Creepshow (1982)

Tagline: “The most fun you’ll ever have being scared”
Duration: 120 minutes

Film Quality: 4/5
Gore Content: 3.5/5
Entertainment Value:4/5
Originality: 3/5

Introduction

With George A. Romero briefly linked with an adaptation of Stephen King’s ‘Salem’s Lot’, it got studio execs rubbing their hands at the thought of two masters of horror combining to do a film. ‘Dawn of the Dead’ drew heavily from comic book imagery and King had already expressed his love for the scary DC comics of the 50s. It seemed a logical leap for King to pen five short stories that could easily have sprung straight out of the pages of a 50s horror comic and have Romero on board to direct. The result was one of the best anthology horror movies for years with a readymade wraparound story.

In a nutshell

A young boy has his horror comic confiscated by his strict father who tosses it in the bin. As the wind blows open the pages of the comic, the words and pictures leap out of the screen as we’re treated to five tales of terror from within the animated archive…each with a sting in the tail!

So what’s good about it?

I’ve always enjoyed a good anthology film, particularly the old Amicus classics such as ‘The House that Dripped Blood’ and ‘Asylum’. It’s a brilliant little concept and you know that if there’s a story that doesn’t particularly hold the interest, it’ll be over in ten minutes and another one will start. ‘Creepshow’ delivers marvellously in this regard with five stories, each one carrying a very different atmosphere with the ghostly ‘Father’s Day’, playfully funny (despite the solemn title) ‘The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verrill’, the slow build creature feature of ‘The Crate’ and the primal fear of insect invasion in ‘They’re Creeping Up on You’.

Romero is clearly having a ball coming up with unusual camera angles, expressionist lighting and filling some of the scenes with animated borders and comic book scribblings to heighten the impression that we’re watching a live action version of the abandoned comic. There are scenes bathed in red during ‘Father’s Day’, plenty of green to reflect the 50s sci-fi trappings of ‘The Loneseme Death…’ and the very stark, over-bright clinical lighting of ‘They’re Creeping…’. Each of these reflects the mood and influence of the stories themselves, whether it’s revenge, nature at work, the sea or fear of infection. Each segment has its own feel and tone, just like a comic book, and there’s something for everyone.

And what a cast! Leslie Nielson, Ted Danson, Hal Holbrook, Adrienne Barbeau, Ed Harris, E.G Marshall, all taking centre stage in their own stories. They all bring something special to proceedings with Marshall hamming it up as a vicious recluse with a bug problem, Barbeau wonderfully obnoxious as an alcoholic matriarch, Leslie Nielson as the murderous businessman and Holbrook brilliantly subdued as the henpecked husband pushed too far. So often the downside of 80s horror, the acting in this film is top notch.

And of course there’s another collaboration between Romero and the great Tom Savini to savour. This is a different beast to ‘Dawn of the Dead’, playing much more in a light hearted with much less of the hardcore gore we saw in Romero’s zombie epic. The standout effect for me is the creature in ‘The Crate’, an incredible creation that doesn’t disappoint during what is a very slow build up. The vegetation and moss covering Stephen King in ‘The Lonesome Death’ is very effective and Savini treats us to some great gunshot wounds and suitably icky effects involving cockroaches. It’s another satisfying coming together of two visionary geniuses who clearly love working together and very comfortable with each other’s styles.

What about the bad?

Watch any portmanteau horror film and there will be a segment that you don’t like. Yes it’s a good thing that a new one will be along shortly but it can be difficult to resist the temptation to skip the one that you’re not so keen on. Personally I have an issue with the opening segment ‘Father’s Day’ which is a little character heavy for a short piece and, consequently slips into the stereotype trap. It’s got fantastic visuals but rushes its subject matter…it’s also a little obvious and its ‘zombies returning for revenge’ plot twist is done far more effectively in the more straight laced ‘Something to Tide Over You’. But it’s all subjective and I’m sure others will have issues with ‘They’re Creeping Up on You’ and the largely comic King vehicle.

