/10 · 30 May 2009]

This movie is divided in five stories, conducted by a leading segment where the stressed father of a boy that loves horror comic books throws his Creepshow magazine in the garbage. The wind changes the pages and discloses the tales listed below.

"Father's Day" - While waiting Aunt Bedelia (Viveca Lindfors) for a dinner party, the greedy family recalls that she killed her own father seven years ago. Now her undead father returns from the grave as a zombie expecting to eat his cake. This segment is weak, and it is curious to see Ed Harris performing a minor role. (6).

"The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verrill" - The redneck farmer Jordy Verrill (Stephen King) finds a meteor in his property in Castle Rock County and dreams on selling it for the local university and raising a large amount. However he is affected by the meteor and strange weeds grow-up on his body. This segment is the silliest and the greatest curiosity is Stephen King performing the lonely farmer. (5).

"Something to Tide you Over" - Harry Wentworth (Ted Danson) is forced by the revengeful Richard Vickers (Leslie Nielsen), who is the former husband of his woman Becky Vickers (Gaylen Ross), to go to Comfort Point beach and to bury himself in the sand. Then he brings a television and a VCR to show Becky buried in the same conditions. With the high tide, their heads are submerged for the pleasure of the insane Richard. However, on the next night, he is visited by a couple of zombie lovers. This dark and claustrophobic segment is the scariest one and the only flaw is the lack of previous development of the characters. (9).

"The Crate" - When the janitor of a university finds a crate hidden below the stairs, he reports his findings to Professor Dexter Stanley (Fritz Weaver). They open the container and soon Dexter finds that there is a hunger creature inside that devours the janitor and another scientist. When the disturbed Dexter tells to his colleague and friend Henry Northrup (Hal Holbrook) what happened, Henry sees the chance to get rid of his bitch wife Wilma Northrup (Adrienne Barbeau). This segment is the funniest, and the situations of Henry imagining killing Wilma are hilarious. (8).

"They're Creeping up on You!" - The mean and selfish Upson Pratt (E.G. Marshall) lives in an expensive bug-proof penthouse and treats his employees like garbage. During a blackout, his fancy apartment is infested by coach roaches driving Pratt to a tragic end. This gruesome tale is simple but nasty, with many coach roaches. (7).

The lead segment ends with the boy using a voodoo doll to provoke pain in his father.

This is the third time that I watch these entertaining horror tales, now on DVD. I only regret that there are no sequels of these great stories. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Creepshow"

Note: On 27 Aug 2020, I saw this film again.

It's pretty good

[FrankensteinsDaughter · 7/10 · 1 November 2005]

Despite some major problems (mainly contained in Stephen King's uneven and often heavy-handed script), this is still a pretty fun attempt to bring 1950s EC horror comics to the big screen. One of the best things about it is director George ('Night of the Living Dead') Romero's creative, vivid direction, that captures the bright color schemes and comic book framing to a tee. Each tale has a different horror theme usually tempered with some comedy and ranging from a rich patriarch returning from the dead to get revenge on his obnoxious family to a meteor that causes an outbreak of vegetation to a fanged, ape-like creature that's been locked away in a crate for decades. All five of the tales presented, despite some missteps, offer up good gory fun. Some of the acting is good, too, particularly Adrienne Barbeau as a heavy drinking, obnoxious faculty wife who gets what she deserves, Hal Holbrook as her hen-pecked husband and E.G. Marshall as a wealthy, obsessively clean old jerk who is savaged in his futuristic apartment by a legion of cockroaches. Talk about flesh crawling! Tom Savini's special effects are great, as usual.

Fan heaven as two horror greats come together.

[hitchcockthelegend · 7/10 · 4 March 2008]

George A Romero & Stephen King combine here to give us 5 joyously silly tales based on the style of the E.C. Comics that both men loved as youths.

The film begins with a young boy having his comic collection thrown away by his father, this angers the boy and he plots evil revenge that segues into the five stories.

