Creepshow (Snap Case Packaging)
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Movie Reviews of Creepshow (Snap Case Packaging)
Movie Review: Enter the Creepshow!!!!! Tickets Please!!!!!
Summary: 5 Stars
It is perhaps best to initially take a glance at the comic books that inspired this collection of creepy tales, pulps published throughout the 1940s and 1950s by E.C. Comics and boasting such titles as TALES FROM THE CRYPT, HAUNT OF FEAR, WEIRD SCIENCE and VAULT OF HORROR. Television was still in its early stages and it would be a few years before quality horror made its way onto the screen. Horror fans, then, targeted the news stands for their fix of the unreal and the unnatural; they were introduced to tales of rotting corpses and ghouls rising from the grave by The Crypt Keeper and his fiendish friends The Vault Keeper and The Old Witch. There were adaptations of Poe and Lovecraft, and Ray Bradbury (see THE OCTOBER GAME) frequently contributed stories, further enhancing E.C. Comics popularity. Two young readers of 'Tales' during the 1950s would have been horror icons Stephen King and George A. Romero, the comics having a considerable influence on their own future works. Sadly censorship laws meant that E.C. Comics were taken off the market, but they would not be buried forever ... which brings us to CREEPSHOW.
Released in 1982, CREEPSHOW is a homage to E.C. Comics. The film is directed by George A. Romero and is based upon short stories and a screenplay written by Stephen King (there would follow an actual comic book titled CREEPSHOW featuring cover art by legendary E.C. artist Jack Kamen and interior art by Bernie CYCLE OF THE WEREWOLF Wrightson).
In total there are five tales and a wraparound story. Each tale begins with a comic book-style animated segment; the wraparound story features a young boy (Stepehen King's son, Joe) whose Creepshow Comic is confiscated by his abusive father (Tom HALLOWEEN 3: SEASON OF THE WITCH, THE FOG Atkins).
And so begins the first tale:
FATHER'S DAY
Nathan Grantham is killed by his own daughter after years of mental abuse and an apparent murder. He returns as a hideous corpse, exacting revenge on the entire Grantham family. Stars ED HARRIS.
THE LONESOME DEATH OF JORDY VERRIL (aka WEEDS)
Backwoods hick Verril (Stephen King) witnesses a meteor crash-land into his own backyard. Before long the entire property is turning green and Verril has to fight for survival against an alien plant life.
SOMETHING TO TIDE YOU OVER
Another revenge story featuring TED DANSON and LESLIE NIELSON and arguably the best of the five tales. Nielson plays a wealthy, jealous and unhinged husband who buries his wife and her lover up to their necks in the stretch sand that is his private beach, Comfort Point. But the tide has a way of returning the past.
THE CRATE
While cleaning the student halls of a Maine University one evening, the janitor discovers an ancient crate buried beneath the stairs. Chained within is a bigfoot-like monster, that has been locked away for over a century ... Meanwhile ... Local college professor, Henry, has been subjected to years of humiliation from his overbearing and obnoxious wife; his only solace is a weekly chess game with co-professor, Dexter Stanley ... It is now time for the creature to feed and Henry has a plan that might well solve all his problems. Starring HAL HOLBROOK, ADRIENNE BARBEAU (both of THE FOG) and Fritz Weaver.
THEY'RE CREEPING UP ON YOU
A selfish and miserly tycoon with a tendancy towards hypachondria finds his supposedly bug-proof and germ-proof apartment infested with cockroaches. Check out King's F-13 computer game, which includes the bug-splat game taken right from this tasteless tale. Starring E.G. MARSHALL (TOMMYKNOCKERS)
And so ends the show. But before we leave the auditorium, lets return to the wraparound story where little Tommy has taken to practicing voodoo in order to exact revenge on his bad tempered father.
So what's the verdict? Five excellently written and directed shorts from two of the Masters of Horror. CREEPSHOW, moderately successful at the time of its release, has maintained cult status ever since - it will undoubtedly stand the test of time. The special effects are top notch, having Tom Savini at the helm (he also plays a small acting role in the wraparound story) and the acting is first rate. Sadly there are little-to-no extra features, but the film itself makes up for this. Perhaps there will be a special edition in the future - it would be nice to see some original interviews and deleted scenes.
CREEPSHOW was followed by CREEPSHOW 2 and TALES FROM THE DARKSIDE before the TALES FROM THE CRYPT TV series emerged. Out sometime this year is CREEPSHOW 3.
5/5
Movie Review: A Creepy Classic!
Summary: 5 Stars
If you are a fan of horror movies, the old EC comic books, Stephen King, or just fun movies in general, than look no further than this 1982 classic!
THE MOVIE (5/5):
"Creepshow" is an anthology of scary stories-- five of them-- that is bridged together by a sixth tale of a boy who loves horror comics and his abusive dad who hates them. The movie features pitch-perfect performances by an all-star 80's cast that seems to be having a lot of fun being in this scream of a movie. The stories are as follow:
1. "FATHER'S DAY" (4.5/5)
Stars Carrie Nye, Ed Harris, and Viveca Lindfors.
