Review: Creepshow (1982)
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George A Romero and Stephen King’s much loved collection of shorts finally makes it way to Blu-ray but does it stand the test of time?
The opening story really sets the tone for what’s to follow and it definitely one of the best of the bunch, without giving anything away you won’t think of Father’s Day in the same way again. The other parts are a heady mix of sci-fi and thriller-like stories all with dark horrific undertones, whilst they don’t all hit the same heights as ‘Father’s Day’ and ‘Something to Tide You Over’ they all have their plus points and make Creepshow an entertaining prospect from start to finish.
Throughout the duration of the film Romero and King manage to get the balance between horror and comedy just about spot on. One minute you’ll be laughing out loud before turning back to the screen to be presented with some genuinely disturbing and dark images, the closing moments of ‘The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verill’ are probably the best example of this as the twist here really takes you by surprise.
It is however over 30 years old and in places it’s really starting to show its age, the VFX used in the framing of shots to make them look like a comic book haven’t aged well at all and look decidedly ropey, on the flip side they do still retain a sense charm and character. It’s not all bad news in the visual department though, the practical horror effects hold up fairly well and, despite their age, are still preferable to nasty looking (in the wrong way) CGI blood spurts and gore. Thankfully the soundtrack stands up better than some of the visual elements, it’s a great mix of creepy electronic beats and a more classical horror score that ramps up the scares in all the right places.
Speaking of scary, Leslie Nielson makes a very creepy appearance in a much darker role than you would normally associate with him with, he is undoubtedly the highlight of the film and steals every scene he is in. Keep an eye out too for a spooky Michael Fassbender alike young Ed Harris, who doesn’t have a lot to do but can certainly bust some moves on the dance floor! However, putting writer Stephen King in front of the camera isn’t so much of a success, his performance is amusing but for the wrong reasons. It’s not bad enough to ruin things but it is an example of why he should stick to writing.
So whilst Creepshow is far from perfect and certainly proves to be a little bit of a mixed bag, above all else the film retains a great sense of fun about it that is all too often missing in modern horror films and, as a result, stands up better than a lot of people would expect.
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