|
 Director
: George A. Romero
Starring
: Adrienne Barbeau, Hal Holbrook, Viveca Lindfors, E.G.
Marshall, Leslie Nielsen, Carrie Nye, Fritz Weaver.
Picture
1.85:1 Anamorphic and 1.33:1, Dolby Surround 2.0, Double-Side
Single-Layer, Snap Case
Running
Time : 120 mins
The
story:
The
Most Fun You'll Ever Have Being Scared!
Two
macabre masters - 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 a fine cast (Hal Holbrook, Adrienne Barbeau, Leslie Nielsen,
Ted Danson, E.G. Marshall and King himself) and the ghoulish
makeup wizardry of Tom Savini. Let the Creepshow begin!
The
summary:
A
nice idea, a collection of short stories - very popular
in book form, but does it work so well on film? Well, surprisingly
yes and although Creepshow wasn't a success at the cinema,
it's formula seems more suited to the small screen as the
video was a much bigger success. The 5 stories aren't related,
although they are linked together via a kids comic book.
With the heavyweight horror masters taking the helm (writer
Stephen King, Director George Romero and special effects
by Tom Savini) Creepshow simply cannot be ignored, although
by all accounts it looks fairly dated these days.
In my humble opinion, the stories definitely improve as
the film progresses. "Father's Day" had some good
effects but ended disappointingly and "The Lonesome
Death of Jordy Verill" was just plain odd (weirdo starts
growing weeds.. The weirdo being Stephen King!). But from
here on, I can't really fault the final three tales. Something
to Tide You Over" featuring Leslie Nielsen and Ted Danson
is a great story of revenge by a jilted husband (Nielsen).
The forth story is called "The Crate" and offers
a great mix of horror and suspense, even if the creature
in the crate isn't the slightest bit scary. The final tale,
"Creeping Up" is a classic bugs story. A man who
lives in his germ-free environment and has a loathing for
bugs and cockroaches in particular find himself invaded
by... you guessed, cockroaches! Great fun and an enjoyable
conclusion to the film.
I'll
first mention that this was an early DVD release from Warner
but it still doesn't excuse the lack of any extras other
than the theatrical trailer. It could and would have been
fascinating to have some interviews with Romero and King,
and perhaps even an audio commentary. Sadly it was not to
be, and this lackluster release offers no real incentive
to upgrade from your VHS version. The transfer is pleasing
enough even if it sets no real standard.
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