Easily the cheesiest of the five stories (but still a lot of fun), Father's Day tells the tale of a family reunion from hell when a long-dead dad rises from the grave for his "caaaaaaakkeeeee" (and for a little good old fashioned zombie revenge).
2. "THE LONESOME DEATH OF JORDY VERRILL" (4/5)
Stars Stephen King.
Although its easily the weakest of the stories, it's probably also the most original, so keep your finger off the fast-forward button. Stephen King (!) gives a nutty and throughly enjoyable performance as a country bumpkin who battles alien plantlife from a meteroite that touches down in his backyard. Sounds weird? You don't know the half of it.
3. "SOMETHING TO TIDE YOU OVER" (5/5)
Stars Leslie Nielsen, Ted Danson, and Gaylen Ross.
This segment is legendary. Leslie Nielsen gives the performance of his life as a psychotically jealous husband who takes a notion to bury his wife and her lover neck-deep in sand before the tide rolls in. Needless to say, love is more powerful than death, as our antihero soon finds himself neck deep in terrifying troubles of his own.
4. "THE CRATE" (5/5)
Stars Hal Holbrook, Adrienne Barbeau, and Fritz Weaver.
Hands down the best tale of terror, it's no wonder that the three main actors of this single story also receive top billing in the picture's opening credits. This epic blood-soaked tale of insanity, fear, and fidelity is a timeless classic with excellent performances all around, and an unforgettable monkey-like demon from special effects master Tom Savini. The longest segment of the film, "The Crate" tells the story of Henry (Holbrook), a college professor with an unbelievably obnoxious and domineering wife (a brilliant performance by Barbeau). When Henry's colleague Dexter Stanley (Weaver) discovers a flesh-eating monster under the stairway under the stairs of the college and informs Henry, the henpecked husband makes plans to use the monster to his own domestic advantage. This out-of-this-world premise carries very real themes of love and death, friends and family, and moral responsibility versus personal hapiness. With subtle undertones that just hint at the depth of this brilliantly written horror masterpiece, Stephen King has never been more entertaining than with this perfectly crafted tale.
5. "THEY'RE CREEPING UP ON YOU" (4.5/5)
Stars E.G. Marshall.
Bringing us back down for a soft landing, Romero and King conclude their horror anthology with this wonderfully bizarre tale of a millionaire hypochondriac whose allegedly germ-proof apartment is overwhelmed with an army of cockroaches. This one goes way over the top, but it all keeps with the tempo of the movie. If you know somebody who is deathly afraid of bugs, try showing them the final scene of this segment, then sit back and enjoy their screams of bewilderment.
All in all, I'd have to say Creepshow is one of the top three horror films ever made. Rent it or buy it today!
THE DISC (1/5):
Unfortunately, the "geniuses" over at Warner Bros. have insulted this fine film and its fans by offering up a very lame disc. The picture quality is only passable, the letterbox formatting is kind of funky, and there are absolutely no extras, save for a trailer, which I don't really count as a real feature. The only good thing I can possibly say about the disc is that it's got 41 chapters, but only 21 of those are accesible with the disc.
While we'll have to wait for "Creepshow" to get the same Special Edition treatment as its inferior sequel, this bare bones disc only goes to show the strength of the film in the fact that even with no bonuses at all, "Creepshow" is still one of the most rewatchable and indispensable horror movies on the market.
Movie Review: "Where's my cake!?!".
Summary: 5 Stars
This was just a great and fun anthology horror film from George A. Romero, it was also writen by Stephen King so you probably know what to expect when you have these two geniuses of the horror genre together this was deffinetely a high quality film. Creepshow was inspired by the horror comics Tales from the crypt from EC comics which were released during the 50's and were quite unique and a bit controversial during that period, these five tales were quite good and alot of fun to watch especially on halloween but still you could watch them at any time, during the beginning the title sequence is shot like a comic book and has some nice animation and then the live scenes happen where a bratty kid is playing around with his horror comic book then his dad finds out and gets angry and upset and well the story resolves at the end of the film when the boy gets his revenge, the boy was played by Stephen King's son so watch out for some bad acting these stories are not really scary but you wouldn't mind since they're alot of fun to watch anyway here is a short summary of these five stories:-
Father's day involves a family reunion, an ashtray and an unnatural desire for cake. Watch out for Ed Harris's corny dance sequence and the zombie that rises from his grave, very good storyline about revenge and retribution "Where's my cake!?!".
The lonsome death of Jordy Verill features Stephen King as a dorky and dumb farmer who discovers a meteor with all sorts of growth and fungus and decides to touch it, not a good idea since now hes about to turn into a plant. This is one of the worst storylines but the good thing is its short and doesn't take to long, there were some funny parts though.
