Sometimes, a movie is so perfect that you can't objectively discuss it. Creepshow is that kind of movie - a perfect combination of portmanteau, E.C. comics, goopy special effects and gross-out humor. It's also the perfect melding of some of the greatest talents in horror - George Romero, Tom Savini, Bernie Wrightson and Stephen King.This film is King's screenwriting debut and consists of five short stories (two based on King stories) and a framing element where Billy (played by King's son Joe Hill) fights with his father (Tom Atkins!) over his horror comics. Soon, the Creep himself comes to his window, asking Billy to come closer as he transforms from a practical effect (that uses a real human skeleton) to animation (done by Pittsburgh-based group The Animators, who also did the Tom Petty video for "Running Down a Dream").In the first story, Father's Day, Nathan Grantham is the old man of the family, rich from a life of murder, fraud and extortion. Finally, on Father's Day, his long-suffering daughter Bedelia (Viveca Lindfors, The Bell from Hell) finally rises up against a lifetime of abuse and torture (he even killed the only man she ever loved) and kills him.Every year on Father's Day, his family gathers to celebrate his life. And by that, I mean that they talk about how much they hated him. There's Sylvia (Carrie Nye, wife of Dick Cavett), Richard, Cass and Cass's husband Hank (Ed Harris, showing up in another Romero film after his star turn in Knightriders).Bedelia is late, but she has to stop at the cemetery and see the grave. She's drunk - again - and spills her whiskey all over the headstone, which brings her horrible father back from the dead. One by one, he wipes out his family, all while screaming for his Father's Day cake. Well, he gets it.Some minor trivia here - Nathan's corpse is played by John Amplas, who is a noted theater teacher in Pittsburgh. However, you may know him better as the title protagonist of Romero's classic Martin.Up next, The Lonesome Death of Jody Verrill is nearly a one-man show for King. Based on his story Weeds, it's a Lovecraftian tale (think The Colour Out of Space) of a meteor destroying a simple man. It also has some great old WWWF footage and an appearance by Pittsburgh stage legend Bingo O'Malley.Something to Tide You Over is a very E.C. Comics story, where a wife (Gaylen Ross) and her lover (Ted Danson from TV's Cheers) finally get caught by her husband (Leslie Nielsen in a rare villainous role). It's a simple story told well with incredible effects from Savini, as instead of just zombies, he creates seaweed and salt water damaged undead monsters.The Crate is the real crowd pleaser of the film and is based on the King short story of the same name. Between Hal Holbrook, Fritz Weaver and Adrienne Barbeau, it's packed with star power. And the actual beast inside the crate is a Savini tour de force, a perfect monster. There's also a cameo by Romero's ex-wife, Christine Forrest.Finally, in They're Creeping Up on You, E.G. Marshall rules the screen as Upson Pratt, a Howard Hughes-like man who lives in a sealed apartment because he's deathly afraid of insects. As in any E.C. Comics story, what you fear the most is what will destroy you.There's an interesting object that keeps showing up throughout the film - a marble ashtray that shows up in nearly every scene. It's the one used to kill Nathan in the first story, but it keeps reappearing. Is it the Loc-Nar of Creepshow?If you're from Pittsburgh, Creepshow is a tour of home. There's an abandoned girl's school in Greensburg that was used for the majority of the shoot, as well as Carnegie Mellon University, Romero's own backyard in Shadyside and a mansion in Fox Chapel. The only non-Pittsburgh setting was a New Jersey beach for the drowning scenes.Creepshow truly is the most fun you'll ever have being scared. It was followed by two sequels of diminishing quality, but it's held up for over thirty years. It's a movie I bring out and watch at least once a year.

Saw this in the mid 80s on a VHS. Had quite njoyd it then. Revisited it recently on a DVD. Found it to b very mild but still not bad. The effects work from Tom Savini is very noteworthy, especially that of the creature. Stephen King, George Romero and Tom Savini, the three names r sufficient to entice any horror fan. It is unarguably one of the best horror anthologies out there. The film consists of 5 short stories. My personal favourite was The Crate. The creature was scary. The scene wher the creature attacks the neck was very well done. The creepiest scene was in the segment They r creeping up on u, the cockroaches creeping out from the body.

When I was about 13 years-old, I tried to rent this on VHS several times. Unfortunately, my mother kept walking in during a particularly violent segment and made me turn it off. It was a long time before I finally saw the whole film.If you watch the accompanying Just Desserts documentary on the double-disc DVD, you'll see how lovingly crafted this film really was. Not only so, but this truly transcends the schlock horror of its E.C. origins. The acting is first rate and the plots surprisingly thoughtful, considering how short each segment is. For example, watch Aunt Bedelia's tortured graveside monologue in Father's Day, or the curious interplay between Henry and Dex in The Crate. E.G. Marshall totally nails it in They're Creeping Up On You, the segment most loaded with subtext.Tom Savini's make-up effects are excellent and he doesn't scrimp on the gore. The one segment I dislike is Something To Tide You Over, as it's a particularly nasty and sadistic story (despite the just desserts moral).Overall, this has a worthy place in the annals of 80s horror and will always hold fond memories for me; a young boy who just wanted to see that crate monster tear his victims apart like sour bread.

If there's a better team to recreate the E.C. Comics on film, I haven't seen it. In the movie Creepshow, George Romero and Stephen King have created perfectly over the top renditions of 5 tales from the E.C. Comic series. It's a rather adventurous collection and contains a little something for everyone I believe. It is very well made and everything has a purpose from the gaudy, clashing colors to the crazy lighting and make up, and all the way up to the rather top- notch and eclectic acting. Brief Synopses and Descriptions:1. "Father's Day" (Ed Harris) - While awaiting their Aunt Bedelia's arrival to their Father's Day dinner party, a family regales itself with stories of how their aunt killed her father 7 years prior. But on this day, they're gonna wish Aunt Bedelia had made him his Father's Day cake instead. He'll have his cake and eat it too! What glorious make up they had for this one. 2. "The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verril" (Stephen King) - A bit of comic relief, this tale is about a lonely country bumpkin who discovers a meteor that ends up having very curious effects and consequences. This one is short and sweet. It's very colorful and imaginative as it leaves you feeling sorry for the guy by the end haha. 3. "Something to Tide You Over" (Leslie Nielson) - When a vexed man finally exacts his revenge against his wife and her not-so-secret lover, they'll be up to their necks in trouble. A somewhat shocking and well drawn-out twist at the end, but this one will certainly have you holding your breath haha. 4. "The Crate" - When a janitor finds a crate under the stairs of a college containing an ancient creature with a veracious appetite, Henry Northrup sees this as an opportunity to finally break off his relationship with his wife, Wilma Northrup. This one is a very enjoyable ride to sit through. It's filled with suspense and a mild coating of dark humor throughout. It's hard to tell who the bad guy is in this one haha. 5. "Creeping Up On You" (E.G. Marshall) - A rich man with an aversion to insects gets his comeuppance from cockroaches. This one has some rather grand special effects and leaves us with an ending to die for. It all adds up to one hell of a classic that you'll find yourself coming back to over the years. So kick back, don't take it too seriously, and be ready for a good time!