It’s probably a fair statement to say that when it comes to horror, they really don’t make them like they used to. In recent years, the likes of Sinister, Insidious and The Cabin in the Woods have done a fair bit to bring some credibility back to the genre (mainly by mucking about with established conventions) but few can compare with the classically terrifying stuff that was churned out in the seventies and eighties.
Able to still haunt dreams even today, The Exorcist, The Omen and The Shining are all examples of chillingly timeless horror classics. Despite being directed by undead supremo George A. Romero and scribed by Stephen King, Creepshow is hardly chilling and hardly timeless. It’s horrifically dated, probably about as scary as an episode of ThunderCats and more than anything, it’s just plain weird. Thankfully though it’s also a ton of fun. Creepshow remains a solidly crafted slice of 80s gold. With its tongue firmly lodged in its rotting cheek, it justly stands as a slightly different type of horror classic.
Presented as a bunch of stories from a grisly horror comic, Romero’s anthology sees such bizarreness as a zombie who just wants his cake, a redneck loner who meets his demise after a meteor turns him into a plant and a mysophobic businessman whose fear of germs leads him to lock himself in a panic room that, unfortunately, gets infested with cockroaches.
It’s grisly, weird fun that’s very much a product of its time, but its electronic score, soap-style overacting and hammy special effects just add to the charm. In short, it’s an awesome palette cleanser for the genre and still stands up even today.
On Blu-ray the image is incredible. It’s sharp and detailed and the bold colours show up beautifully. Of course that doesn’t help in terms of showing off how naff the effects are by today’s standards (physical effects, that is, not CGI), but again, that only adds to the charm. The audio isn’t great but then it’s just a stereo track. While it won’t show off a 7.1 setup (obviously), it’s still nice and clear. The disc isn’t bad in terms of extras – we get a couple of decent commentaries, a making of featurette, a behind the scenes featurette with Romero’s fave effects maestro, Tom Savini and some deleted scenes and trailers. Not awesome but certainly not bad.
Overall Verdict: Romero and King’s wacky collaboration is still tons of fun and looks great on Blu-ray. 31 years on and The Creep is well worth a peep.
Special Features:
Audio Commentary with Director George A. Romero and Special Make-up Effects Creator Tom Savini
Audio Commentary with Director of Photography Michael Gornick, Actor John Amplas, Property Master Bruce Alan Miller and Makeup Effects Assistant Darryl Ferrucci
“Just Deserts: The Making of Creepshow” featurette
“Behind the Screams with Tome Savini” featurette
Deleted scenes
Theatrical trailer
TV spot
Reviewer: Jordan Brown