October Classics Vol 4: Creepshow
Two Masters of horror join togethger to create a horror masterpiece
In the 1982, movie audiences saw the release of the horror comedy anthology Creepshow. Creepshow was the result of a collaboration between two iconic figures of the horror genre: author Stephen King who made his scriptwriting debut, and director George Romero, famous for iconic films such as Night of the Living Dead.
The result was a fun, twisted group of macabre tales. The film combined different visual styles, such as animation, comic book art, and traditional live action film. The film took its inspiration from old EC Horror comics such as Tales from the Cyrpt, and The Vault of Horror.
The frame narrative for the anthology focuses on a young boy named Billy. Billy is scolded by his father for reading a horror comic titled Creepshow. Not wanting his son to read such things, his father throws it in the trash. Later that night, Billy is visited by Ghoul, known as The Creep. The Creep points at the trash containing his comic book, which begins showing him several of its stories. The film has five horror stories told within its frame narrative:
Fathers Day: the story of an abusive father who was murdered by his daughter. He returns from the dead for his revenge.
The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verrill: the story of Jordy Verill, a dimwitted man played by Stephen King. He finds a meteorite which soon begins causing alien weeds to grow out of his body.
Something to Tide You Over: an abusive billionaire takes revenger on his wife and the man she is having an affair with. After murdering them, they come back from the dead.
The Crate: a college professor finds an old crate containing a monster in his university.
They’re Creeping up on You: a corrupt, germophobic billionaire, hiding inside a sealed off penthouse apartment slowly goes crazy as bugs infest it.
While these are all horror stories, there is also a dark comedic undertone to them. The film feels like it has a playful tone, despite all of the death and terror.
The stories are presented as if they were tales from an anthology comic. The film incorporates this theme in its visual style too. Throughout the film, scenes and transitions are framed as if they were part of a comic book panel, adding to the overall idea that each short is part of an old horror comic. The even shows panels from the comic that the stories are from, including ads for fictional toys.
This last concept, the ads within the movie, comes into play in the epilogue for the final segment. The film returns to the frame narrative of the boy whose dad threw out his comic. It is revealed that the boy ordered a voodoo doll from it, and uses it to torture his dad as payback. Its a clever, cheeky, and dark ending to the film, fitting with the tone set by the other segments.
The cast of the film is fantastic. The mean dad in the frame narrative is played by Tom Atkins, known for roles in films such as Halloween III: Season of the Witch, and The Fog, Night of the Creeps and Maniac Cop. In the shorts segments, the cast includes but is not limited to Ed Harris, Ted Danson, Leslie Nielson, Adriane Barbeau and more.1
The fist Creepshow was a hit and was soon followed by a sequel in 1987, Creepshow 2. Creepshow 2 was once again based on stories by Stephen King, and was written by George Romero, director of the first film. This time, Michael Gornick, who served as cinematographer on the first, sat in the director’s chair.
Creepshow 2 was not as well received critically as the first, and only had three segments, rather than 5. It did feature more animated segments, especially in its opening segment though, and is still liked by fans. A direct to video Creepshow 3 film was released in the 2000s, but it did not have the involvement of either King or Romero and received mostly negative reviews.
In 2019, the streaming app Shudder released a new, original Creepshow tv series that served as a continuation of the original movie. Greg Nicotero served as a produced and the show adapted stories from King and other horror authors. The show has been a big hit with fans so far, and has received four seasons, and some specials on the app.
The original Creepshow remains a classic horror film. It captures a lot of what made 80s horror great, and is also a fantastic tribute to old horror comics. Its distinctive visual style and blend of horror and comedy continue to set it apart and its influence is still felt today.