"Father's Day" is the opening story and whilst it isn't short on the camp factor, it's a very inauspicious start, a zombie father returns to enact vengeance on his horrid family in the name of cake! Next up is "The Lonesome Death Of Jody Verill", which sees Stephen King himself in the title role of a less than dumb hick who touches a fallen meteor and thus starts to turn into a plant monster. King has fun with the role but overplays it to dangerously annoying ham proportions, but it's a tidy fable with a cool ending. We then get to my personal favourite of the bunch with "Something To Tide You Over," here we have a delightfully villainous Leslie Nielson burying his unfaithful wife and her lover {Ted Danson} in the sand up to their necks as the tide starts to come in, naturally there is a grizzly twist a coming.

"The Crate" sees the arrival of Hal Holbrook and Adrienne Barbeau into the proceedings, a smart message of not opening crates marked with "Danger, Do Not Open," and here we get a genuinely scary monster into the show. The final segment is "They're Creeping Up On You" which seems to be a favourite of many across the site, and although it has creepy impact for those scared of insects, it's not the crowning glory I was hoping for. We are then cut back to the boy and his thirst for revenge and the film finishes with a glint in its eye, more schlock and camp than outright horror, but still a great piece of 80s fun for fans to enjoy, 7/10.

A classic movie for all the sickos out there...

[Chromium_5 · 9 November 2004]

I think it's pretty clear that the amount of enjoyment you get out of this movie is directly related to how sick your sense of humor is. Those people with a fairly low tolerance for sick humor, such as myself, won't particularly like it, but people who thoroughly enjoy horror cheese like "Tales From the Crypt" should LOVE this.

Now, even though I personally don't like this movie, I have to admit it is very well made. Everything is perfectly over-the-top: the music, the gaudy colors, the makeup--it's all done to the point where it is totally ridiculous, which is what King and Romero want. And I must admit I did like the segment "The Crate." How can you NOT love a giant ape-monster running around tearing people to bits? Sick, sick stuff, but enjoyable all the same.

If you like gruesome black humor, this is the movie for you. "Creepshow" is shock schlock at its very best. And as an added bonus, it is not very well known today, so it can have a wonderful "What the hell are you WATCHING!?" effect on other people.

8/10 stars.

Two Horror Masters, King and Romero, join forces in this tribute to E.C. comics

[ma-cortes · 6/10 · 17 December 2007]

This is a homage to pulp E.C. comic books from the 50s, adapting an anthology which presents creepy looks and grotesque events at the horror genre. With writings by Stephen King and teaming up George A. Romero, both devise a gruesome terror tales. Stephen King mingles efficiently the spirit of ¨Vault of horror¨and ¨Tales from the crypt¨. The film is constituted by four scary stories. King even plays a redneck farmer who cultivates a rare meteor but gone wrong and create fantastic consequences. Viveca Lindfords and Ed Harris as a heirs when abruptly appears a living dead. Besides the perennial Leslie Nielsen confronting a ghoulish Ted Danson. And Hal Holbrook with a unbearable spouse Adrienne Barbeau alongside a strange monster. Finally, a man with an insect and germs phobia, played by E. G. Marshall as a Howard Hughes-alike , closed into flat, and suddenly bursting by hundred roaches.

The picture packs gory scenes, morbid humor with some jokes, creepy images and is quite entertaining though some moments is heavy-handed. Eerie and frightening stuff appointed for juvenile public from two masters of the terror genre and delight all enthusiastic of the terror vein. Followed by a sequel(1987) directed by Michael Gornick, cameraman of this one. Rating. Acceptable and passable , it will like to terror moviegoers

Stephen King meets George A. Romero!!

[Captain_Couth · 9/10 · 26 October 2004]

Creepshow (1982) was a horror fan's dream come true. Two of the masters in their respective fields joining forces to collaborate on a movie. Several tales filmed in an anthology style based upon the E.C. Comics that the two enjoyed reading in their youths. With Stephen King writing and George A. Romero directing plus Tom Savini creating the gory special effects how can you go wrong? You just can't and the aforementioned duo delivers the goods.

The story begins as a young kid is being punished by his overbearing and brutish father for reading "trashy filth" and is punished. During the night the tossed out comic book comes to life and plays out all the stories (in comic book form) with the "Creepshow Ghoul' leading the way. Black comedy has never been funnier.

