Creepshow

Creepshow...1982...120 minutes...rated R...starring (in various segments) Hal Holbrook, Adrienne Barbeau, Leslie Nielsen, and Ed Harris...written by Stephen King...directed by George Romero

This movie is a throwback to segmented horror films as well as an homage to horror magazines like "Creepy" and "Eerie" which were popular in what seems like an age ago. These comics were also the bane of good parenting as they depicted all sorts of supernatural foulness like corpses rising from the grave, strange creatures, and people getting their just desserts, usually in horrible ways and with the most wonderful sound depictions thrown in.

Honestly, I expect this movie to be an acquired taste. The segmented horror film has mostly gone the way of the dodo, and largely for good reason. One of the last ones I remember seeing was the fourth Hellraiser movie, which went this route with the history of the puzzle box and the LeMarchand family. Usually the movies would end up being uneven, with people having their favorite segments and occasionally having a piece that was just plain painful to sit through. Still, this type of movie had its day...and with the various stories one could find in a horror magazine, it was a natural fit.

Still, the movie has (for me anyways) some wonderful moments. "The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verrill" is amusing to watch as Stephen King plays a farm yokel who meets your typical bad end. Adrienne Barbeau and Hal Holbrook are always good performers to watch, no matter what material they're given. Leslie Nielsen is rather sinister in his piece,which is atypical of the comedies he's known for. Of course, I would be remiss is I didn't point out the superb dancing skills of Ed Harris as well.

I find it a fun movie largely because my dad had a huge stack of the first issues of "Creepy" magazine, and I remember reading them when I would visit him. Horror was one of the few ways we connected, which sounds bad...and certainly it wasn't good, but time has managed to soften much of the bad parts of our relationship since his passing more than 10 years ago now. So my rating does reflect some sentimentality, be warned. Maybe not a lot though...

I give this film 2.5 floating specters out of 5.