Okay, fellow tapeheads, dim the lights, maybe crack open a beverage that hasn't been cool since 1989, and let's talk about a true treasure from the golden age of horror rentals: George A. Romero and Stephen King's ghoulishly delightful collaboration, Creepshow (1982). Finding this luridly coloured box on the video store shelf felt like uncovering forbidden knowledge, a promise of comic-book scares brought gleefully, gorily to life. And popping that tape in? Pure magic, even through the tracking fuzz.
This wasn't just any horror movie; it was a passion project, a vibrant homage to the delightfully morbid EC Comics of the 50s – think Tales from the Crypt and The Vault of Horror. King penned the screenplay (his first!), specifically crafting these five twisted tales (plus a framing story) for his buddy Romero, the maestro who gave us the definitive zombie nightmare with Night of the Living Dead. The result is less about existential dread and more about gruesome punchlines, delivered with a wink and a arterial spray.
Tales from the Creep
The anthology format itself feels perfectly suited to a late-night watch, little bursts of terror you could almost digest between slices of questionable pizza. We kick off with "Father's Day," a moldering slice of revenge-from-beyond-the-grave featuring a young Ed Harris (yes, that Ed Harris!) getting his just desserts. The decaying patriarch demanding his cake is pure EC Comics absurdity, brought to life with wonderfully squishy practical effects courtesy of the legendary Tom Savini. Remember how genuinely unsettling that shambling corpse looked back then? No smooth CGI rendering here, just latex, goo, and nightmare fuel. Trivia alert: that heavy marble ashtray used as a weapon was reportedly quite unwieldy for actress Viveca Lindfors on set!
Then there’s "The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verrill," featuring Stephen King himself as the titular unfortunate soul who discovers a meteor and quickly wishes he hadn't. King's performance is... well, let's call it enthusiastically broad, leaning hard into the hayseed caricature. It’s a performance that divides folks, but you can't deny his commitment! The real star here is the creeping, otherworldly vegetation sprouting everywhere. Savini's team worked wonders creating that effect, reportedly using simple techniques like foam and paint that grew increasingly complex as Jordy gets consumed. It’s a visual standout, even if King's acting is more charmingly goofy than genuinely terrifying.
Nielsen Gets Nasty, and a Monster in a Box
Things get genuinely mean-spirited (in the best way!) with "Something to Tide You Over." Here we see Leslie Nielsen, years before he became the deadpan icon of Airplane! and The Naked Gun, playing a truly chilling, jealous husband. Watching him calmly orchestrate his wife and her lover's seaside demise was startling then, and it still packs a punch. His controlled menace is fantastic, proving his range long before Frank Drebin took over. The tension of the incoming tide, filmed on location at Island Beach State Park, New Jersey, felt incredibly real – simple, effective, and terrifyingly plausible.
But for many, the absolute highlight is "The Crate." Oh, that crate! Hal Holbrook shines as the harried professor, and Adrienne Barbeau (then married to director John Carpenter) steals scenes as his loud, obnoxious wife, Billie. You almost root for the creature! And what a creature "Fluffy" is – a snarling, furry beastie with way too many teeth, another Savini masterpiece. The gore in this segment is top-tier 80s splatter, particularly Billie’s demise. It felt shocking and visceral on VHS, the kind of scene you’d rewind and watch again (maybe with the sound down if your parents were home). Fun fact: The creature's design evolved partly due to budget constraints, leading to the hairy, less defined look that ultimately made it feel more mysterious and primal.
Roach Motel Hell
Finally, "They're Creeping Up on You!" preys on a common phobia with relentless gusto. E.G. Marshall is brilliantly repulsive as the mysophobic millionaire Upson Pratt, trapped in his sterile penthouse apartment as it's slowly overrun by cockroaches. And folks, those weren't CGI bugs. Romero insisted on using the real deal – reportedly around 20,000 live cockroaches sourced from Trinidad! The sheer volume of insects crawling everywhere is viscerally disgusting and remains one of the most skin-crawling sequences in 80s horror. You can practically feel them. Hats off to the crew who had to wrangle those critters.
Comic Book Carnage Come to Life
Tying it all together is the framing story featuring young Joe Hill (King's son, now a successful horror author himself!) as Billy, punished by his horror-hating father (played by Tom Atkins, a Romero regular). The spectral "Creep" host and the animated comic book panels used for transitions, often bathed in lurid primary colours, perfectly capture the source material's aesthetic. Romero's direction is less gritty realism and more splash-panel dynamism, amplified by John Harrison's memorable, synth-heavy score that perfectly blends eerie themes with jaunty, almost cartoonish cues. It all adds up to a film that feels like a comic book you can watch.
Made for around $8 million, Creepshow was a solid hit, grossing over $21 million and proving audiences were hungry for this blend of horror and dark humor. It spawned sequels and eventually a Shudder TV series, cementing its legacy as a cornerstone of the horror anthology genre.
Rating: 9/10
This score is earned by the sheer, unadulterated fun of the movie, the perfect marriage of King's morbid imagination and Romero's directorial flair, and most importantly, Tom Savini's absolutely legendary practical effects work, which remains a grotesque joy to behold. The acting is occasionally hammy (looking at you, Jordy!), and some segments are stronger than others, but the overall package is a loving, gory tribute to a bygone era of horror.
Creepshow is more than just a movie; it's a time capsule filled with scares, laughs, and the kind of goopy, tangible effects that made renting horror tapes such a thrill. It’s the gruesome comic book you always wanted to see leap off the page, bugs and all.