All the stories are excellent and well directed. The set pieces are very well designed and are brilliantly executed. You have to love the lighting schemes. The cast is a mixture of new actors and classic ones. George A. Romero stated that he finally got to work with Fritz Weaver and Hal Holbrook and E.G. Marshall. Leslie Nielsen, Adrienne Barbeau, Ted Danson and Ed Harris co-star as well. A couple of Romero regulars such as his wife Christine, Tom Savini and who can forget Stephen King as Jordy Verill.

Creepshow is a true modern day horror classic. I have enjoyed this as a child and I still consider this movie one of my favorite horror films. Sadly the two could never capture the magic they once had. Maybe they'll work together directly in the near future. This movie was near flawless in design. They set out to recapture the old E.C. Comics aura and they succeeded. Followed by a absolutely bad sequel.

Highly recommended!

A Consistent Anthology

[horrorcastings · 6/10 · 18 February 2016]

Our Ratings:

Wes-5

Cobra-6

John-5

"Every anthology will have some that are hit and miss. This is pretty consistent. It's a fun watch, filmed competently." - John

"A nice group of stories.The image of the crate stuck with me when I was a child and it's still effective every re-watch." - Wes

"Overall, all five stories are pretty good. Not great, but pretty good." - Cobra

Classic!

[HumanoidOfFlesh · 9/10 · 17 December 2001]

George A.Romero("Dawn of the Dead","Day of the Dead","Martin")after huge success with "Dawn of the Dead" directed his another masterpiece-an anthology of five short stories called "Creepshow".The script was written by Stephen King,and the special effects were made by F/X wizard Tom Savini("Martin","Maniac","The Prowler").The first story "Father's Day" is so-so-nothing special,but the zombie looks terrific;the second story "The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verril" is the funniest,Stephen King steals the show as a Jordy,a goofy farmer,who finds a strange meteor;the third story "Something To Tide You Over" is my favourite-it's ghastly,creepy,funny and a little bit disturbing,again great make-up of the drowned zombies;the fourth story "The Crate" is the longest and goriest-there's a lot of suspense and plenty of gore mixed with black humour.Finally we are getting to the last story "Creeping Up On You"-an enjoyable story about cockroaches with some rather gross special effects.Overall I must say that I love "Creepshow"-surely they don't make them like this anymore.This is a REAL horror,not a teen-oriented garbage like "Scream" or "Urban Legend".Check it out.

A really good Horror film

[hucklejarod · 7/10 · 25 November 2021]

I like this movie a lot when I was a teenager it's really good and a little funny. The second one is pretty good too but l like the first better. The first one is a little more creepy then the second one and a little more comedy. So if you like these types of movies you should watch this it's good and creepy.

I was not impressed.

[Snake-666 · 4/10 · 16 August 2003]

Five short stories by horror master Stephen King are arranged here in comic book form and directed by George A. Romero, famous for his legendary ‘Dead' trilogy.

This film seems to have a rather large following but I personally fail to see why. Each story has an overabundant amount of cheesiness to it in a similar vein to the short segments of ‘The Twilight Zone' movie of the following year, perhaps we see where the Zone took it's inspiration from. However, the stories are just too goofy to be taken seriously and many become confusing or just plain tedious.

Ted Danson and Leslie Neilsen starred in the only story that I really had any interest in and even they failed to save this movie. There isn't really much that can be said about this movie because of the way it is presented unless every story is analysed which could just spoil the movie for those that want to see it. I will say that this is certainly not Romero or King's best and is probably only worth watching for fans of camp horror. Creepshow is a below average horror movie with both bad effects and good. The segments are pretty boring with the exception of ‘Something to Tide You Over' and this movie should probably be ignored by casual fans. My rating for ‘Creepshow' – 4/10.

A lovingly crafted B movie

[jezfernandez · 8/10 · 8 November 2016]

When I was about 13 years-old, I tried to rent this on VHS several times. Unfortunately, my mother kept walking in during a particularly violent segment and made me turn it off. It was a long time before I finally saw the whole film.

If you watch the accompanying Just Desserts documentary on the double-disc DVD, you'll see how lovingly crafted this film really was. Not only so, but this truly transcends the schlock horror of its E.C. origins. The acting is first rate and the plots surprisingly thoughtful, considering how short each segment is. For example, watch Aunt Bedelia's tortured graveside monologue in Father's Day, or the curious interplay between Henry and Dex in The Crate. E.G. Marshall totally nails it in They're Creeping Up On You, the segment most loaded with subtext.

