CREEPSHOW (1982) - STEPHEN KING AND GEORGE A ROMERO'S TRIBUTE TO 50'S HORROR COMICS

DIRECTED by George A. Romero 

SCREENPLAY by Stephen King 

STARRING  - Joe King as Billy Hopkins, Tom Atkins as Stan Hopkins, Iva Jean Sarceni as Mrs Hopkins, Tom Savini as Gerbageman,  Carrie Nye as Sylvia Grantham,  Viveca Lindfors as Bedelia Grantham,  Ed Harris as Hank Blaine,  Warner Shook as Richard Grantham,  Elizabeth Regan as Cass Blaine,  Jon Lormer as Nathan Grantham,  John Amplas as Zombie Nathan,  Stephen King as Jordy Verrill,  Bingo O' Mally as Doctor/Jordy's father,  Leslie Neilsen as Richard Vickers,  Ted Danson as Harry Wentworth,  Gaylen Ross as Becky Vickers,  Hal Holbrook as Henry Northup,  Adrienne Barbeau as Wilma "Billie" Northup,  Fritz Weaver as Dexter Stanley,  Darryl Ferrucci as "Fluffy",  E.G. Marshall as Upson Pratt, David Early as Mr. White.

PLOT - Young Billy Hopkins loves monsters and comic books. His father Stan doesn't.

In a fit of self righteous rage Stan throws out Billy's favourite comic - an issue of a horror comic called Creepshow. As the discarded comic is blown about by an unnatural seeming storm we flip through it's pages and see the stories it contains inside...

Dialogue  - Jordy Verrill  - "METEOR SHIT !!!!"

THE STORIES -

FRAMING STORY -

...The discarded Creepshow comic is found by two dustbin men. They see that a mail order coupon for a Voodoo Doll has been cut out of the comic and sent away for. Billy is the culprit. Using the Voodoo Doll, Billy stabs a pin into it's heart, causing his father to have a fatal heart attack. That'll teach him to throw away Billy's comic books...

A nice simple little framing story that sets out the film's themes - it being a tribute to the banned horror comics of the 50's and the mentality which caused them to be banned, represented here by Billy's overbearing dad.

Tom Atkins is great as Arsehole Dad Stan, his smug delivery of the line "that's why God made fathers" really makes you want to see the character get his just desserts. The story also showcases the old comics signature style - ie. Evil doer gets shafted by supernaturally aided karmic vengence. 

Young Billy is played by Stephen King's son Joe, who followed in his father's footsteps to be a best selling horror author in his own right. He's now better known under his pen-name Joe Hill. He had to change his name really... nobody would have taken him seriously with a name like Joe King...

STORY # 1 - FATHER'S DAY

Years ago, on father's day, Bedelia Grantham murdered her bullying father Nathan Grantham. Every father's day since Bedelia gets drunk and sits by her father's grave located in the grounds of the family mansion whilst her rich and bickering family gather in the house to await her arrival. This year is no different. Except it IS different...Nathan is about to rise from his grave to wreak vengence. It's father's day...and Nathan wants his cake...

A great little tale to set the mood. It's simple but well acted and gets the balance between creepy atmosphere, gaudy comic book camp and outright horror spot on.

The zombie version of Nathan is brilliantly conceived and genuinely horrific (this being a Romero movie you'd naturally expect the Zombie to be good).

Perhaps the most iconic moment though (probably for all the wrong reasons) is Ed Harris dancing...

I honestly don't know whether to laugh or cry. It's the snake hipped moves and the facial expressions which really sell it. What the hell where they thinking ???

STORY # 2 - THE LONESOME DEATH OF JORDY VERRILL 

Jordy Verrill has never been big in the brains department. One night a meteor lands in his fields. Jordy touches the meteor with his fingers and soon discovers a weed like substance growing on his hand. The weeds begin to spread and soon Jordy's entire body is taken over by the parasitic alien weed. The weed doesn't stop there though, It soon becomes obvious that the weed is going to keep growing and spread even further...

The second story plays out like the opening to a 50's sci-fi B-movie but with a more openly comedic tone. This comedy vibe comes mainly from Stephen King's performance as Jordy. For someone who's mainly known for being a writer, King gives a surprisingly good if OTT performance. Jordy is - in his own words - a "lunkhead" and King nails the loveable dimwit to a T. He also gets the best line in the entire movie...all together now - "METEOR SHIT !!!!"

A good fun little story.

STORY # 3 - SOMETHING TO TIDE YOU OVER

Harry Wentworth has been having an affair with wealthy Richard Wentworth's wife Becky. What Harry doesn't realise though is that Richard is insane and dangerous. Richard lures Harry to a private beach that he owns and holds him at gunpoint. He forces Harry to dig a hole in the sand and Bury himself up to his neck. Harry learns that Becky has also suffered the same fate. The tide is coming in and Richard leaves Harry and Becky to drown. Later that night - Harry and Becky's waterlogged corpses rise from the seabed and come looking for revenge...

A simple tale of vengence from beyond the grave. The thing that makes this story so good ? Two words...Leslie. Neilsen.

By the 80's Neilsen was mainly known as a comedy actor, mainly due to his role as Frank Drebbin in the Police Squad TV show (a role he reprised in The Naked Gun movies). People tend to forget that originally he was a serious actor (Neilsen also played the main hero in the 50's sci-fi classic Forbidden Planet). Neilsen's role here just goes to show what a versatile actor he really was. His portrayal of the psychotic Richard is brilliant.

