CREEPSHOW is a 1982 film starring a whole slew of horror icons such as Adrienne Barbeau, written and directed by the same, Stephen King and George A. Romero respectively. The film being an anthology entails 5 stories, all of which are completely disconnected from one another, displaying gruesome tales ranging from cake-thirsty zombies to crate-hiding werewolves.
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Creepshow is an oddity, in that there has been nothing quite like it since its release. Bizarre, tongue-in-cheek and spiked with hints of black comedy, it has developed a cult following amongst horror fans for its tribute to the EC Comic books of the '50s. (such as "Tales from the Crypt".)
The whole cast of Creepshow is out of whack, a highlight being Leslie Nielsen, of course known for his comedies taking a role in horror playing a belligerent villain hell-bent on revenge. Himself being the highlight because his goofy performance within his segment adds to a horrible dread and suspense that builds throughout, with his just desserts being delivered in a gleefully dark act of karma. Another veteran actor, Hal Holbrook is seen in his segment "The Crate" in a similar fashion but with the lines blurred in just as disturbing of a manner. E.G. Marshall also deserves an honourable mention for his performance as the grouchy old man suffering from mysophobia, a fear of germs as he desperately attempts to save himself from an cockroach infestation in his apartment.
Being written by Stephen King (and also having a very Jerry Lewis like cameo), there is as aforementioned a distinct and tongue-in-cheek tone that is consistent throughout the majority of the anthology tales, a feat to be admired. It also remains faithful in style to what inspired the film being the pulpy horror comics of the 1950s, focusing on tawdry elements of horror relating to monsters and the zombie as seen in the segment "Father's Day". As with any form of media following the anthology format such as the infamous Twilight Zone, some stories are simply better than others. Segments such as "Father's Day" or "They're Creeping Up On You!" pale in comparison to "The Crate", "The Lonesome Death Of Jordy Verill" and "Something To Tide You Over". The latter three building suspense and delivering the trashy thrills to a tee, these tales bring the best and most unique ideas as "Father's Day" whilst having a unique motive, falls flat. "They're Creeping Up On You!" entirely relies on shock value, the gross-out moments involving cockroaches instead of any proper suspense or dread and lacks the tone of the other segments, feeling out of place.
Direction by the once legendary George A. Romero is pretty top notch in terms of the film's execution, you feel as if he got exactly what he wanted with a mix of extreme violence and satire as seen by the over-the-top and often hammy acting seen in the film. Similar to King's writing, you can sense the passion and inspiration taken from the EC horror comics, the film's main homage. This is seen in the comic book elements and imagery displayed throughout the film, with the prologue showing the boy reading the "Creepshow" comic, flipping through the pages as the segments pass with animated stretches in between and is exceptionally used in each of the segments to highlight an intense moment, often regarding a character's ill fate. There is often slight and incredible details on each of the scenes and their sets, an example being the kid's bedroom in the pro/epilogues with horror posters and figurines visible throughout as further homage to classic horror monsters such as Dracula. The wacky tone mixed with the dread and helplessness of segments such as "Something To Tide You Over" show that Romero is on the top of his game here.
The score, especially the theme heard at the beginning by John Harrison is pretty astounding. It creates the perfect mood, when that piano kicks in, it just elevates that weird feeling that the film seems to ooze with excessive style. The frequent use of lower notes on the piano also elevates that all too repetitively mentioned dread, leaving an oddly sickly stomach because of its suspenseful nature.
A note not often mentioned but simply has to be here is the visual/make-up effects by Tom Savini, a make-up legend within horror, stretching back all the way to Dawn Of The Dead with Romero. Everything is great by Savini, from the animatronics featured on the titular Creep to the werewolf hiding in "The Crate", nicknamed Fluffy to even the gross-out stuff with cockroaches in "They're Creeping Up On You!", it's all impeccably well done and it solidifies his work that he went on to further showcase in Day Of The Dead.
Overall, Creepshow is a must for horror fans, if reading up on the names Stephen King and George A. Romero haven't enticed you or at least in the very little intrigued you then Creepshow will be a lost cause. It is an oddly unique (in the sense of its goofiness, to not give it too much credit) film that doesn't occur too often when two horror icons unite to work together, a given for cult status and even on release day a sleeper hit. If horror is your thing, give Creepshow a look. It might just be the most fun you'll ever have being scared.
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| "I can hold my breath for a long time!" |
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