Something to tide you over tells of Leslie Nielson's interesting plan of vengeance against the man who stole his wife played by Ted Danson. This was a very good and suspensfull storyline that will keep you on the edge of your seat as Leslie buries Ted Danson's character in the sand.
The crate was one of my favorites and it has some wonderful special fx done by Tom Savini who made the effects for the monster in the crate that looks like its from another world and is quite creepy, the story is about a college professor who has a very loud and obnoxious wife played by Adrienne Barbeau who keeps embarissing her husband infront of everyone untill an opritunity comes along to get rid of her, this story has alot of twisted dark humor in it and some gore.
They're creeping up on you is about a rich and greedy eccentric executive type who has to deal with a roach problem, this is a very nice storyline that wraps up everything. Overall the film was a classic 80's horror film and is the best George Romero flick since he was more known for his living dead trillogy this film also showed that he could do other things beside that, great stuff and highly recommended. Make sure that you also watch the sequal along with this back to back, the best storyline IMO was The raft where the college kids get eaten by a creature in the lake.
Movie Review: Horror Genius With Wit
Summary: 5 Stars
How can i ever express my glee toward this 1982 film? From the first viewing i fell in love with the timeless horror classic. This particular entry into the genre is notable for its uncannyand faithful tribute to the 1950's horror comics (as distributed by EC Publishing), its comical charm, its fantastic effects, and its cult creators (Stephen King and George Romero, and effects by fan fave Tom Savini). Packed with five stories of the macabre this film is bound to please fans of horror as well as kids, adults, and most other moviegoers with its immortal style. The first tale provides us with a story regarding a cranky old man that was murdered by his daughter on Father's Day because she grew weary of his actions against her. Knowing that you are watching a Romero/King flick only can assure you of the fun to come from said situation. The second tale of terror stars none other than Stephen King in what is perhaps horror film's most enjoyable guest star role. King plays a simple hick who comes across a meteor which spreads its reign of terror around his home. King provides us with a truly memorable and quirky performance that is sure to remain in most people's minds. The third tale involves a cheating wife and the vengeance of her spiteful husband on both she and her "other" man...naturally taking up on the EC tradition we can only expect the worse lesson for the wrath-ridden husband via supernatural means. The fourth tale is about a strange crate that is discovered beneath the steps of a college stairwell. Within lie the mysterious contents of an Artic expedtion...that we all know will only wreak their havoc. The final creepout is slowly presented to us in the form of an evil tycoon with nothing on his mind but money...and getting rid of filthy cockaroaches (or vice versa?). Each story is fantastically told and to top it all off we are provided with a wraparound tale that introduces the whole chi-bang. This is what fun is all about. No need to take this serious just watch it for the enjoyability factor and you won't be disappointed. Fans will also find, much to their pleasure, a wide array of bedazzling special effects, oddball lighting, unique characters, and overall good direction and storytelling. A definite addition to any sane person's video library. The dvd version is creepshow at its best. Presented in the best color, picture, and sound ever, don't fret video buyers because the dvd sports nothing extra that you might be missing. Regardless of the lack of extra features this dvd is a no miss. Buy itMovie Review: Creepy Fun
Summary: 5 Stars
"Creepshow" unites George Romero, Stephen King and the make up skills of Tom Savini to deliver five creepy yet intriguing tales. It is delivered in true comic book fashion with embellished lighting, unique camera angles and animated transitions from one tale to the next. After all, it was based on the E.C. horror comics.
It all begins with "Father's Day" in which a murdered father comes back from the grave to collect his long awaited Father's Day cake. It has its scares and the humor isn't as tacky as the summary would suggest. It can actually make you laugh.
Stephen King is the star in the next tale "The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verrill." A meteors goop makes everything grow including Jordy himself. King's performance as a slow minded hillbilly was decent at best. In my opinion he should stick to writing. This tale is definitely not the best of the bunch.
The tales continue with "Something to Tide You Over" which stars Leslie Nielson as a merciless husband seeking revenge on his wife and her lover (Ted Danson) by burying them up to their necks in sand and then leaving it up to the high tide to finish the job. You know what they say about revenge...hint, hint. It was definitely a change of pace to see Nielson play the antagonist in this story. I'm still used to seeing him as Frank Drebin, but he played the "bad" guy really well.
The best was saved for second to last in "The Crate." Henry (Hal Holbrook) is a college professor who is submissive to his extremely annoying wife. One day on campus a mysterious crate is found containing a ferocious creature, so Henry decides to make his wife the creature's next meal. This tale is the goriest of all five and contains some really gruesome scenes including one where half a face is bitten off...Sweet.
Last but not least is "They're Creeping Up On You." A millionaire misophobic (afraid of germs and contamination) has his apartment invaded with thousands of roaches. Eventually it's not just his apartment that becomes overrun if you catch my drift. Roaches got to go somewhere. Definitely disturbing and gross...not for those with a weak stomach.
Five eerie tales on one disc with George Romero directing and Stephen King writing make "Creepshow" worth buying. Add this to your horror collection.