Tom Savini's make-up effects are excellent and he doesn't scrimp on the gore. The one segment I dislike is Something To Tide You Over, as it's a particularly nasty and sadistic story (despite the just desserts moral).

Overall, this has a worthy place in the annals of 80s horror and will always hold fond memories for me; a young boy who just wanted to see that crate monster tear his victims apart like sour bread.

I remember seeing this on cable in 1983, not knowing what it was...

[AlsExGal · 6/10 · 21 March 2020]

... and seeing it on a foggy Friday December night with friends, we were all somewhat perplexed at first. The first of the stories is about an older woman who killed her father in a rage on Father's Day because he had her middle aged beau killed just because he wanted said daughter around to take care of him in old age. Well, he rises from the grave on the anniversary of his death yelling "I want my cake! - That was what he was yelling when she killed him. For all we knew, this was going to be the entire movie, and we were just not sure how a zombie running around looking for his revenge with just that one rallying cry could last the length of a feature film.

Only after it ends does it become clear that it is an anthology. I didn't think it was that good of a film as you could see what was coming in the case of each short story. There was not that much suspense. What was good about it? It was good to see Stephen King have more than a cameo in one of his own films. It was also interesting to see Ted Danson before "everybody knew his name" and Leslie Nielson in what was probably his last appearance in a non comedy/slapstick role.

Mildly recommended, but probably only if you are Stephen King fan or a fan of the actors I mentioned.

This is better left in the trash!

[logicproreviews · 4/10 · 15 March 2020]

Creepshow is book-ended by a prologue and an epilogue featuring a copy of the horror comic Creepshow being tossed - and later found - in the trash. Upon watching the feature length collection that is Creepshow, its hard to escape the symbolic image of the comic in the trash.

While it's a cruel allegory, it begs the question; did the filmmakers know that they were making trash? Was that their intention?

When King and Romero joined forces to create Creepshow, it was a marriage of Romero's initial idea for a contrasting anthology and King's idea of paying homage to bygone era, horror comics, specifically, E.C. (Entertaining Comics). With their creative forces intertwined, Creepshow was born.

The end result, unfortunately, is starkly uneven. We're presented with a five piece anthology; disposable stories that start off well before sagging and ultimately, falling flat.

Each story (in true form) is transitioned by comic panels. First up is Father's Day; about a rich family patriarch who returns from the grave for his cake!

Next, is the Lonesome Death of Jordy Verrill - featuring King in his first and only, on screen appearance. King is the title character, a doofus yokel in dungarees who happens upon a comet and subsequently gets turned into a giant weed. In fact, he ends up looking like a pulsating piece of lawnmower grass clippings.

Third up is Something to Tide You Over. Leslie Nielsen stars as the jealous and vindictive cuckold playing second fiddle to Ted Danson. Nielsen gets his revenge by burying his love rival (Danson) up to his neck in sand.

The Crate is about, well, a wooden storage crate which houses a fluffy beast complete with a grin that would put the Cheshire Cat to shame.

Finally, we have the drawn out fable, They're Creeping Up on You - which sees a germaphobic janitor getting overrun by cockroaches.

Perhaps Romero and King were driven by a rebellious fuel - a need to right the wrongs of their former disappointments? Both men had a somewhat bitter taste in their mouths.

George A. Romero had hoped to direct the two-part miniseries, Salem's Lot - losing out to Tobe Hooper - while King has been very public about his dislike of Stanley Kubrick's 1980 adaptation of King's own novel, the Shining.

Whatever the reasons, this one is best left in the garbage can!

