Creepshow (1982)

Director:

George A. Romero

Writer:

Stephen King (screenplay)

Release Date:

12 November 1982 (USA)

Genre:

Animation | Comedy | Fantasy | Horror | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

The Most Fun You'll Ever Have... BEING SCARED!

Plot:

Inspired by the E.C. comics of the 1950s, George A.Romero and Stephen King bring five tales of terror to the screen.

Plot Keywords:

Stephen King | Terror | Meteor | Creature | Death

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Hal Holbrook	...	Henry Northrup (segment "The Crate")
Adrienne Barbeau	...	Wilma Northrup (segment "The Crate")
Fritz Weaver	...	Dexter Stanley (segment "The Crate")
Leslie Nielsen	...	Richard Vickers (segment "Something To Tide You Over")
Carrie Nye	...	Sylvia Grantham (segment "Father's Day")
E.G. Marshall	...	Upson Pratt (segment "They're Creeping Up On You") (as E. G. Marshall)
Viveca Lindfors	...	Aunt Bedelia (segment "Father's Day")
Ed Harris	...	Hank Blaine (segment "Father's Day")
Ted Danson	...	Harry Wentworth (segment "Something To Tide You Over)
Stephen King	...	Jordy Verrill (segment "The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verrill")
Warner Shook	...	Richard Grantham (segment "Father's Day")
Robert Harper	...	Charlie Gereson (segment "The Crate")
Gaylen Ross	...	Becky Vickers (segment "Something To Tide You Over")
Jon Lormer	...	Nathan Grantham (segment "Father's Day")
Don Keefer	...	Mike the Janitor (segment "The Crate")

Also Known As:

Cuentos de ultratumba (USA: Spanish title)
Stephen King's Creepshow (International: English title) (long title)

Runtime:

120 min | USA:130 min (approx.) (Original Workprint)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Canada:18A (Ontario) | Singapore:PG (cut) | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Finland:K-18 | France:-12 | Netherlands:16 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:R | West Germany:18 | Norway:18 (video premiere) (1984) | Norway:(Banned) (video) (1986) | Norway:(Banned) (1983-2003) (cinema release)

Filming Locations:

Fox Chapel, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA

Company:

Creepshow Films Inc.

Trivia:

It is rumored that Max von Sydow was originally slated to play Upson Pratt in Creepshow's final story, "They're Creeping Up On You!".

Goofs:

Continuity: The direction the 'Popov' vodka bottle faces changes between shots in the second segment of the film, "The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verrill".

Quotes:

Richard Vickers: It's Showtime!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Two Masters' Eyes (2003) (V)

Soundtrack:

Gaudeamus Igitur

Fan heaven as two horror greats come together.

George A Romero & Stephen King combine here to give us 5 joyously silly tales based on the style of the E.C. Comics that both men loved as youths.

The film begins with a young boy having his comic collection thrown away by his father, this angers the boy and he plots evil revenge that segues into the five stories.

"Father's Day" is the opening story and whilst it isn't short on the camp factor, it's a very inauspicious start, a zombie father returns to enact vengeance on his horrid family in the name of cake! Next up is "The Lonesome Death Of Jody Verill", which sees Stephen King himself in the title role of a less than dumb hick who touches a fallen meteor and thus starts to turn into a plant monster. King has fun with the role but overplays it to dangerously annoying ham proportions, but it's a tidy fable with a cool ending. We then get to my personal favourite of the bunch with "Something To Tide You Over," here we have a delightfully villainous Leslie Nielson burying his unfaithful wife and her lover {Ted Danson} in the sand up to their necks as the tide starts to come in, naturally there is a grizzly twist a coming.

"The Crate" sees the arrival of Hal Holbrook and Adrienne Barbeau into the proceedings, a smart message of not opening crates marked with "Danger, Do Not Open," and here we get a genuinely scary monster into the show. The final segment is "They're Creeping Up On You" which seems to be a favourite of many across the site, and although it has creepy impact for those scared of insects, it's not the crowning glory I was hoping for. We are then cut back to the boy and his thirst for revenge and the film finishes with a glint in its eye, more schlock and camp than outright horror, but still a great piece of 80s fun for fans to enjoy, 7/10.