In 1982, horror masters Stephen King and George A. Romero teamed up to deliver perhaps the greatest horror anthology ever produced, Creepshow. With author King handling screenplay duties and Romero (Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead) behind the camera, the film brought to life the pulpy horror E.C. Comics of the 1950s. Featuring a cast that included Tom Atkins (Night of the Creeps, Halloween III: Season of the Witch), Adrienne Barbeau (The Fog, Swamp Thing), Hal Holbrook (The Fog), Ted Danson (Cheers), Leslie Nielsen (The Naked Gun), Ed Harris (Westworld, Apollo 13), and even King himself (“Meteor shit!”), the film quickly built a following and has been hailed as a masterpiece in horror-comedy pretty much since it’s release.
A darker sequel followed in 1987 with King and Romero in story and screenplay roles, respectively, and cinematographer Michael Gornick taking over the director’s chair. Although not quite as well-received as the original, Creepshow 2 has nevertheless stood the test of time and is a beloved sequel and anthology by most horror hounds.
In July of 2018, it was announced that Greg Nicotero (The Walking Dead) was producing a revival of the franchise, this time as a six episode anthology series on the horror streaming service Shudder. Since that announcement, further details have emerged on what we can expect. For one, each episode will feature two stories each. Those stories will be a mix of adaptations and original tales written by a variety of acclaimed horror writers, such as King himself and Joe Hill (King’s son and highly accomplished author, as well as the young boy Billy in the wraparound segments of the original Creepshow). Directors for the stories that will comprise the episodes include Nicotero (makeup and effects on 1 & 2), Tom Savini (makeup and effects guru for the original film), and John Harrison (composer for the original).
Related Article: Ranking the Segments in Creepshow and Creepshow 2
Recently, some exciting cast announcements were made. Some of those joining the series included original cast member Adrienne Barbeau (“Just call me Billy.”), Tobin Bell (the Saw franchise), Giancarlo Esposito (Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul), David Arquette (Scream), Jeffrey Combs (Re-Animator), DJ Qualls (Road Trip), Bruce Davison (X-Men), and Kid Cudi (Westworld).
Now comes our first real look at the highly anticipated horror series. At San Diego Comic-Con this week, Shudder unveiled the first trailer for Creepshow along with a premier date, September 26th. And it does not look like it is going to disappoint. Going heavy on practical effects for the monsters and the gore, this certainly feels like the Creepshow we remember. As the tagline says: “It’s the most fun you’ll ever have being scared!”