It could possibly divide fans as well…not gruesome enough to please the gorehounds, not scary enough to please the fright fans and not serious enough to please the critics. It certainly has a unique place amongst horror fans who see it is a bold and visually striking homage to horror comics in the old tradition of the Amicus and Hammer portmanteaus…but at the end of the day it’s harmless fun.

Any themes?

In the 50s heyday of American comic book history, comics were frequently regarded as having a negative effect on kids, in the same way video games and violent films do now. In the wraparound story, the overbearing and strict Dad can be seen as representing the authoritarians who tried to ban such comics and literally consign them to the dustbin. By reviving the comic book format for the film and showing the child take revenge on the parent through a Voodoo doll ordered via the comic, Romero is taking revenge on those who sought to destroy one of childhood’s great distractions!

These are all morality tales and that means that characters invariably get their just desserts. Many horror films, from slashers to the Japanese-inspired ‘vengeful ghost’ stories deal with such themes. E.G Marshall is terrorised by bugs in the same way his actions suggest he treats ‘little people’, Barbeau’s obnoxious character becomes food for the beast, our zombie father finally gets his cake and of course there’s the wraparound story! You do feel a little sorry for Stephen King’s character though…what did he do to deserve that!!!

Release History

Slightly odd! No censorship issues but various countries saw initial releases missing a story or two, presumably to cut down on the running time. Some TV versions did the same thing, again, most likely to fit a certain timeslot…one version in Spain was apparently cut to such an extent that only ‘Something to Tide You Over’ and ‘The Crate’ remained to reduce the running time to an hour and a half with ads!!!

There is a workprint version available, although the quality is pretty poor and was basically a test screening, edited down to the preferred released version. It’s around 15 minutes longer and the trimmed scenes can be viewed as deleted scenes in the region 2 DVD and blu-ray.

Cultural Impact

It brought the portmanteau film back into popularity and was easily the best of the new bunch, spawning a pretty decent sequel and an awful third as well as some outside efforts such as ‘Freaky Fairy Tales’, and ‘The Company of Wolves’. Just look at the popularity that TV shows ‘Tales from the Crypt’, ‘Vault of Horror’ and ‘Tales from the Darkside’ (created by Romero in 1983, a year after ‘Creepshow’ was released) enjoyed which were basically serialised versions of the combined efforts of ‘Creepshow’.

Such films have made something of a resurgence recently, most notably with ‘V/H/S’ and the sporadic ‘ABC’s of Death’ but the 80s and early 90s picked up the baton from Amicus and Hammer…perhaps we’re due a third wave at some point soon!

Final thoughts

I would happily watch any film that combines the talents of George A. Romero and Tom Savini (who cameos as a bin man!), such moments should be cherished by horror fans. It can be difficult to categorise and is a little uneven at times but it hits much more often than it misses and is the only film I’ve seen (‘Darkman’ comes a very close second) that really captures the tone, feel and look of a comic thanks to the stunning visuals, stylised direction and hammy acting. I really enjoyed this film and, though I don’t always watch it all the way through, in my opinion it is underrated and deserves its place amongst the great 80s horror movies.

Memorable Quotes

Vickers: “I can hold my breath for a looooooong time…a looooooong time.”

Billy: “Daddy, please don’t throw it away…I’m sorry.”

Jordy: Meteor Shit!”

Wilma: “Henry, you’re a regular barnyard exhibit. Sheep’s eyes, chicken guts, piggy friends and shit for brains!”