Buried alive the most memorable of all

[SnoopyStyle · 7/10 · 28 July 2015]

Billy is punished for reading comic horror Creepshow. The Creep invites him to five tales. In Father's Day, the old patriarch Nathan Grantham was killed by his daughter Bedelia. During a family gathering, Nathan is resurrected and takes revenge while getting the cake. In 'The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verrill', Jordy Verrill (Stephen King) is a dimwit farmer who finds a meteorite and is soon overcome with extraterrestrial plant life. In 'Something to Tide You Over', wealthy Richard Vickers (Leslie Nielsen) takes revenge on his wife and her lover Harry Wentworth (Ted Danson) by burying them up to their necks in the beach. In 'The Crate', college professor Henry Northup (Hal Holbrook) is informed of a deadly creature inside of a crate and he sees an easy way to get rid of his hateful wife Wilma (Adrienne Barbeau). In 'They're Creeping Up on You', ruthless business Upson Pratt (E. G. Marshall) has sealed himself up in his high tech apartment due to his germophobia. There is a blackout and his apartment is overrun by cockroaches.

The first two tales are forgettable. The third one burying alive Ted Danson is not. It is the most compelling tale in the whole movie. It works on every level from the acting to the writing. The fourth one has a couple of interesting actors and the last one is creepy as hell. I'm not that afraid of bugs but people who do would really get unhinged over that one. The wrap-around story with Billy could probably be better. I'm sure they could have found a better actor than Stephen King's son. Teaming up horror icons like George A. Romero and Stephen King doesn't guarantee anything but this one worked out great.

Eat it up, kiddies...

[GoblinKing · 18 May 2004]

THIS REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS

What a fun movie this is. When I was little we had one of the first VCRs, and this was one of the first movies my dad recorded on it. Funny, spooky, gruesome

and harmless, and the best filmed representation of the EC Comics genre, until HBO put out the genuine "Tales from the Crypt" a decade later. Creepshow is

also the first collaboration of a trio whose names are caviar to scare fans:

George Romero directs, Stephen King writes, and Tom Savini makes the

monsters.

A young lad (played by Joe King, son of Steve) gets told off by dad Tom Atkins for reading Creepshow, a "worthless piece of s**t" horror comic. The best kind, the kind that rots your brain and curves your spine, and all that. Anyway, Dad throws the rag into the garbage, but The Creep (a cloaked flying skeleton)

retrieves it and tells us five grisly stories. In brief: a murdered SOB patriarch claws his way out of the grave to do in the filthy-rich, swinish relatives who profited by his death ("Father's Day"); a slack-jawed yokel crap farmer handles an oozing meteor and develops a case of creeping crabgrass ("The Lonesome

Death of Jordy Verrill"); a maniacal husband drowns his wife and her lover, and is subsequently stalked through his beach house by two briny zombies

("Something to Tide You Over"); a drooling werewolf/baboon/hellhound gnaws

on the residents of a university campus, and provides a novel sort of marriage counseling ("The Crate"); and Manhattan's most bigoted billionaire goes eye- to-eyes with what seems like the entire cockroach population of the Five

Boroughs ("They're Creeping Up On You").

This movie is like a buffet, a buffet of the richest and most delectable junk food imaginable. The direction is sharp and witty, the comic-book sets and shot

design and saturated lighting are beautiful (whenever a character bites it, a comic splash panel surrounds his/her horrified face; all that's missing is a

Batman-style SPLAT!! or EURRRGGGH!!) and the performances are superbly

overblown. Sure, there are a few stale Twinkies in the batch, mostly in that second story. Stephen King spins a great yarn, but he's no actor, not by a long shot. Yet he acts here, and plays that slack-jawed yokel as a google-eyed

mating of Gomer Pyle, Jethro Bodine and Harpo Marx. It's a painful clash with the rest of the movie, like a Grand Ole Opry number in the middle of The Magic Flute. But the other actors more than cover for it. "Father's Day" headlines two of the scariest old broads in the movies (and I mean that respectfully), Carrie Nye and the late Viveca Lindfors; fine actresses, fine screamers, and they know how to die well on camera. Leslie Nielsen is light-years from The Naked Gun as the leering, loony murderer of "Tide". In "Crate", Hal Holbrook and Adrienne Barbeau shine as the most dysfunctional couple since Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, and Adrienne's diatribe before she meets Savini's toothy hellbeast

puppet is so nasty, it's sublime. And E.G. Marshall closes the tale cycle in "Creeping" with a hilarious turn as a geriatric cauldron of resentment, who

realizes too late that even a penthouse as sterile and technologically

bugproofed as his is no match for a New York blackout. This movie also has the spookiest theme music I've ever heard, with the possible exception of Philip

Glass' Candyman score.

