Creepshow

“”Romero and King have approached this movie with humor and affection, as well as an appreciation of the macabre.” – Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun Times

Masters of the macabre – writer Stephen King and director George A. Romero – conjure up five shocking yarns, each a virtuoso exercise in the ghouls-and-gags style of classic ’50s horror comics. A murdered man emerges from the grave for Father’s Day cake. A meteor’s ooze makes everything … grow. A professor selects his wife as a snack for a crated creature. A scheming husband plants two lovers up to their necks in terror. A malevolent millionaire with an insect phobia becomes the prey of a cockroach army. Add the spirited performances of an excellent cast (Hal Holbrook, Adrienne Barbeau, Leslie Nielsen, Ted Danson, E.G. Marshall and King himself) and the ghoulish makeup wizardry of Tom Savini, and you have a non-stop, thrilling ride that “plays like an anthology of human phobias” (Roger Ebert)!”

If Creepshow can make a claim to one thing, it’s bringing such enormous talent together for a fun anthology of short films that will terrify and entertain. The film itself pays homage to the 1950’s style horror comics with five quick and to the point horror stories that are all very different from one another in both their direction and style. Each one begins and finishes with a comic look to it, with the scenes turning into panels and the video changing into a more animated look, further giving that feel of what they’re paying homage to. They perfectly encapsulate the types of stories you’d see in these types of horror comics, with Stephen King changing his style to fit this specialty type of overall film, but still maintaining certain elements of his style that fans will instantly recognize. It’s important knowing this going in to the film exactly what you’re getting into, only because this doesn’t follow the same narrative structure or horror rules that most films in the genre do. These are silly, out of this world shorts that are more absurd than horrific, but that’s what makes them so entertaining. They have such a short time to set the stage and introduce the characters, but thanks to the caliber of acting and writing, this is easily accomplished.

Father’s Day

The first short in our collection opens with a very well-off family waiting for their great aunt to arrive in her yearly visit to the house and her father’s grave in which she is the suspect of his murder which took place on Father’s Day. A rather simple story, it’s the perfect introduction to the type of short films you’re going to be seeing. Starting off much like a typical horror film or scary story you might hear around a campfire, this story quickly turns to the absurd as the former master of the home rises from the grave wanting cake. Witnessing a young Ed Harris scream and meet his ultimate fate is a fun experience, and the makeup effects by Tom Savini look great.

The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verrill

Perhaps one of the more goofy of the bunch, this short opens with Stephen King playing the part in his original short story he adapts to film. A meteor falls to Earth and Jordy, thinking he can profit from this great discovery, tries picking up the just-fallen hunk of rock and of course burns himself. Throwing water on it to cool it off makes things worse, as the meteor splits in two, spilling multi-colored liquid everywhere. Of course the most important thing to Jordy is that it will probably be worth less now, so he goes inside to sulk and falls asleep. When waking, he finds that his problems may be larger than he first realized. Although this one feels much more sci-fi than horror, it still has a levity to it, mainly due to the fact that Stephen King is playing this doofus, and playing it so well.

Something to Tide You Over

In the third short, a wealthy husband learns that his wife has been having an affair. He forces the man at gunpoint to accompany him to his beachfront property far from the eyes of civilization. Here, he lets the two lovers share the same fate as the man is forced to watch on a television as the wife is buried in the sand with only her head above ground as the tide comes in. Feeling pretty good about himself afterwards, he soon gets a surprise he least expected. This one may be my favorite of the bunch, mainly because it’s Leslie Neilsen and Ted Danson. Seeing Leslie Neilsen playing something other than a bumbling authority figure gives me great joy, especially seeing him in this genre.

The Crate

Another one based on one of King’s short stories, this film is set at a university in which a janitor finds a mysterious crate locked underneath a staircase. Once opened, it unleashes a horrific monster that kills anything in sight. With all the mayhem and dead bodies turning up, one of the professors decides to use this to his advantage. This segment stars Hal Holbrook and Adrienne Barbeau, one of the better segments thanks to the great acting and writing. This one also highlights some amazing effects by Tom Savini, really showing off what he’s capable of.

They’re Creeping Up on You

In the last segment of the film, a cruel business tycoon has himself locked away in his completely sterile apartment, with a phobia of germs and everything in the outside world. During several business transactions and phone calls, he begins to see cockroaches, a few at a time, but eventually growing in numbers that start to drive him insane. This one is much more of a psychological horror type of story, and will definitely creep out anyone who has a thing for roaches.

Creepshow celebrates everything about the genre, bringing us the best parts with Stephen King writing and George Romero directing. The film is still wildly entertaining and thanks to this new release from Scream Factory, will hopefully find a new generation of fans.

Video

Creepshow is presented in 1080p High Definition Widescreen 1.85:1 with a new 4k scan of the original camera negative supervised and approved by director of photography Michael Gornick. This transfer looks exceptional, bringing a crystal clear image that has been cleaned up very nicely. Color balance looks great, with very vibrant palate that looks absolutely fantastic. This transfer itself would be worth the price of the set, and definitely the highlight of it.

Audio

The audio is presented in DTS-HD Master Audio Mono. For a mono track, this sounds just fine. A remix would have been nice, but this serves its purpose and is what it is.

Special Features

This set is packed with extras. Not only does it have a very nice hard-cardboard case with reversible cover, it also includes a beautiful 36-page color booklet. So many new featurettes on this disc, Scream Factory has really outdone themselves with this release.

Here’s what you’re going to see:

• NEW4K Scan Of The Original Camera Negative – Color Correction Supervised And Approved By Director Of Photography Michael Gornick
• Audio Commentary With Director George A. Romero And Special Make-Up Effects Creator Tom Savini
• NEWAudio Commentary With Director Of Photography Michael Gornick
• NEW Audio Commentary With Composer/First Assistant Director John Harrison And Construction Coordinator Ed Fountain
• NEWTerror And The Three Rivers – A Round Table Discussion On The Making Of Creepshow With John Amplas, Tom Atkins, Tom Savini, And Marty Schiff
• NEWThe Comic Book Look – An Interview With Costume Designer Barbara Anderson
• NEWRipped From The Pages – An Interview With Animator Rick Catizone
• NEWThe Colors Of Creepshow – A Look At The Restoration of Creepshow With Director Of Photography Michael Gornick
• NEWInto The Mix – An Interview With Sound Re-recordist Chris Jenkins
• NEWMondo Macabre – A Look At Mondo’s Various Creepshow Posters With Mondo Co-Founder Rob Jones And Mondo Gallery Events Planner Josh Curry
• NEW Collecting Creepshow– A Look At Some Of The Original Props And Collectibles From The Film With Collector Dave Burian
• Audio Interviews With Director Of Photography Michael Gornick, Actor John Amplas, Property Master Bruce Alan Miller, And Make-up Effects Assistant Darryl Ferrucci
• Tom Savini’s Behind-The-Scenes Footage
• Horror’s Hallowed Grounds – A Look At The Original Film Locations Hosted By Sean Clark
• Deleted Scenes
• Theatrical Trailers
• TV Spot
• Radio Spots
• Still Galleries – Posters, Lobby Cards, And Movie Stills
• Still Galleries – Behind The Scenes Photos

I say this a lot, but Scream Factory really has gone above and beyond with this set. The care taken with this film demonstrates how lucky we are to have a company that loves these films as much as the fans. This set is worth every penny, and with the amount of extras you’ve got, you’ll be enjoying this long after the credits roll.