When it comes to horror anthologies, it doesn’t get much better than Creepshow. The 1982 film directed by George A. Romero and written by Stephen King (three new tales, two adapted from short stories) draws heavily from EC Comics and other pre-code horror mags, and set in motion a chain of other anthologies of the era – Tales from the Darkside would begin soon after in 1983 (with Romero creating and directing its premiere) and Tales from the Crypt in 1989. With Creepshow, Romero presented a heavily stylized approach to horror stories, attempting to conjure the atmosphere of reading a creepy comic under the bedsheets and putting it to film, while also retaining some of the more moralistic and darkly comedic elements of William Gaines’ best stories.
Split into five shorts and a wraparound story, the film offers something for nearly everyone. “Father’s Day,” the first, starts to approach some of the criminal elements of EC Comics stories before diving right into the supernatural with zombie grue; it’s probably the most outlandish of the bunch, and at the same time its comic nature makes it endlessly quotable despite some heavy subject matter.
Second story “The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verrill” adapts a King short story and puts the writer in the actor’s seat with a surprisingly good performance that certainly reminds of King’s wilder days; it’s not much of a stretch to think of ’80s King as a less exaggerated Jordy Verrill. While it’s not the most successful of the shorts, “Jordy Verrill” offers up some great special effects with its vibrant greenery, and it’s more blatantly funny than Creepshow‘s next chilling offering “Something to Tide You Over.”
Whereas the former wears its science fiction inspiration on its sleeve, the latter is surprisingly disturbing with its scenes of slow torture. Leslie Nielsen stars here in a serious role as a cuckolded husband whose vengeance is rivaled only by his extreme wealth. Cold-blooded scenes where his victims (Ted Danson, Gaylen Ross) are shown buried neck-deep in sand and forced to endure the high tide are particularly vicious, and while “Something to Tide You Over” does eventually give in to the schlocky nature Creepshow employs elsewhere, its most effective elements are the ones where Nielsen’s villain plumbs psychotic depths.
“The Crate,” another King adaptation, finds Hal Holbrook as a cowed husband looking to get rid of his wife Adrienne Barbeau without having to do much of the dirty work. Luckily, a mysterious crate housing an ancient beast is the perfect solution, and the film finds comedy in seeing the wicked Barbeau mauled alive. Stylish and with a penchant for flashback, “The Crate” is a fun outing with good creature effects that are employed at just the right intervals. Finally, “They’re Creeping Up on You!” gets under the audience’s skin with a rich old fart (played by E.G. Marshall) getting his comeuppance when the little bugs he’s been so wont to squash overrun his blisteringly white apartment. Again, there’s nothing nuanced about this portrayal of moralistic integrity, but the overall vibe is so fun that it doesn’t make a bit of difference.
Creepshow runs long at two hours, but it never overstays its welcome. Each story is so well-contained and different from the rest that there’s no tiring of its antics, and Romero’s direction ensures that viewers are constantly bombarded with colorful lighting, comic overlay effects, and exaggerated horror atmosphere. For fans of the genre, there really aren’t too many better offerings with which to spend a dark and stormy night.
4K UHD
Previously in 2018, Scream Factory released Creepshow in a Collector’s Edition Blu-ray package. That featured a new 4K scan of the film approved by Director of Photography Michael Gornick. For this new 4K UHD, Scream Factory has made sure to note that this release has yet a new 4K scan of the original camera negative (no mention of Gornick here, though presumably they used the same reference notes from the previous transfer). The results on this UHD are frankly excellent, with exceptional detail noticeable in skin tones and clothing textures. Grain is filmic and can occasionally show up more excessively during certain sequences (deep blues of “Jordy Verrill” or foggy elements) along with some noticeable debris during the comic overlay transitions. For those who aren’t eagle eyes, the quality difference between the previous Blu-ray and the UHD may not be extremely noticeable (see screenshot comparisons), but the true VIP on this release is the color grading from the Dolby Vision/HDR-10. Colors are more vibrant, and the transfer has a bit of warmer contrast than the 2018 scan; greens, reds, and blues really pop, and shadow highlights are noticeably lush. Black levels are well-maintained and deep, though the film does not make a lot of use out of complete darkness. Overall, Creepshow 4K really makes the most use out of UHD technology with its excellent transfer and illustrious color output.