There's a so-so sequel too, and if you like this one it's worth a look. But this is the one to get your hands on. Perfect for Halloween, and a riot anytime.

Stars: 8.5/10

One of the better horror anthology movies.

[Aaron1375 · 7/10 · 14 March 2003]

This is one of my favorite horror movie anthologies. All five stories are pretty good; some of course are better than others. This one is also a lot better than Creepshow 2, which had only one really good story to it. The first story is an ok story involving this old man killed by his daughter. He comes back to life expecting a cake cause its father's day. Nothing to surprising happens here, but it is still pretty fun. The next one involves the story that has Stephen King as the main star. This is probably the weakest one of the five, but it is worth a chuckle or two as King does a somewhat good job of playing a slow fellow. This story involves a meteor that makes grass grow everywhere. The next story is one of the best, a revenge tale with Ted Danson and Leslie Nielson. Danson has been having an affair with Nielson's wife so Nielson takes him to the beach and buries him up to his neck in the sand. He had done the same thing with his wife and the tide apparently kills them both...or does it? The next tale is rather good as well as it has Adriean Barbeau in it as this obnoxious wife. Her husband finds out about a crate that may take care of her though. And the final tale is about a doctor or something, who is a bit of a clean freak. He lives in a special apartment that is supposed to be germ free, but it apparently has a roach problem. I don't even think he is a doctor, but he seems to be wearing a doctor's clothes. All in all Creepshow is a pretty enjoyable flick.

One Great Horror Movie!

[boba-2 · 10/10 · 12 September 1998]

I was ten years old the first time I saw Creepshow in the theater in 1982. I was overtook by the visual effects. The backgrounds are what make the film. My brother looked at the wrong newspaper for the movie, so I arived at the theater twenty minutes late for the movie. My heart raced and my eyes opened wide to the sight of a half-decayed man with a head on a platter. There were candles and icing on the decapitated head. The decayed man said in a disgusting voice,"It's Father's Day...And I got my cake!" No other horror movie ever effected me in that way. It was the most brilliant spectical I've ever seen in a motion picture. Creepshow is a very under-rated film. I had to get that out.

I Have Changed My Mind Considerably On This

[gavin6942 · 7/10 · 22 February 2009]

"Creepshow" is what many would consider the ultimate anthology: stories written by Stephen King and directed by George A. Romero. Of course, if you consider King and Romero to be hacks, this may scare the dickens out of you. I rest somewhere in the middle: some King is good ("The Shining") and some Romero is good ("Dawn of the Dead")... and that really sums up this picture -- some of it is quite good. The rest, though, I could take or leave.

There are five stories presented here. Three would have sufficed, but we got more. There's a downright silly story about a birthday cake. I mean, I guess if I was drunk I'd like it, but I wasn't. There's a story about a crate containing a mysterious beast. That would be awesome if the beast wasn't made so goofy by the effects crew... why does it have to be so childish if the raft scene in "Creepshow 2" is considered so darn scary by many?

The segment that stands out for me and is easily the most memorable is the beach scene with Leslie Nielsen and Ted Danson. The exact plot is a little mysterious, which adds to the suspense. Why is Nielsen so evil? Why has he kidnapped the woman? Is he a powerful mob boss? Some of this is revealed, some not so much. The whole idea behind this is great... the only problem comes in the twist, where things go from macabre to comical. Romero and King have it in them to make a truly scary film and they squander it.

The short segment with King as the buffoon? Just dumb, dumb, dumb... that's all I can say. Now, if you're looking for something silly, this may do the trick for you. But it's not one of the better stories of the film -- a clear hillbilly version of "The Blob", with King not doing as well here as in "Creepshow 2".

The final segment, with the germophobe who is infested with roaches... fantastic. His white, spotless cleanliness contrasted with his purely dark and evil soul is a nice touch, and for anyone who has a fear of bugs, this is going to creep you out and have the film live up to its name. This also happens to be the one segment that is not really silly in any way, which is what I wish we had gotten more from in this film, even if it was based on a comic book.

