2. Creepshow
A tribute to EC Comics such as Tales FromThe Crypt, Creepshow represented a 80s twist on the horror anthologies of the past. Directed by George Romero (Night of the Living Dead), written by Stephen King (Carrie) with makeup by horror legend Tom Savini, Creepshow is tied together with an animated sequence of a young boy (played by Stephen King's son, Joseph)being punished by his father for reading a horror comic.
Father's Day While most of the stories in Creepshow were adapted from short stories by Stephen King, Father's Day was created by King specifically for this movie. Seven years ago Nathan Grantham was murdered (just before he was to receive his annual Father's Day cake) by his daughter. She got away with the crime and the family has come together on Father's Day for their annual dinner. Unfortunately for them, Grantham has a bone to pick with them and isn't going to let a triviality like death get in the way! Rising from his grave, he picks off the very 80s cast one by one seeking to get the Father's Day cake he missed out on 7 years earlier.... A must see moment is veteran actor Ed Harris and his dance sequence with costar Elizabeth Regan. Pure comedy.
The Lonesome Death Of Jordy Verrill Stephen King gets to display his acting chops and while he probably shouldn't quit his day job, gives a pretty good performance as the eponymous yokel whose dreams of striking it rich, end horrifically. Jordy Verrill discovers a meteorite and thinks he can sell it to the nearby college for enough money to clear off his debt. Instead, Verill learns that the old admonition to children that they should always look, but not touch should have been followed. What begins as a small plant like growth on his hand soon covers his entire body, his house and by the end of the tale is creeping down the road. Based on Stephen King's "Weeds," published in Cavalier Magazine in 1976
Something To Tide You Over
In a rare 80's dramatic role, Leslie Nielsen has caught his wife cheating on him. As punishment, he buries the couple on a beach up to their necks below the high tide line, with the expectation that they will drown in the rising tide. Nielsen sets up an elaborate camera system so that he can watch their final moments while luxuriating in his beach house draped in a velvet track suit. As tends to happen in these stories, nothing buried stays submerged forever and Nielsen soon finds himself being stalked by the water logged, rotting corpses of his victims. A pre-Cheers Ted Danson plays the unfaithful wife's lover.
The Crate By far the best segment of this anthology, The Crate is a Pandora's box best left unopened. Henry Northrup (Hal Holbrook) spends most of his days daydreaming about killing his horrible, emasculating wife (played by 80's icon and large bra aficionado Adrienne Barbeau). Northrup's friend Professor Stanley discovers a crate hidden under the basement stairs that has been undisturbed for over 100 years. When he attempts to open it, the creature within kills and eats the college custodian. Stanley, displaying a rare bit of common sense for a character in a horror movie, decides to leg it.When he returns with one of his graduate students the crate has somehow been moved back under the stairs and upon investigation, the grad student is caught and eaten as well. Northrup learns of the monster and believes it is the perfect way to dispose of his shrewish wife . The plan goes off without a hitch; Adrienne Barbeau completes the monster's three course meal and Northrup chains the box shut before dumping it into a lake. But in classic horror fashion, is that the end?
They're Creeping Up on You Roaches. Hard to kill, hard to keep out of your home and if you have ever had one crawl on you, one of the most terrifying insects in nature. So if you have a fear of bugs, it is best to give this segment a skip, because it is about to get wild. Wealthy businessman, Pratt has taken on a bit of a Howard Hughes personality disorder becoming obsessed with cleanliness and an overwhelming fear of germs. Trapped in a black out, his apartment is overrun with roaches who pour out of the sink, the vents and power outlets by the thousands, eventually cornering him in his panic room and terrifying him into a heart attack. The final scene with Pratt's corpse and an apartment suddenly and inexplicably roach free is not for those with weak stomachs