Creepshow (1982)

Preceeded by: Creepshow 2 (1987)

Cast includes:
CHARACTER	ACTOR/ACTRESS	RATING
Prologue and epilogue
Billy Hopkins	Joe King	-
Father's Day
Nathan Grantham	Jon Lormer	-
Bedelia Grantham	Viveca Lindfors	-
Hank Blaine	Ed Harris	-
Sylvia Grantham	Carrie Nye	-
The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verrill
Jordy Verrill	Stephen King	½
Something to Tide You Over
Richard Vickers	Leslie Nielsen
Harry Wentworth	Ted Danson	-
Becky Vickers	Gaylen Ross	-
The Crate
Henry Northup	Hal Holbrook	½
Wilma "Billie" Northup	Adrienne Barbeau	½
Dexter Stanley	Fritz Weaver
They're Creeping Up on You
Upson Pratt	E. G. Marshall

Review

These five Stephen King stories directed by George A. Romero (Night of the Living Dead) probably won't scare you, but they may entice a chuckle. Seen in retrospect, Creepshow is much less effective than its sequel, mainly because of Romero's direction. He doesn't believe in the effectiveness of the horror elements he presents, and so his stories become parodies, without chills and almost without thrills. In Creepshow, the comedic aspect takes centre stage, but there's no point in black humour if you can't feel the blackness. And the special effects by renowned make-up effects artist Tom Savini leave a lot to be desired (with the exception of the final segment). The best written and acted segment in here is "The Crate", adapted by King from his own short story. Hal Holbrook plays his role straight and makes us feel his anguish. It could have been a really effective chiller if not for that ridiculous monster suit. Luckily for the reputation of the series, the more concise and spine-chilling Creepshow 2 appeared five years later.