Best Anthology Horror Films

Brilliant. Simply brilliant.

This is the movie that made me get into horror films. My mother rented this for me when I was 5 years old. Judging by the cover alone she thought it was just another cartoon, lol. She knew I was into dark fairy tales(strange being that I was only five, but I guess I was naturally born with the appreciation of horror), so the cover of the skeleton on the front didn't make her question anything out of the ordinary. Thanks Mom! lol

This movie is both scary and funny at the same time. Let me rephrase that...this movie is hilarious. This is one of my favorite horror films and I owe it all to Creepshow.


Stephen King's Creepshow is a 1982 anthology horror movie with 5 stories directed by George A. Romero (of Night of the Living Dead and Dawn of the Dead fame), and written by Stephen King.

#1 Father's Day - Years ago, Nathan Grantham was killed on Father's day when his daughter Bedelia bashed him in the head with a marble ashtray as he screamed for his cake. Seven years later, as his relatives get together for their annual dinner on Father's day, Nathan Grantham comes back from the dead and returns the favor in a quest for his beloved cake, and is killing off his relatives one by one.

Father's Day is the creepiest one of the bunch. Truly horrifying. (Ed Harris dancing is horrifying as well, lol.)

Memorable quotes from Father's Day:

"Where's my cake, Bedelia? Where's my Father's Day cake? I want my cake you dirty bitch! I'm going to have it!"
- Nathan Grantham

"Mrs. Danvers..."
- Aunt Bedelia

"It's Father's Day, and I got my cake."
- Nathan Grantham


#2 The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verrill -A dimwitted backwoods hick thinks a newly-discovered meteorite will provide enough money to pay off the arrears $200 as his bank loan. Instead, he finds himself being overcome by a rapidly spreading plant-like organism that comes off the meteorite. Stephen King himself plays the doomed protagonist in this darkly humorous story.

The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verrill is one of the funniest of the bunch. A silly and gross out laugh riot.

Memorable quotes from The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verrill:

"Meteor shit!"
- Jordy

"This is going to be extremely painful Mr. Verrill"
- The doctor

"Please God...let my luck be good just this once."
- Jordy


# 3 Something to Tide You Over - A cold-blooded Leslie Nielsen stages a terrible doom for his unfaithful wife, Becky and her lover, Harry Wentworth (Ted Danson) by burying them up to their necks on the beach, below the high tide line. But the tide sometimes secure a power of reviving things back.

Something to Tide You Over is another creepy one of the bunch(especially the scene with the evil laughter on the beach). This one is my least favorite but it's still fun and entertaining as hell.

Memorable quotes from Something to Tide You Over:

"Wentworth! I suggest you get out of here! May I remind you, dear boy, I have the gun!"
- Richard Vickers

"You can't shoot us dead, Richard...?
"...because we're already dead!"
- Harry and Becky

"Oh I can hold my breath for a long, long time!"
- Richard Vickers


# 4 The Crate - A mysterious, extremely lethal creature is unwittingly ransomed from its crate in this suspenseful and gory monster story. Hal Holbrook stars as college professor Henry Northrup, who sees the creature as a way to get rid himself of his emotionally abusive wife, Wilma, played by Adrienne Barbeau.

The Crate is by far my favorite story in Creepshow! Pretty creepy and bloody as hell...oh yeah, and how can I forget. It's hilarious too!

Memorable quotes from The Crate:

"No, I don't think you'll expect this Wilma. No, this is going to be an entirely new experience!"
- Henry Northrup

"Oh, Henry, you are such a little kid! I swear to God you are! I mean were would you be without me to take care of you?"
- Wilma Northrup

"Just tell it to call you Billy."
- Henry Northrup


# 5 They're Creeping Up On You! - A cruel, miserly and ruthless businessman, Upson Pratt (played by screen legend E. G. Marshall), is disgusted by germs and insects, but finds himself helpless to stop them when Mr. White, his put-upon employee, allows his apartment to be overrun by endless hordes of cockroaches. His hatred of cockroaches was seen by some as a metaphor for prejudice.

They're Creeping Up On You is the grossest and nastiest story in Creepshow. This one will give you the chills. Totally disgusting. I hate bugs! lol

Memorable quotes from They're Creeping Up On You:

"Do it first...do it now!"
- Upson Pratt

"I hope you die!"
- Lenora Castonmeyer

"I don't give a fuck if you decided to take the kids to Attica this year. There are still roaches in this place, Reynolds. I killed one not five minutes ago."
- Upson Pratt


Creepshow is a crazy ass, scary and funny horror film. I highly Recommend this if you haven't seen it yet!


