Review of Creepshow (1982) by Forrest P — 07 Apr 2010

Creepshow is altogether a great film. It's full of disturbing stories and hilarious moments, making it one of those good time films that I absolutely love. Since this film is actually five short films tied brilliantly together, I'm going to rate each one individually.

"Father's Day".

This is probably the weakest of the five stories. The plot isn't as creative as the others, but the dialogue is simply classic Stephen King. The sound effects are ridiculous, as they are in all of these stories, and the goofy nature of the killer is simultaneously hilarious and creepy. Still, it ends up being nothing but a cheap slasher story.

6/10.

"The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verrill".

I never knew Stephen King could act! This is the funniest, yet most depressing, of the stories. King himself plays the protagonist, Jordy Verrill, who stumbles upon a meteor that makes grass grow everywhere--including on him. This one has a lot of really funny moments and King's acting is surprisingly good. It's nothing genius, but it works really well. I loved the depressing nature of the story and the way Verrill must choose a way out of his predicament at the end.

8/10.

"Something to Tide You Over".

Leslie Nielsen stars in this one. He gives the strongest performance in the movie in the most chilling tale of the movie. Leslie Nielsen proves to us how well he could act, and I have to admit that I would like to have seen him in some more serious roles like this. I just can't get over how good he does, especially when the tale gets straigt up silly at the end. A fantastic story!

9/10.

"The Crate".

This one is the best story of the film. Although it does make the less sense, it still makes up for it in many ways. First of all, the beast who has been trapped in the crate for centuries and somehow still survive eats three people. But, the characters in the film seem even more confused about this than the audience is. Adrienne Barbeau stars in a subplot with Hal Holbrook in which a man decides to end his abusive relationship with this creature in what has to be one of the most poetically hilarious moments of the film. This story is my favorite and has the best direction of the movie, enhanced by Stephen King's screenplay and George A. Romero's wonderful direction.

10/10.

"They're Creeping Up On You".

The final story of the film features a wonderful performance by E.G. Marshall, playing a villain-type business man the audience quickly loves to hate. I'd say that this could potentiall be the most frightening story of the film if the audience has any fears of bugs. This one is full of poetry and brilliant dialogue and direction, once again, by King and Romero.

9/10.

All in all, Creepshow is a fantastic film, full of great dialogue and direction, with some interesting set designs and wonderfully poetic moments.

8/10.