You’ll like this if you enjoyed…

‘Tales From the Darkside: The Movie”, ‘V/H/S’, ‘Creepshow 2’, 'Twilight Zone: The Movie'

Five of the Best: Tom Savini Effects

There have been some great special effects guys throughout horror history. Rick Baker, Gino de Rossi, Rob Bottin, Carlo Rombaldi and Stan Winston spring to mind but there is one who stands out above the rest to the extent that his effects could sell a film to any horror fan. Tom Savini used his experiences as a combat photographer and channelled what must have been some horrific mental images into something practical. What may well have been therapeutic ended up giving horror fans some of the finest and most realistic gore and make up effects we have ever seen.

Savini has worked on some exceptionally gruesome films including ‘Dawn’ and ‘Day of the Dead’, ‘Maniac’, ‘Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2’, ‘The Burning’, ‘Friday the 13th Part IV’ and ‘Deranged’. In this piece I have attempted to pick his five greatest effects…do you have your favourites?

‘The Exploding Head’ (Dawn of the Dead - 1978) – click here for full review of the film

In a film that’s full of superb special effects, including the biker buffet, machete in the head, zombified Stephen and the helicopter head slice, that exploding head is a fine example of how to recycle an effect! The moment itself is blink and you miss it yet it has maximum impact, coming pretty much out of nowhere at the very beginning of the film it lays down a challenge to audiences…it’s Romero and Savini’s way of let you know what you’re in for, if they can do that in the opening minutes then prepare yourself for the next 140!

The irony is that this effect was intended to play out in the final scenes and is a head cast of female lead Galen Ross. Her character was supposed to check out at the end of the film in the rotary blades of the chopper during a bleak and downbeat ending that also saw Peter shoot himself. So, rather than waste a perfectly good special effect when you can apply make-up, new hair and a beard and have Woolley blow his brains out. It’s a remarkable shot and may well be the first graphically rendered exploding head in cinema history.

‘Major Cooper’ (Day of the Dead - 1985) 

Sticking with the zombie theme, ‘Day of the Dead’ is littered with Savini’s finest work and the pulling apart of Rhodes in particular is extraordinarily graphic, reflecting Jo Pilato’s enjoyably nasty portrayal as the crackpot captain. However it’s the off screen death of one of his military mates, or at least his fate, that most impressed me. It is quite obvious that it’s a real man on that trolley playing Major Cooper, you can tell be the arm movement, but one question always baffled me…where the hell is his head?

Savini manages the incredible trick of perfectly blending the actor with the practical effect of a brain on the end of his spinal cord wired up to an electrolysis machine. As with all of the other effects in this movie it is utterly believable (when Private Miller is bitten you can even see his thyroid, such is the anatomical accuracy of his effects), the way the oesophagus moves as if breathing and swallowing and, of course, the human element of the arms reacting to the stimulus.

What the effect also does is propel the plot. We find out more about Logan and his unstable nature, he’s perhaps not the cuddly, eccentric scientist that he appears to be and perhaps even a murderer. It also becomes the fuel for Rhodes’ rage when he finds out Cooper and the rest of his men are being experimented upon after death. It perfectly showcases the special relationship Savini and Romero shared and how they utilised each other’s strengths to come up with something utterly incredible.

‘Scoop of Brain, Spoon of Eye’ (Deranged - 1974)

An unusual film that was notable for two things. First of all it was a more literal telling of ‘The Wisconsin Ghoul’, Ed Gein, which had been very loosely referenced before in Alfred Hitchcock’s ‘Psycho’. Here his name has been changed to ‘Ezra Cobb’ and comes across as a quasi-documentary. Also, it was the second film to feature the effects of Tom Savini, some of which were too gruesome for the censors who removed some of the more graphic moments for audiences yet to become accustomed to onscreen gore.

When Gein removes the eyes of one of the corpses with a spoon before cutting off the top of her head with a hacksaw, removing her brain and peeling off her face to hold it up as a mask in front his face, it’s safe to say that it’s pretty shocking even now. It’s all done in VERY graphic close up, broad daylight and it is a quite astonishing sequence, lasting a full two minutes. We had seen graphic gore before courtesy of H.G Lewis, but with its oversized and clearly prosthetic limbs, bright red blood and hammy style, this was something else entirely.