Other Reviews:

"Romero and King have approached this movie with humor and affection, as well as with an appreciation of the macabre."
- Roger Ebert

"Colorful, amusing, and awfully simple - just like a comic book. 80s answer to Tales from the crypt, and one of George Romero's most lighthearted productions."
- Slasherpool

"If you're a fan of Stephen King and/or horror movies, I hope you're reading this out of curiosity only, because you certainly should have seen this one by now. A darn good horror anthology, which is pretty darn rare."
- eFilmCritic

"Creepshow has a very specific goal - to capture the garish, gruesome atmosphere of an old-time horror comic. In this it succeeds for the most part. It's really a fun little film to pop in the DVD player and let spin."
- Classic-Horror

"Creepshow has a little something for every horror fan and things for those who care nothing for the genre."
- Toxic Shock TV

"Creepshow will go down as one of the best horror anthology films of all time."
- Best-Horror-Movies

"Creepshow will tickle and scare the heart of any moviegoer who yearns to see a film that includes killer cockroaches and Ted Danson buried up to his neck in sand. Creepshow works wonders as a horror film, for it does what all great movies should do: it leaves indelible images imprinted on your mind."
- DVD Verdict

Almost as good as the original. It's not better in terms of style, but Creepshow 2 is way funnier than the first one. This movie is more of a laugh riot than anything else, and I mean that in the best way. It's not cheesy to the point where it becomes amateurish filmmaking, this director knew exactly what he was doing, using the cheese correctly making this into a hilarious little romp. He stays true to the idea of the original, and for the most part, he directs it with the same morbid texture, although not fully using the E.C. comic style as it's predecessor he still manages to pull off yet another fun and entertaining wild ride.

Every horror fan should really see this movie. If you watch this expecting anything logical, in terms of being a smart and mature horror film, then you're in for the biggest disappointment. Like the first one, or better yet like most horror films(especially from the 80's), it's not meant to be taken seriously. Especially the second time around, cause the scares here are much more minimum, but not to worry. What it lacks in fright, it makes up for in hilarious morbid insanity. You'll have a damn fun time with this movie. I certainly did, and I liked it just as much as the first one, and for slightly different reasons too. The first Creepshow had more scares than it did laughs, where as this one has more laughs than scares. Both worked fine for what they did and severed us a delicious dish of maniacally macabre gruesomeness.

I highly recommend this movie!


Funny ass memorable quotes:

Story 1: Old Chief Woodn'Head -

"His old man bought my buddy here a Firebird man. A fuckin Firebird that's gonna fly us all to Hollywood"

"This hair's gonna get me paid 'n laid!"

"Over here lady."


Story 2: The Raft -

"Ooooh, mucho ecological, Poncho! Mucho ecological!"

"I don't believe in Oil-slicks."

"Pass the joint...pass the joint."


Story 3: The Hitch-Hiker -

"I...I ran over this guy, and over, and over, and over!"

"Thanks for the ride lady!"

"Hey buddy! What the fuck happened?..."
"...Some guy got creamed, that's what happened. Happens all the time."



I'm still laughing just writing this review...LOL

I think Trilogy of Terror II is actually better than the first one. This was a made for TV movie, so it definitely lacks big Hollywood film like quality. That doesn't mean this is a bad movie though. Trilogy of Terror II is a great movie. It's a spooky little gem.


First Story:

The Graveyard Rats

"A wealthy man by the name of Ansford discovers his young wife Laura having an affair with her cousin. Having video proof he threatens Laura to be faithful and honest or he will turn the video over to the news stations and cut her out of his multi-million dollar will. Meanwhile, her lover Ben comes up with the idea to murder Ansford and collect all his money. After being pushed down the stairs and killed, Laura and Ben are more than happy to collect their winnings...however all doesn't go as planned."

The Graveyard Rats was my least favorite story. I do have to give it credit though for it's suspenseful beginning. The reason I didn't care as much for this story was because of it's ending. The payoff was really a big let down. Everything before the ending was great though. It was a very thrilling mystery that kept you wanting to see what would happen next. I just wish the ending was different. It's still a decent story though.

Second Story:

Bobby

"It is has been some time since Bobby accidentally drowned, leaving his mother Alma depressed and guilty. However, while her husband is away on business, she determines to get her son back who died. Armed with a magic book and a Key of Solomon, she conjures the dark forces to bring her son back. Before going to bed, a vicious thunder storm approaches the luxurious beach mansion. Hearing a knock, she opens the door to discover her son. However, all doesn't work out when Bobby goes completely mad and begins to terrorize his mother in the dark house with a sledgehammer and a butcher knife."

Bobby was a truly creepy story. Very eerie and atmospheric. Bobby is actually a remake of another story in a Dan Curtis film titled "Dead of Night", which was creepy as well. I remember first watching this one when I was 16 and it scared the hell out of me. I first caught Trilogy of Terror II when it aired on TV for the first time, on October 30th, which was a great way to start off my Halloween. Bobby was creepy!

Third Story:

He Who Kills

"The infamous Zuni doll from the original movie marks his return. After finding the double homicide of Amelia and her mother from the first movie with the doll at the scene, the local police drop off the doll to local Doctor Simpson. As she begins to examine the doll she learns that the doll comes to life when a gold chain is removed from his neck and that the doll has a desire for flesh. It also seems to regenerate as when she chips away the charred wood, the doll seems to be brand new."

This was the movie's best story. I liked this tale of the Zuni doll better than the one in the first movie. It's kind of creepy, and it's surprisingly violent as well. The Zuni doll is much more enraged and furious in this one. Like the second story, this one has great atmosphere, with spooky dark hallways and corners surrounding the museum. He Who Kills was a great story to end the movie with!

The acting in this movie wasn't the best, but it's excusable, and being that this was a made for TV movie they did a pretty good job. Trilogy of Terror II is a real treat. This is a perfect little Halloween time kind of movie, and I definitely recommend it!