Adrienne Barbeau, Carrie Nye, Don Keefer

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

Flixster Users

67% liked it

33,345 ratings

Critics

65% liked it

26 critics

R, 120

Directed by: George A. Romero

Release Date: November 12, 1982

Invite friends to see

DVD Release Date: August 21, 2001

Get It:

Stats: 1,385 reviews

Get movie widget Recommend it Add to Favorites

Your Rating



clear rating

Flixster Reviews (1,385)


  • October 29, 2009
    Professor Dexter Stanley: Two people are dead, and I could be blamed. I know that's a terrible consideration to have at a time like this, but -
    [Henry hands him a drink and he swallows it one gulp]
    Henry Northrup: Last time I saw someone do that was in the movies!
    Professor...( read more) Dexter Stanley: It could mean my ass, Henry, it wasn't me! It was that - that thing in the crate! And I don't even know what it was!

    Zombie godfather George A. Romero and Stephen King combine to make a solid horror anthology. Five stories, a prologue, and an epilogue, encompass the two hours of fun present in this feature. Made in the style of a comic book, with an ensemble cast, quality scares, and a lot of comedy as well, this fright flick works.

    Following the prologue, the first short deals with a demented old man returning from the grave to get the Father's Day cake his murdering daughter never gave him. The second is about a not-too-bright farmer, played by King himself, discovering a meteor that turns everything into plant-life. The third is about a vengeful husband, played by Leslie Nielsen, burying his wife and her lover up to their necks on the beach. The fourth is about a creature that resides in a crate under the steps of a college. The final story is about an ultra-rich businessman who gets his comeuppance from cockroaches.

    Doctor: This is going to be extremely painful, Mr. Verrill!

    Written by Stephen King, each story is a lot of fun. The second, to me, is the funniest, the third is perhaps my favorite, the fourth is a bit long, and the final short is a little strange.

    What I was most impressed with, was Romero's direction. Clearly setting out to emulate the feeling of old pulp horror comics, the film literally immerses itself in a comic book atmosphere, using hand drawn panels as scene transitions, lots of dutch angles, among other camera tricks to portray its sense of style, and heavy use of primary colors throughout. Add to this the special gore effects by Tom Savini and a more than game ensemble cast, Romero gets exactly the kind of tone necessary for a collection of films like this.

    With five stories, the film is a bit long, but its certainly intent on supplying entertainment and certainly for a large crowd. It also helps that the scares set up in this flick still work. Jumps aren't overemphasized, but placed in at appropriate moments as well as coming after well built tension.

    Very enjoyable fright film.

    Henry: I drove out there with the remains of three human beings... well, two human beings and Wilma.
  • September 30, 2009
    Sometimes bizarre but always very camp, it?s a horror/comedy classic. Highlights are The Bugs, Leslie Nielsen burying Ted Danson in sand, Tom Savani's cameo and Ed Harris dancing.
  • January 7, 2009
    Episodic horror-fest in comic book form. Good, clean, creepy fun!
  • August 6, 2008
    Great fun. Any horror fan who hasn't seen Creepshow is missing out on a whole world of campy, cheesy fun in a movie so remarkably bad it laps the scale and becomes its own breed of great.
  • June 15, 2008
    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 f...( read more)ive, 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

    Photobucket
  • November 19, 2009
    An overall good horror anthology directed by George Romero and written by Stephen King. Though I think King did not do such a hot job of writing, Romero direction is solid though it was not his best. The cast is what drives the stories, with the story starring Adreinne Barbeau...( read more) and Hal Holbrook being the best by far. But the bugs one and also the one starring Leslie Nielson are also solid, the other two are not really all that great.

    One of my problems is the ideal of wanting it to look like a comic, just did not like those effects at all, just made it seem silly (Trick R Treat does the comic effect a ton better). And the Barbeau/Holbrook story Crate would have been better if they did not show the ape like creature since it looks so stupid it takes away from the suspense, sometimes (hell most of the time) less is better. Finally the makeup effects by Savani are pretty horrid throughout which is surprising since he is considered one of the better makeup guys, actually all the effects are pretty bad, may be they were going for a cheap look on purpose since they were trying to represent a comic, but I think it hurts the film.

    Again its solid, with 3 of the stories being at least good, and with the solid acting is worth a watch. Look for the great Tom Atkins in an uncredited role in the beginning and ending as the grouchy dad lol.
  • November 17, 2009
    Inspired by EC comics from the mid-50s, George A. Romero (a fan of EC comics) takes us on a bizzure trill ride by five scary stories (all written by Stephen King) that makes this movie fun and scary at the same time. Love it.
  • November 16, 2009
    Just one of the most amazing ideas for a horror movie. It has such a great style and crooked sense of humor, but it is also pretty spooky. There was a great selection of actors in this, much of them doing something different than you'd expect. It's a perfect set of halloween stor...( read more)ies. What really seemed to work was the collection of stories. Very rarely can a movie get away with showing five 20 minute segments and still seem to flow. It keeps your interest every bit of the way.
  • October 31, 2009
    I didnt know what to expect from this old horror movie. When I started I though it was just a gimmicky thing, but the storys are well done with horror and suspense. I assume the effects are good for that time but they were not the highlight of this movie. The best story is one of...( read more) suspense and involves the tide, it unfolds well and the endings are well handled. Its not a serious horror movie and if your in the right mood you will have a good time with this one.
  • October 29, 2009
    i read the comic book thing a few years ago, and then i got to see the movie. lol

Critic Reviews


October 23, 2004
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Romero and King have approached this movie with humor and affection, as well as with an appreciation of the macabre. full review

View more Creepshow reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

Comments


This board looks lonely. Be the first to talk about "Creepshow" !

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Official Trailer

More Like This


Click a thumb to vote on that suggestion, or add your own suggestions.

  • 1408
    1408 (62%)
  • Quicksilver Highway
    Quicksilver Highway (100%)
  • After Midnight
    After Midnight (100%)
  • Asylum (House of Crazies)
    Asylum (House of Crazies) (100%)

Facts


No facts approved yet. Be the first

Creepshow : Watch Free on TV


Creepshow Trivia


  • In the movie 'Creepshow', how did Leslie Neilson kill his wife and her lover?  Answer »
  • In the film "Creepshow", what did Nathan Grantham want for Father's Day, in the tale "Father's Day"?  Answer »
  • in the movie Creepshow, the Lonesome Death of Jordy Verrill was not only written by but also stared this famous writer:  Answer »
  • Which famous horror zombie Director directored night of the living dead, dawn of the dead, day of the dead & land of the dead, he has also has directored creepshow  Answer »

Recent News


No recent headlines. Got one?

Most Popular Skin