Both the UHD and Blu-ray contain a new Dolby Atmos track, along with the previously included DTS-HD MA 5.1 and 2.0 options. The 2018 disc reportedly had issues with pitch-shifted audio, but that seems to be rectified here on all tracks. The Dolby Atmos does make good use of atmospheric effects including wind and rain, lapping waves, and other environmental noises; I did find the dialogue was a bit inconsistent in its volume, however, with some moments (particularly “Father’s Day”) suffering from too quiet dialogue in parts. The 5.1, meanwhile, did not seem to have such a difference in dialogue volume, and also offers a suitable surround option, while the 2.0 should provide audiophiles with the option for the original sound. English subtitles are also included.
All of the extras are ported over from the previous 2018 Blu-ray, meaning there’s no new bonus content here. That disc was already chock-full of stuff, though, including three audio commentaries, various interviews with cast and crew as well as looks at the artwork and comic book effects, a Horror’s Hallowed Grounds episode, still galleries, and a lot more. This release comes with a slipcover with the same artwork as well as reversible cover art. Note that the 2018 Blu-ray contained a hardback case with new original artwork and a 36-page full-color essay booklet by Michael Gingold that this release is missing; however, you can make the slipcover version of this 4K work with that packaging.
Extra Features
DISC ONE (4K UHD):
- NEW 2023 4K Scan Of The Original Camera Negative
- In Dolby Vision (HDR 10 Compatible)
- Audio: NEW Dolby Atmos Track, DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
- Audio Commentary With Director George A. Romero And Special Make-Up Effects Creator Tom Savini
- Audio Commentary With Director Of Photography Michael Gornick
- Audio Commentary With Composer/First Assistant Director John Harrison And Construction Coordinator Ed Fountain
- Audio Interviews With Director Of Photography Michael Gornick, Actor John Amplas, Property Master Bruce Alan Miller, And Make-up Effects Assistant Darryl Ferrucci
- Mondo Macabre – A Look At Mondo’s Various Creepshow Posters With Mondo Co-Founder Rob Jones And Mondo Gallery Events Planner Josh Curry (1080p; 9:42)
- Collecting Creepshow – A Look At Some Of The Original Props And Collectibles From The Film With Collector Dave Burian (1080p; 12:31)
- The Colors Of Creepshow – A Look At The Restoration of Creepshow With Director Of Photography Michael Gornick (1080p; 10:10)
- Into The Mix – An Interview With Sound Re-recordist Chris Jenkins (1080p; 13:05)
- Poster And Lobby Cards still gallery (chapter breaks; 6:44)
- Movie Posters gallery (chapter breaks; 2:20)
- Color Stills gallery (chapter breaks; 2:15)
- Special Effects Makeup gallery (chapter breaks; 6:04)
- Behind The Scenes gallery (chapter breaks; 6:29)
DISC TWO (BLU-RAY):
- NEW 2023 4K Scan Of The Original Camera Negative
- Audio: NEW Dolby Atmos Track, DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
- Audio Commentary With Director George A. Romero And Special Make-Up Effects Creator Tom Savini
- Audio Commentary With Director Of Photography Michael Gornick
- Audio Commentary With Composer/First Assistant Director John Harrison And Construction Coordinator Ed Fountain
- Audio Interviews With Director Of Photography Michael Gornick, Actor John Amplas, Property Master Bruce Alan Miller, And Make-up Effects Assistant Darryl Ferrucci
- Terror And The Three Rivers – A Round Table Discussion On The Making Of Creepshow With John Amplas, Tom Atkins, Tom Savini, And Marty Schiff (1080p; 30:10)
- The Comic Book Look – An Interview With Costume Designer Barbara Anderson (1080p; 12:51)
- Ripped From The Pages – An Interview With Animator Rick Catizone (1080p; 15:37)
- Horror’s Hallowed Grounds – A Look At The Original Film Locations Hosted By Sean Clark (1080p; 14:56)
- Tom Savini’s Behind-The-Scenes Footage (1080i; 25:52)
- Deleted Scenes (1080i; 15:31)
- Theatrical Trailers – English (1080p; 1:49) And Spanish (1080i; 0:58)
- TV Spot (1080i; 0:28)
- Radio Spots (1:04)
Verdict
Scream Factory’s 4K UHD release of Creepshow is the definitive way to watch this film, with an excellent transfer, new Dolby Vision to enunciate the film’s lighting, and a new Dolby Atmos track for the most up-to-date audio. For those that can’t take advantage of the newer technology, this may not be worth the upgrade if you’ve already got the 2018 Blu-ray; but those who have the required setup will find this release a great double-dip, even despite the lack of new extras.
