Shot on location in Pittsburgh and released on November 12, 1982, Creepshow was created as an homage to EC and DC 1950’s pulp horror comic books, such as Tales from the Crypt and The Vault of Horror. In the tradition of other successful horror anthologies such as Trilogy of Terror and the 1972 film Tales From The Crypt, Creepshow was directed by George A. Romero and written by acclaimed author-turned-screenwriter Stephen King (who also nearly stole the show in the “The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verrill” segment).
The film featured five separate short stories told within the context of a comic book, complete with comic book panels and effects, book-ended by a prologue/epilogue featuring the great Tom Atkins (Halloween III, The Fog) as an abusive dad and Joe King (horror author and also Stephen King’s son, Joe Hill) as his horror-obsessed, comics-loving son Billy. The wrap-around segments also featured makeup and effects master Tom Savini as a wise cracking garbage man. Savini’s role i the film was much grander than his bit part, though, as he handled effects duties for the film.
Creepshow also featured one of the all-time great movie scores, composed by Romero collaborator John Harrison. It is seriously one of the greatest film scores of all-time, horror or not. The film opened #1 at the box office with just under $6 million, on its way to a $21 million domestic gross.
Released five years later on May 1, 1987, Creepshow 2 contained only three stories this time around, along with a set of animated segments featuring a young boy named Billy avoiding, and eventually *ah-hem* overcoming, his bullies weaved throughout the stories, all while being moved along by storyteller “The Creep.”
Directed this time by long-time Romero (and original Creepshow) cinematographer Michael Gornick and written this time by Romero himself (based on short stories by King), Creepshow 2 continued the comic book-style of the first one while dialing down the humor in favor of more gore and a scarier tone. Savini returned in a consultant role and as the on-screen, live-action version of the animated Creep. Creepshow 2 opened at #2 with $3.5 million, finishing with $14 million.
Although Creepshow 2 contained only three segments, as opposed to the first’s five, the original screenplay DID feature five stories: a bowling revenge tale titled “Pinfall” and a vengeful, killer kitty story called “Cat from Hell”. Both stories were cut due to budget constraints, but “Cat from Hell” did find its way to the big screen in 1990’s anthology film Tales from the Darkside: The Movie.
Speaking of Tales, it’s widely known amongst fans that it is considered to be the unofficial Creepshow 3, with Savini himself even saying as much. Following the success of the first Creepshow, plans were made to create a TV series based on the franchise. Although those efforts eventually fell apart, from those scuttled plans the Tales from the Darkside syndicated series emerged. That led to the 1990 film, which followed on from the first two Creepshow films and featured many crew members from the series.
A direct-to-video Creepshow 3 was released in 2006, but it had no affiliation to the original films or their creative forces. The original Creepshow films did lead to some other great horror anthologies over the years, though, such as the Tales from the Crypt HBO series, Michael Dougherty’s Trick ‘r Treat, and the divisive V/H/S film franchise.
Since Creepshow’s release in 1982, it has had a huge impact on genre, inspiring filmmakers for years to come. It has also remained one of the most beloved horror anthologies ever made. So, thanks for taking a look back with us and be sure to tell us what your favorite Creepshow moment is in comments below or on social media!