Richard is cold, calculating, smug, entitled and totally and utterly evil. You can tell he got where he is in life by being extremely ruthless. He's a far cry from the buffoonish Frank Drebbin. When Harry and Becky rise from thier watery graves he also completely mentally snaps. He gibbers, laughs and cries in utter terror. Richard is a memorable villain and one of the many highlights of this excellent film.

Ted Danson is good too as the hapless Harry (Becky's "Knight in shining courdouroy") and once more we get some brilliantly realised Zombies.

STORY #4 - THE CRATE

Henry Northup is a college professor who has grown to hate and resent his overbearing and socially embarrassing wife Wilma "call me Billie". He frequently daydreams about murdering her but has neither the guts or strength of personality to carry the deed out for real. One day Henry gets his chance. Henry's colleague and best friend Dexter Stanley has discovered a mysterious old crate hidden in the college's cellar. Upon opening the crate, Dexter discovers it contains a savage ape like beast. A janitor and a student are both eaten alive by the beast. Henry thinks this may be his chance to do away with Wilma once and for all. All he needs to do now is get her near the crate so the beast can attack...

This story is many people's favourite segment of the film. It isn't mine but it IS still very good. I feel it's just a bit too long compared to the other stories but this is just a minor quibble.

Once again, the acting is great. Hal Holbrook is sympathetic as the hopeless and weak Henry. You really feel that this poor bloke has been ground down by years of abuse from his awful wife. Whilst you may not condone his actions you can certainly understand them.

Adrienne Barbeau completely owns this story as the obnoxious Wilma. She's loud, abrasive, she constantly belittles poor old Henry in front of his friends and seems to have no social skills whatsoever. To be fair to "Billie" though, I'd much sooner get drunk with her at a party than any of the other dull sycophantic guests that are attending the university staff social function that we see. I think she'd be quite fun. She also gets a great line where she threatens to "wear Henry's balls for earrings". "Billie's" great, you hate her and love her at the same time.

Fritz Weaver is good too as Dexter Stanley. As with Leslie Neilsen in the previous story, we see Dexter's mind completely snap when he witnesses the horror of the crate. He goes from being this calm, suave college professor to a gibbering, sweaty, hysterical madman.

The Crate is also probably the goriest segment of the film, "Fluffy" the crate beast literally tears people limb from limb. All in all another memorable and effective story in a film full of them.

STORY # 5 - THEY'RE CREEPING UP ON YOU !

Ruthless millionaire Upson Pratt lives in a sterile apartment designed to keep him safe from the dirt and germs that he has a phobia of. One night there is a power cut and Pratt finds his flat is being invaded by an army of Cockroaches...aggressive flesh eating Cockroaches....

This simple tale seems to be the story that most divides fans of this movie. Some people love it for its simplicity and the brilliantly acerbic performance of E.G. Marshall as Upson Pratt, whilst others hate it, finding it grotesque and troubling.

I'm in the category who loves it.

E.G. Marshall is brilliant as the smug, self important and completely ruthless and amoral Upson Pratt. The set design of the sterile, futuristic apartment block lends the story a cold, clinical feel and the roaches make for some uncomfortable scenes.

The roaches are the real reason some people don't like this story. Creepy crawlies just freak some people out (personally they've never bothered me but I can see why some people have a fear of them).

I also like the weird scenes where Pratt talks to Mr White (the building's caretaker) over an intercom which distorts thier voices. I'm not sure exactly why this choice was made but it certainly adds to the disorientating and disturbing vibe of this story. Also fans of The Evil Dead films will notice some VERY familiar music playing on Upson Pratt's jukebox...

SFX  - Creepshow is full of great practical effects.

We get some brilliantly realised Zombies in the form Nathan Grantham and the undead versions of Harry and Becky...

Stephen King as Jordy gets decked out in some cheesy looking weed makeup and eventually transforms into a "man in a suit" 50's style "Plantman" monster...

Then we get "Fluffy" the man eating monster that lurks inside the crate...

We also get to see "The Creep", the being who acts as "horror host" in the pages of the "Creepshow" comic book when he magically appears outside young Billy's window at night...

SEX & VIOLENCE  -  In the first story zombie Nathan Grantham strangles Bedelia, crushes Hank's head under a tombstone, kills the Grantham family's maid (off camera) and beheads and mounts Sylvia's head on his father's day cake...

In the second tale the Plantman Jordy Verrill blows his brains out with a shotgun, spraying his back wall with cabbage coloured brains...

In the third tale, Harry, Becky and eventually Richard are all buried in the sand and drown when the tide comes in (but that's OK because Richard can hold his breath for a loooonnnnggggg time)...

In the fourth story the Janitor, a student and eventually "Billie" are all eaten alive by "Fluffy"...

And for the grand finale of the fifth story we get to see Upson Pratt's corpse bursting open and a horde of Cockroaches eating thier way out...

RATING - Creepshow is a classic of the horror anthology subgenre. Unlike most anthologies EVERY story hits the mark. It's well acted, creatively shot (I love the way the live action blends into the comic book panels) and it perfectly captures the mean spirited fun of those classic 1950's horror comics.

5 creepy comic books out of 5. If you haven't already seen it watch it this Halloween.

POSTER/VHS/DVD ART  -

And finally here is the Creepshow graphic novel which features artwork from comics legend Bernie Wrightson...