Creepshow

Creepshow

Finally I can review Creepshow, a movie I watched about a week ago. The no-computer thing is a killer on blogging, especially during the Halloween season, but I'm making due. So here we go.  Creepshow is a series of short stories, in the vein of television shows like Tales from the Crypt. Each installment features a new story and new characters that are tied together as a comic book, in introducing and concluding segments at the beginning and end of the movie. Notably, George A. Romero directed the flick and it was written by Stephen King, a conjoining of two horror icons who work together to produce these frightful shorts. I'll break it down episode by episode:

First, we start off with a lead-off segment, about a boy's explorations of a trashy horror comic and his father's extreme (and when I say extreme, I mean ridiculous verbal expulsion) disapproval of said picture-book. What got me from the start was the pumpkin in the window. But it does start the intrigue flowing, which is important.     Father's Day - Obviously, this tale centers around Father's Day, bringing together newlyweds with the bride's family, who are waiting for their crazy aunt Bedelia (Viveca Lindfors) to arrive at the house. They're all rich and smug, and as soon as the eccentric aunt arrives, the audience is treated to a background narrative of the aunt's past, including details on her bastard father (Jon Lormer) and the subsequent murder of him via Aunt Bedelia. Bedelia has been coming back to the house ever since to visit her father's grave, repenting what she did to him, until this Father's Day, when he decides to wake from his death and kill the whole family.


This segment is not one of the stronger ones - the plot is the basic zombie-revenge formula, where the only thing working for it is the absurdity of the father jonesing for his cake. It's entertaining at best, and at worst grating, because the story doesn't feel fleshed out enough. The viewer is given bare bones as to what is going on, leaving to the imagination why the whole fam is sitting and waiting for the aunt and why no one cares enough about anyone to actually worry about their feelings. It's humorous, but not a very hearty meal - we get the dessert before the dinner (in this case, cake).  The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verrill - Next up is a short starring Stephen King himself, a man living on a hick farm in the middle of nowhere and dreaming of a better life. He finds a sweet glowing meteor in his backyard, cracks it open and gets a little of its rock juice on him, and believes he could be the next scientist. What a hoot! But Jordy's a little overzealous, and definitely becomes a little overgrown - that juice from the meteor does, in fact, grow plants wherever it touches, making Jordy the next Swamp Thing!


It's not a very suspenseful story, but it's not meant to be. What "Jordy Verrill" does is take a potentially serious, frightening experience and make it hilarious. King seems to be a natural at redneck characters, and he brings Jordy Verrill to life - well, you know, right before he kicks the bucket. I love the comic book feel in this one, especially the dusky, lonesome night on the farm and the lush greenery of the fake weeds. "Jordy Verrill" captures the attention like "Father's Day" couldn't, which also mimics Tales from the Crypt - the stories are hit or miss for both.
Something to Tide You Over - This psychotic short stars Ted Danson as Harry Wentworth, a man who is harrassed by a messed up guy named Richard (Leslie Nielsen). Richard kidnaps Harry's girl (Gaylen Ross) and then persuades Harry to come to the beach to find her, where Richard proceeds to bury Harry in the sand up to his head while the tide comes in. As Harry dies, he promises to get back at Richard, and sure enough, he and his girl come back from the dead to exact revenge.

"...Tide You Over" is much creepier than the last two shorts, and also much darker and less comedic. Nielsen's over-the-top character presents the audience with a great acting session, as Richard broods in the mentally-insane-who-laughs-crazily bunch of kooks. I like the atmosphere that this segment presented, as seeing Danson and Ross struggle against the water that's rushing up to their face gives a frightful claustrophobic feeling. Later on, after all the harrowing events have ended and Richard is faced with the two lover zombies, the tension kind of turns on its side and dissipates. For the most part, though, this story really captures the serious horror that the film is both depicting and mocking. The only thing I could have used was some more introduction to the characters, since the reasonsfor Richard's dementia and his torturous desires are a bit elusive.   The Crate - Moving on, we've got a story about a giant killer ape. A janitor and professor find a giant locked crate underneath some university stairs, and when they go to open it, a gigantic, razor-toothed beast unleashes fury on any unsuspecting victims. Professors gossip, you know, and the professor runs and tells his friend Henry, played by Hal Holbrook, who decides to clean up the bloody mess and lure his abusive wife (Adrienne Barbeau) to the fray. It seems to all work out - or does it?


"The Crate" is one of my favorites in this film, since it's a bloody, comedic mess. There are a bunch of creepy moments, because the audience's expectations are toyed with whenever someone gets close to the box. I love the red lighting every time violence happens, even if it has no meaning. The only thing that I really didn't like about this tale is the fact that the beginning meanders far too long. Granted, it gives exposition on the abusive wife, but we can see this throughout the whole film, especially with the extensive murderous dream sequences, and so it feels like the beginning is just too stretched out.

They're Creeping Up On You! - Finally, there's this last tale of a bugged out guy named Upson Pratt (E. G. Marshall), a real bastard of a businessman who is an OCD clean freak. His stark white apartment is infested with roaches, and Pratt fends them off for as long as he can before they gang up on him.


It's a simple premise, but a really disturbing and creepy one. "They're Creeping..." actually makes your skin itch, what with all the roaches running around and how ruthless Upson Pratt really is. There's no sense of remorse for the man - all through the movie, we have the feeling that he's getting what has been a long time coming. The way he treats his employees and even his doorman shows he has led a really spoiled life, and now his spoiled attitude is going to get the boot. There are plenty of gross-out scenes for those who hate insects, so it's good, scary fun.
We end with the epilogue, where the boy gets the best of his father as he kills him via voodoo doll. Guess he really shouldn't have been reading those horror mags.  As a whole, Creepshow works. There are a couple of duds, but most of the time it manages to entertain, spook, and have you laughing at the same time, which is really what one wants from a movie that tries to mimic the 50s horror comics. It's supposed to be corny, and it obviously is, but if you go in knowing that the film is sort of gimmicky, it's a great 2 hours to spend reminiscing on those horror comics of your youth.

Last updated: 2009-08-23 23:06:48 by Ryneb