Written by Stephen King and directed by George Romero, we get six short horror stories told in an anthology in a tribute to EC horror comics of the 1950s… I’ll review each segment on their own.
Wrap-around story: nothing too complicated about the story, but it’s got Tom Atkins just being the most “Tom Atkins” he can be, and that’s a lot of fun. Plus, I also appreciate how between each story we get these little cartoon vignettes that look like you’re reading the pages of an actual Creepshow comic, and all the little ads and details are very much on point and are a nice touch to the film.
Father’s Day:
A rich eccentric family gets together on the anniversary of their great aunt murdering her father, unfortunately… Dad’s coming for dinner.
I think the segment has the best directing in the whole movie. I really like how George A. Romero plays with angles, colors, lighting, and even different shots in the same screen… Not to mention one of the coolest-looking zombies I’ve ever seen, I just love how sticky and stretchy he is, while also being very decomposed but well designed in an almost cartoonish way.
The yuppie family are pretty over-the-top, but in a fun, winking kind of way. Plus, Ed Harris in an early role is there as the niece’s new husband, and he brings a grounded element to the segment, and he’s a good “POV” character for the audience.
Another standoutis Viveca Lindfors's performance as great aunt Bedelia. She’s very cranky and bitter as she drives around like Mr. Magoo, but there’s a vulnerable sadness and hollow regret to her that makes her very sympathetic, while also having this dark sense of humor to her… And did I mention she probably has like five minutes of screen time? She definitely does a lot with her short time, which is very impressive.
I’ll use this opportunity to mention how throughout the movie at certain parts they’ll make the background look more like a comic book panel when someone is scared, and it could be surprising at first, but it’s actually pretty effective at recreating the tone of reading a comic, and it’s just a strong visual in general that I enjoyed.
The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verrill:
A farmer finds a meteor, touches it, and then has a strange green grass-like fungus grow on him.
Now this is either people’s favorite segment or least favorite segment, and it’s for the same reason… Stephen King’s performance. Look, I admit the first time I saw it, I thought it was very over-the-top and silly. The way he bugs out his eyes and plays the most broad hillbilly you’ve ever seen in your life… But the more times I watch it, there is, like, a simple charm to it that is fun and an intentionally winking, silly kind of way.
It’s a very straightforward story, mostly played for laughs, but when it gets serious, it’s actually pretty effective, so I got points for pulling off that total turn.
Plus the way they made grass scary was actually kind of effective, and I liked the color of the grass, very bright and vibrant.
Something to Tide You Over:
A sadistic millionaire confronts the man who he believes is having an affair with his wife.
I can never pick if “Father’s Day” or “Something to Tide You Over” is my favorite segment of the movie. This segment is definitely the most grounded and probably the most disturbing, mostly about what happens and how awful that would be, but what really makes this segment is Leslie Nielsen’s performance. For me, I grew up watching him in the “Scary Movie” sequel, where he’s a very silly and buffoonish character, so it was quite a surprise watching him in this and seeing how threatening and intimidating he is, despite his character always staying calm and charming. He takes his “straight man” skills that are so effective for his comedy and is able to use them for a very chilling performance, playing just one of the biggest scumbags you’ve ever seen in a movie.
Ted Danson plays the wife’s lover in an early film role, and he is very good at playing not only scared but also trying to figure out how to deal with this crazy madman… His character does make some pretty dumb decisions, like, why would you ever do that, but it’s for the story, and I have to admit there is a very nice payoff, so it all worked out in the end.
I use this opportunity to mention how Tom Savini did the special effects for this movie, and it’s probably some of his best work. All the different creatures, gore, animatronics, and all that stuff are top-notch and some of his most creative work.
The Crate:
A college professor gets mixed up in a dangerous discovery of a creature… And decides to use it to help solve his marital problems.
I do think this segment could’ve been trimmed; for me personally, it runs a bit too long and could’ve easily cut 10 minutes out of it, but it still has a lot going for it.
I like the creature design; it rides that line between a brutish monster and kind of cute perfectly, so it is sort of intimidating when you see it, but you could also see it being turned into a plushy 😂.
Hal Holbrook He’s always solid and brings a lot of gravity to the role.
Adrianne Barbeau as Billie is one of the more broad characters in the movie; like, they go so out of their way to make her annoying and rude that it feels a little much and can definitely lean into cartoonish at times… I do think Barbeau’s overall performance is good, but the writing could’ve been better.
I will use this opportunity to say I overall think Stephen King did a very good job at making a fun, spooky, and nuanced story, but man, he swears worse than a drunk sailor in Vegas… Maybe that’s why he writes so many books and options so many movies; he must owe a fortune to the swear jar. 😂
They're Creeping Up on You!:
A greedy, germaphobic business mogul must do battle with cockroaches in his high-rise apartment.
E.G. Marshall plays Upson Pratt, and he is just the most bitter miser you’ve ever seen; like, he makes Ebenezer Scrooge look like Mother Teresa 😂. His character is just so slimy. You just can’t wait to see him get his, so it’s a very effective performance.
There are some surprising camera choices in the segment that I thought worked in an interesting way.
I do have to say, if you have a thing with bugs and especially cockroaches, and you can’t deal with them… Do not watch the segment, like at all; this will give you nightmares for a couple months lol.
Overall, this film goes with Halloween a lot like Halloween candy… It may not be good for you and is stuffed with excessive calories, but when you have it during this time of year, it just hits the spot perfectly. Not to mention, as an adaptation of something from a different form of media (book to movie), this is one of the better adaptations I’ve seen as far as honoring the source medium while also adapting to the screen.
I give Creepshow a very high four stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. Also, I didn’t know where else to put this, so let me just say to end on a positive note… Ed Harris is a very funny dancer 😂.
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