I recently (August 2010) had the pleasure of screening this film at the Portage Theater in Chicago. This changed my outlook on the film quite a bit from "below average" to "more than above average". Some scenes, particularly the bug scene, work better on a big screen or with an audience that reacts. And, to be fair, the film was meant to be corny and silly, so I should not fault it for presenting its intentions. Maybe not what I would prefer (I'd suggest "Tales From the Darkside"), but they delivered what they promised.

What would really make a strong film is if "Creepshow" and "Creepshow 2" were combined to make a best of compilation... ignoring "Creepshow 3". In my opinion, the second is better than the first in many ways, so adding the two better segments ("Raft" and "Hitchhiker") to the first while taking out two of those segments, you would have a really impressive horror anthology. As they're not really connected, there's no reason to watch them in order or piece them together in any real way. If you liked 2, come back for 1... or mix and match.

Creepshow, Sold Out!

[jamhorner · 8/10 · 16 October 2007]

This was after Tales from the Crypt, however, Romero and King both where heavily influenced by these comics that they developed a movie that was sort of a satire/parody of Tales but in the same time a tribute to that comic book. In this movie there are four scary stories being told some written by Stephen King from his short stories and some written by Romero and SK. These stores, for that time, were pretty scary and freaked me out when they came in theaters. There are many great things about this movie that I enjoyed but there was, however, one huge things that I did not like about this movie. Regardless, it's about time for two horror geniuses to team up and do something good for a change.

First off, the movie itself is about a comic book similar to Tails and the four stories in the movie come directly from the Creepshow comic books. The reason why that this idea works in not only the principle of bringing a comic book to life but the way it was shot, edited and lit. The camera angles had very defined and geometrical angels, similar to those that you would see in a comic book. The lighting when something horrible happens turns red, or if somebody is screaming the background turns to a shattered red background, thereby giving each scene a more comic book-like feel to visual picture. It had choppy edits and quick cuts, which we all know that comic books have. So we have a visual perspective of a comic, the overall pattern and texture of a comic and now we have the quick stimulus of a comic.

Between each story there is a sub-story dealing with a young boy who finds the Creepshow comic book and how little by little he becomes more possessed by it. These intermissions also incorporate The Creep or our host for the evening. This character is by far the Crypt Keeper or the Vault Keeper to our mockup of Tales. Like the Crypt Keeper in the actual comic, he begins each segment with a scene setup and a conclusion, however he does not talk, he just blows around in the wind. With the beginning of each new story it starts out with a still scene of that story with heavy rotoscoping to make it look as if it is a comic book page, then fades out to a real-life still image and then begins. The same could be said about the ending. The clever technique gives the viewer a further illustration that this is a comic book come to life.

Though this movie strikes it rich on my scare-o-meter there is just one thing that took me out of the movie just a little. I know what they where going at when they decided this concept and I understand it was a good idea but it doesn't work when it gets put on film. The campy one-liners, the cheesy sub-story and the lame screams. Of course its predecessor did the same thing, I don't think that it works as well on film as it does on paper. I think it was a nice try though.

Overall I do believe that this is a horror/parody classic and that many horror fans, if not cult horror fans, would like this movie for what it is. I certainly enjoyed it, even now; I recommend this movie to anybody who loves the zombie king and the horror king. A movie worth buying a ticket for.

Romero, King n Savini gav a perfect homage to the EC and DC horror comics.

[Fella_shibby · 6/10 · 3 July 2017]

I first saw this in the mid 80s on a vhs. Revisited it recently on a dvd. The creature effects by Tom Savini is very noteworthy. Stephen King, George Romero and Tom Savini, these names r sufficient to entice any horror fan. It is one of the best horror anthologies. The film consists of 5 short stories. My personal favourite is The Crate. The creature is scary. The scene wher the creature attacks the neck is very well done. The creepiest scene is in the segment They r creeping up on u, the cockroaches creeping out from the body. The segment Something to Tide You Over starring Leslie Nielsen is a bit reminiscent of Nightmare Castle but with humor n a solid torture technique.

Creepshow isn't creepy, it's crappy.

