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Welcome back fellow geeks, pop culture enthusiasts and comic book collectors! Way back in 1982, the horror comedy anthology film Creepshow was released in cinemas featuring the combined talents of author Stephen King and the late director George Romero who were clearly inspired by the 1950s horror comic books published by EC Comics. That being said, Creepshow was a comic book movie that was not even based on a comic book.
To make things clear, the movie was first shown on the big screen in France during the Cannes Film Festival in May 1982. The comic book adaptation of Creepshow (note: read my retro comic book review) was released in July 1982 and the art it contained is not the same as the in-movie comic book (also titled Creepshow) that appeared in transition scenes. The movie’s general release in America happened on November 10, 1982 and it was successful commercially and critically. In recent times, Creepshow was released on 4K Blu-ray with lots of extra stuff for fans and moviegoers to enjoy. The said 4K Blu-ray release can be ordered online now.
Some of you might be wondering if the Creepshow movie has aged well and what exactly does it offer for younger moviegoers and movie collectors to enjoy. Some of you might be wondering if King and Romero were ever a special creative duo for cinema.
With those details laid down, here is a look back at the horror-comedy anthology film Creepshow (1982) directed by George Romero, written by Stephen King and starring Hal Holbrook, Leslie Nielsen, Adrienne Barbeau, Tom Atkins, E.G. Marshall, Viveca Lindfors, Ed Harris and more.
Early stories
Prologue – A father very angrily berates and hits his young son after discovering the horror comic book titled Creepshow was with him. The father called the comic book’s content crap.
Father’s Day – Sylvia Grantham, her nephew Richard, niece Cass and Hank (husband of Cass) enjoy time together at the Grantham estate anticipating the arrival of Bedelia for the annual family dinner. There is a dark secret regarding Bedelia and her late father…
The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verril – A lonely farmer named Jordy witnesses the unexpected arrival of a meteorite from out space which landed violently on his farm. After realizing what it is, he touches it without any protection and gets his fingers burned…
Something to Tide You Over – a prominent man named Richard visits Harry at his home. It turns out, Harry has been having an affair with Richard’s wife Becky. Even so, Richard maintains his cool and made clear his uncompromising determination of always keeping what is his. Richard plays an audio recording of Becky’s voice which even includes a call for Harry to help her….
The Crate – In the basement level of Amberson Hall (science building of Horlicks University), a janitor accidentally finds a very old wooden crate located right under the staircase. The writings “Ship to Horlicks University via Julia Carpenter – Arctic Expedition – June 19, 1834” were marked on the crate…
They’re Creeping Up on You – A cruel businessman named Upson Pratt is alone in his well-lighted apartment. He has been suffering from mysophobia and has been living in isolation and only communicates with others using the telephone and other electronic methods. Slowly but surely, cockroaches begin to multiply in his apartment…
Quality
To begin with, I’d like to focus on the combined creativity of Stephen King and director George Romero. While all five short stories, the prologue and epilogue each have varying levels of quality, engagement and entertainment value, it is safe to say that Creepshow as a whole remains entertaining and intriguing to watch. This is a cinematic horror-comedy anthology that is still fun to watch from start to finish.
Very clearly, the King-Romero team were heavily inspired by the EC Comics-published horror comics of the 1950s and along the way, they added their own creative touches to make each short story not only unique but also memorable. Given the fact that Romero remains remembered for his zombie movie works, two of the five short stories can be viewed as shorter zombie tales by the director but with notable differences – the comic book-inspired visuals used (note: moody lighting, stylish backgrounds and comic-inspired frames) and the fine performances from the actors involved. As for the three other short stories that have nothing to do with zombies, I felt they reflected more of Stephen King’s concepts (note: King himself acted as Jordy) which Romero apparently directed to be reflective of the author’s works while still injecting EC Comics-inspired visuals. Speaking of comic books, the filmmakers used traditional animation (note: hand-drawn) specifically in the transition scenes when the movie moved from one segment to the next. Within the context of the movie was the comic book Creepshow which made the father mad at his son.
As it is clear that each short story has different concepts and varying levels of quality, entertainment and engagement, I can describe them in short results as follows: Father’s Day really looks and feels like it was written for EC Comics in the 1950s; The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verril is a clever mix of dark humor, science fiction and horror; Something to Tide You Over is very intriguing to watch and Leslie Nielsen pulled off a very unique portrayal of a villain; The Crate is a fine combination of monster horror and struggling characters with a university setting; and They’re Creeping Up on You is symbolically a socialist mobbing against someone powerful in the most unusual fashion, and it definitely is the weakest of all the five short stories as it was made to disgust viewers who are afraid of bugs. Creepshow’s prologue and epilogue meanwhile carried an anti-family theme that supposedly reflects the moral outrage against EC Comics in the 1950s made to resonate with people who love comic books at the expense of morality and family. I personally dislike the anti-family theme because I truly believe that minors should never read adulterated comic books and they should never become rebellious.
As each short story, the prologue and epilogue were strongly presented to be entertaining and engaging in varying ways, there is one aspect of the creativity that made Creepshow stand the test of time – the respective performances of the actors.
Leslie Nielsen’s portrayal of the villain Richard is the performance highlight of the entire film. Here’s a powerful man dealing with pain as a result of being betrayed by his wife by being in full control of his emotions and he keep moving on with uncompromised determination to proceed with his diabolical plans patiently and orderly. He is a very angry man who happens to be very calm. He is definitely evil who happens to be very principled. You will even see little traits of comedy in Richard and this should remind you of Nielsen’s eventual move into comedy in his later years. In the same short story, Ted Danson is believable as the man who had the affair with Richard’s wife.
In another short story, Adrienne Barbeau really stands out as the obnoxious and unhinged Wilma (AKA Billie) who is the complete opposite of her mild-mannered husband Henry (played by Hal Holbrook). She is so wild, she easily embarrasses her husband and the others who were present in the faculty social gathering. Quite symbolically, Barbeau’s act as Wilma is easily the most lively thing to watch in the said gathering. Without spoiling the plot of The Crate short story, I can say that Hal Holbrook has a nice range of displaying emotions within Henry as the story progressed. Even the guy who played the professor Dexter Stanley (Fritz Weaver) had his own share of the spotlight and displayed a good acting range as well.
Even author Stephen King himself acted in a leading role in another short story as Jordy. King is surprisingly good in being comedic and he really knows his character in and out. In the first short story Father’s Day, you will see a very young Ed Harris as part of a family waiting for the arrival of Bedelia (Viveca Lindfors). The waiting family members were nicely played by Elizabeth Regan, Warner Shook and the late Carrie Nye. They were convincing as relatives. In the final short story, the late E.G. Marshall played Upson Pratt to be so ruthless, he will irritate you.
Conclusion
It is clear that Creepshow (1982) remains fun and engaging to watch thanks to the combined creative efforts of the King-Romero team as well as the fine performances of the actors involved. Although the final short story starring E.G. Marshall is the least interesting tale to watch, this horror-comedy anthology has lots of good stuff to entertain viewers. By today’s standards, Creepshow (1982) is very unique and also fun to watch. If you want to see this movie with the best visuals possible today, I urge you to buy the 4K Blu-ray release.
Overall, Creepshow (1982) is highly recommended!
+++++
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