Movie Review: Creepshow (1982)

★★★★★

Creepshow is everything I love about classic horror creepy, clever, and just the right amount of suspense.

Suzanna P.

Florida

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Creepshow

1982

If you ever wondered what would happen if the pages of a 1950s horror comic book came to life, Creepshow (1982) is your answer and what a gloriously twisted answer it is. Directed by George A. Romero and written by Stephen King, Creepshow isn’t just a horror anthology. It’s a stylized, darkly humorous love letter to the gruesome, morally twisted tales found in EC Comics like Tales from the Crypt and The Vault of Horror.

With five separate stories all gleefully over-the-top wrapped in a comic book-inspired frame narrative, Creepshow feels like a Halloween night sleepover, a midnight snack of scares with a hearty dose of camp. But what often gets overlooked is just how smart and self-aware the film really is. It’s not just horror for horror’s sake it’s horror with a wink.

Why Creepshow Is Still One of the Best Horror Anthologies Ever

Let’s start with the obvious: Creepshow looks amazing. Romero leans hard into comic book aesthetics, and it pays off. Panels come to life on screen. Colored gels splash backgrounds in ghoulish reds and eerie greens. Transitions mimic page flips. You’re not just watching a movie you’re flipping through a forbidden comic under your covers with a flashlight.

And the tone? Perfectly unhinged. Each story plays like a twisted moral fable, with comeuppance doled out to the wicked in increasingly inventive ways. There's “Father’s Day,” with its zombie dad and chocolate cake. “The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verrill,” starring Stephen King himself in a tragicomic performance. Then there’s the cockroach-filled nightmare “They’re Creeping Up on You,” which still makes my skin crawl decades later.

What makes Creepshow unique and what I don’t see enough other reviews talk about is how fear and humor blend seamlessly. This isn’t horror trying to be funny. It’s comedy so dark it loops back around to horrifying. It's not afraid to be weird, gross, or even silly because it trusts the audience to be in on the joke.

And let’s give some love to the performances. Adrienne Barbeau, Hal Holbrook, Leslie Nielsen, Ted Danson, E.G. Marshall this isn’t your average horror cast. Everyone seems to understand the tone, dialing things up to just the right level of melodrama. Nielsen in particular is deliciously evil in “Something to Tide You Over,” playing against type in a way that’s both unsettling and weirdly satisfying.

The Lesser-Talked About Genius: Sound and Structure

Here’s a detail that often flies under the radar: the sound design and score. Composed by John Harrison, the synth-heavy music blends carnival creepiness with classic horror atmosphere. Each story has its own subtle soundscape from echoing basements to the silence of isolation in “Jordy Verrill.” The audio cues are almost subliminal, helping you feel the horror before you even see it.

The structure of Creepshow also deserves more credit. Unlike many horror anthologies, it maintains a consistent tone throughout. The comic book framing device isn’t just window dressing it’s the glue that binds the stories, both visually and thematically. The wraparound story with the boy (played by Joe King, Stephen King’s son) being punished for reading horror comics gives the film a full-circle punchline. And let’s be honest, that voodoo doll payoff? Chef’s kiss.

Why It Still Holds Up (Even if You’re Not Nostalgic)

There’s a temptation to see Creepshow as just a fun throwback and it is but it’s also incredibly well-made horror storytelling. Each segment builds suspense in a different way. “Something to Tide You Over” is basically a short psychological thriller. “The Crate” plays with your expectations before going full creature feature. And “They’re Creeping Up on You” might be the most claustrophobic story ever put on screen especially if you have even the slightest issue with bugs.

Even the campiest segment, “Jordy Verrill,” has something deeper going on. It’s a surprisingly tragic tale about ignorance and isolation, filtered through cartoonish comedy. Stephen King hams it up in front of the camera, sure, but there’s a real sense of sadness beneath all the green fuzz.

Where It Shows Its Age (And Why That’s Okay)

If there’s one thing that might turn off modern audiences, it’s the pacing. Some segments take their sweet time to get going, and the dialogue is unapologetically hokey in places. But honestly? That’s part of the charm.

Also, the visual effects while groundbreaking for their time are very ‘80s. You’ll see rubber monsters, stop-motion bugs, and blood that looks suspiciously like cherry syrup. But again, Creepshow wears its theatricality like a badge of honor. This is a movie that wants you to enjoy the ride, not nitpick the mechanics.

Final Thoughts from Box Review

At Box Review, we’ve watched more horror anthologies than we can count, and Creepshow still stands tall above most of them. It’s bold, weird, unapologetically theatrical and somehow manages to be both scary and fun, often in the same scene.

This isn’t just a movie for horror fans. It’s for anyone who remembers sneaking comic books under their pillow, who loves storytelling that punishes the wicked, and who isn’t afraid of a little (okay, a lot of) camp with their scares.

If you haven’t seen Creepshow, or if it’s been a while, now’s the time. Turn off the lights, grab some popcorn, and let The Creep be your guide. Just maybe… check under your bed first.

Act Fast... Limited Time Offer!

Creepshow

1982