[cricketbat · 3/10 · 23 November 2018]

Creepshow isn't creepy, it's crappy. This cheesy horror flick isn't very scary at all. In fact, it's annoying and boring. The acting is way over the top and the stories are way too drawn out. I lost interest in most of the short stories before they got to the finale. Tales from the Crypt did short horror stories like this so much better.

Great anthology by two great horror icons.

[b_kite · 10/10 · 7 July 2018]

There's not really much I can say about "Creepshow" that hasn't been said or most horror fans don't already know. It's a diverse anthology made up of five tales "Father's Day", "The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verrill", "Something to Tide You Over", "The Crate", and "They're Creeping Up on You". Every tale is enjoyable with my personal favorite being "The Crate". Each story is enriched with homages to the classic EC comics of the 1950's and Tom Savini's gore and creature effects still hold up great today. A great film by two great horror icons George A. Romero (R.I.P) and Stephen King.

not bad, but not great.

[funkervogt · 6/10 · 22 August 1999]

Alright for a movie done by two of the greatest horror creators in movie history this movie is not the greatest. At least not the first skit (father's day) and the one where plant life grows everywhere. but the other 3 are really well done! and this movie is better then the second one. But both Stephen King and George A Romero have better movies out there. Its a cool concept having 5 stories in one movie, so if you wanna see something different, then its with the rental. Don't even get me started on those cockroaches Gross!

Saved only (and barely) by stories 3, 5 and Tom Savini's make-up.

[Coventry · 4/10 · 6 January 2008]

I'm aware of the fact this film has a very loyal and devoted horror movie fan base, but you can count me out. Perhaps because I never actively experienced the glorious high point years of Bill Gaines' E.C. comics, but I just don't think it's a brilliant idea to shoot an entire film with the deliberate intention of making it look like a comic book coming to life. Previous cinematic interpretations of the exact same comic book series, like Amicus' omnibuses "Tales from the Crypt" and "The Vault of Horror", were much more effective simply because they focused on the sinister content of the stories as well as on atmosphere and set pieces. "Creepshow" largely puts the emphasis on comedy – and, as we all know, horror & comedy rarely ever go well together – and an overload of irritating cartoonish imagery (frames, hectic color patterns, whirly lines, text balloons, etc…) that only raise weak impressions of childishness and accessibility for mainstream audiences. Not coincidentally, the two segments I enjoyed the most are those that featured the least gimmicks and cartoon characteristics. And still these two finest "Creepshow" stories barely just rise above mediocrity, as their plots are unoriginal, overlong and underdeveloped. Number three stars Leslie Nielsen as a sleazy and rich husband who inventively buries his wife and her lover (Ted Danson) to their necks in the sand and then patiently waits until the flood tide drowns them. Of course, the vengeful lovers inexplicably return as watery zombies to settle the score. It's a clichéd and totally unsurprising tale, but Nielsen is a joy to behold as the over-the-top killer. The fifth and final story is also worthwhile, albeit highly derivative. It stars the underrated E.G. Marshall as a boisterous and merciless business tycoon who lives all isolated in a big city penthouse because he's terrified of germs and vermin. But since he's such a mean person (who just caused one of his employees to commit suicide), naturally his tidy white apartment becomes overrun by eerie cockroaches during a power failure. I'm biased because I love insect-horror, perhaps, but this was the only segment that somewhat sent shivers down my spine. The other three segments are hardly even worth mentioning, except maybe in order to accentuate how lamentable they are. We have a family patriarch zombie coming out of his grave during father's day because he wants cake (funny, isn't it?) and a tale about a 147-year-old baboon going on a murderous rampage because someone opened the crate he was in. Adrienne Barbeau stars in this horrendous tale, but her terrific performance deserved a better script. The worst and absolute most pointless story shows respected author Stephen King struggling with extraterrestrial mucus that gradually takes over his body. "The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verrill", as this chapter is called, is the complete opposite of funny and King's monologues are indescribably annoying. Also, no offense Mr. King, but you're a horrible actor. "Creepshow" probably was a fun project for Stephen King, George A. Romero and a long list of eminent cast members to collaborate on, but you can hardly call it a genuine classic in the horror genre. As usual, the finest contribution comes from Tom Savini, as his make-up effects are highly imaginative and much gorier than the overall tone of the movie suggests.