Sadly most of the scene was removed by censors and lost for almost 15 years (along with the film which was also largely forgotten) until it was resurrected as a curiosity and the scene was restored in all its gory glory. Talk about announcing yourself to the horror fraternity in explicit fashion, it’s a wonderfully grim and gritty treat of a scene in a film that really is a must see for anyone interested in 70s grindhouse horror.

‘The Crate Monster’ (Creepshow - 1982) – click here for full review

Tom Savini has gone on record as saying that Romero’s portmanteau movie was his most challenging as it is effectively five different movies in one. The most difficult part was undoubtedly the monster in ‘The Crate’ segment as most, if not all of his effects prior to this had been make up or gore effects, never animatronics. It was another string to his bow and once again, it didn’t disappoint.

I found ‘The Crate’ to be the weak link in ‘Creepshow’, it’s a little slow and for me it holds up the movie. It’s also the least fun, lacking the wit and charm of the other instalments BUT the monster is the best part of the entire film, wonderfully realised and executed. Savini obviously took great pride in the effect, nicknaming it ‘Fluffy’ and there is reportedly an additional 20 minutes of footage not used in the film featuring the monster. My only gripe is that it doesn’t feature in the film enough! That it gobbles up the disgustingly obnoxious Wilma (Adrienne Barbeau clearly having a blast in the role!) just adds to the creature’s charm.

I think Savini had something of a new found appreciation for animatronics with masks and moving creatures a part of Tommy’s character in ‘Friday the 13th: Part 4’…featuring more of his memorable effects.

‘Killing Jason’ (Friday the 13th Part 4: The Final Chapter - 1984)

I was very tempted to go for Savini blowing his own head apart in ‘Maniac’ but, having already picked an exploding head, I went for his complete destruction of the character he helped to create.

Of course Savini provided the exceptional make-up for Jason in that infamous jump scare at the end of the original movie (no small achievement considering it was applied and then placed underwater) and it’s understood that he only agreed to do this film knowing that he was about to kill off the character he gave to the world. The original script called for Tommy (the character name was an homage to Savini in acknowledgment of his contribution to the success of the franchise) to split Jason’s head with a machete but Savini wanted more!

What we eventually got was Trish delivering the initial blow to knock off the hockey mask revealing Jason’s twisted face. Tommy then plants the machete into Jason’s head who then falls head first onto the blade and slowly slides down the blade which continues to work its way into Mr Vorhees’ head. There is an alternate take that features gushes of blood during this scene! With Jason still twitching, Tommy then goes berserk, violently slashing away at Jason’s body, the off screen effects achieved by Tommy hacking away at a box of apples covered with a wet blanket!

It’s a fitting way to see off Jason, hacked to death by one of his would-be victims but of course, history tells us that you can’t keep a good Vorhees down and many more, inferior (though I did thoroughly enjoy Part 6!) sequels followed, largely thanks to the money made from this instalment.

What now?

I hope this didn’t come across as too gushing but it’s hard to put into words just how much of an important figure in horror history Tom Savini is and a huge part of my formative years. Alongside Ray Harryhausen, he’s one of the few non-directing, behind the scenes names that could sell a film and is a mark of quality on pretty much any film he lends his talents to. Of course it’s not just effects work, he’s also been a stuntman, director, actor, cinematographer and producer but it’s the effects for which he will forever be associated and, thanks to his ‘Special Make-Up Effects Program’, he has a legacy too.

So, what films would you pick as Savini’s ‘Five of the Best’…I want to hear your views!

Related Reviews

‘Dawn of the Dead’ – Click here
‘Creepshow’ – Click here
‘The Burning’ – Click here
‘Friday the 13th’ – Click here
Five of the Best: Dario Argento Movies – Click here
Five of the Best: Horror movie soundtracks – Click here