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43 of 47 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent movie, abomination of a DVD, October 24, 2004
Being a fan of both Stephen King and George Romero, "Creepshow" has always been among my favorite horror flicks. Campy at times perhaps, but that's the whole point - to bring a comic book feel to film. And it offers a perfect balance of silly comic horror and genuine horror, making for a very enjoyable viewing experience if one remembers not to take it too seriously.
What you get is 5 mini stories, some of them better than others but all offering plenty of shocks and chills. It opens with "Father's Day," where a deceased victim of murder rises from the grave for a nice little Father's Day surprise. One of the better ones. "The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verrill" follows, where Stephen King takes on the lead role as a hillbilly who finds a meteor with a nasty habit of making green hair grow on, well, everything. This one is more funny than scary but still good. King does a great job as the clumsy and unintelligent-but-likeable Jordy Verrill. Next up is "Something to Tide You Over," where a vengeful man (Leslie Nielsen) gets even on his cheating wife and her lover (Ted Danson) by burying them both in the sand and letting the tide take care of the rest. This is my second favorite of the bunch. It's cool to see Nielsen take on the role of the "bad guy" for a change. Goes to show his versatility as an actor. Ted Danson is great too. What follows is "The Crate," in my opinion the best one. It's also the longest one. Hal Holbrook plays a loser whose nasty wife gets what she deserves when he finds a mysterious blood-thirsty creature locked away in an old crate. This is the darkest and creepiest of the stories. Pure fun, with top-notch acting from everyone. The final story, "They're Creeping Up On You," is the only one I've never liked. An eccentric millionare with a roach phobia just can't seem to get rid of his little crawling friends no matter what he does. Anyone who doesn't like roaches is advised to skip this one. The final scene will take away your appetite for at least a few days.
Now that I've talked about the movie itself (easily 5 stars), I have to comment on this sorry excuse for a DVD (0 stars). This has to be THE worst transfer ever put on DVD. I used to think it couldn't get any worse than the first edition single-disc transfer of "Scarface," but I was wrong. "Creepshow" was put on DVD just for the sake of putting it on DVD. NO CARE whatsoever was put into presentation. As another reviewer has mentioned, the movie literally "jumps" throughout the entire time. Grain and those annoying "hairs" appear on the screen almost every second. The VHS offers better picture quality; that says a lot. The only bonus feature of this DVD is the trailer, which I suppose is cool, but let's get real. Another slap in the face is the scene selections. The inside of the DVD case advertises 41 scene selections in the "Scene Index" card, but that's misleading, as the movie only has 21 actual scene selections. So if you want to watch one specific scene, 9 times out of 10 you will need to select the *closest* scene to the one you want and end up scanning forwards or backwards to get to the one you really want. Yet another example of a poorly thought-out DVD.
Bottom line: "Creepshow" is a great cult flick that deserves a MUCH better DVD. If you have the VHS stick with that. Only get this DVD if you no longer own a VCR or absolutely must own all of your movies on the DVD format. "Creepshow 2" recently got a new DVD edition that does it justice, so maybe there's some hope that "Creepshow" will eventually get the same treatment someday. Until then, we must settle for this lackluster DVD.
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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Horror Genius With Wit, June 10, 2000
How can i ever express my glee toward this 1982 film? From the first viewing i fell in love with the timeless horror classic. This particular entry into the genre is notable for its uncannyand faithful tribute to the 1950's horror comics (as distributed by EC Publishing), its comical charm, its fantastic effects, and its cult creators (Stephen King and George Romero, and effects by fan fave Tom Savini). Packed with five stories of the macabre this film is bound to please fans of horror as well as kids, adults, and most other moviegoers with its immortal style. The first tale provides us with a story regarding a cranky old man that was murdered by his daughter on Father's Day because she grew weary of his actions against her. Knowing that you are watching a Romero/King flick only can assure you of the fun to come from said situation. The second tale of terror stars none other than Stephen King in what is perhaps horror film's most enjoyable guest star role. King plays a simple hick who comes across a meteor which spreads its reign of terror around his home. King provides us with a truly memorable and quirky performance that is sure to remain in most people's minds. The third tale involves a cheating wife and the vengeance of her spiteful husband on both she and her "other" man...naturally taking up on the EC tradition we can only expect the worse lesson for the wrath-ridden husband via supernatural means. The fourth tale is about a strange crate that is discovered beneath the steps of a college stairwell. Within lie the mysterious contents of an Artic expedtion...that we all know will only wreak their havoc. The final creepout is slowly presented to us in the form of an evil tycoon with nothing on his mind but money...and getting rid of filthy cockaroaches (or vice versa?). Each story is fantastically told and to top it all off we are provided with a wraparound tale that introduces the whole chi-bang. This is what fun is all about. No need to take this serious just watch it for the enjoyability factor and you won't be disappointed. Fans will also find, much to their pleasure, a wide array of bedazzling special effects, oddball lighting, unique characters, and overall good direction and storytelling. A definite addition to any sane person's video library. The dvd version is creepshow at its best. Presented in the best color, picture, and sound ever, don't fret video buyers because the dvd sports nothing extra that you might be missing. Regardless of the lack of extra features this dvd is a no miss. Buy it
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
It's Father's Day......., January 7, 2007
I grew up watching this movie whenever and wherever I could. I like to think that the writers of Creepshow educated me in how to handle life's many problems and keep a smile on my face while doing so. I was amazed at how the remains of Nathan Grantham, the murdered patriarch of the Grantham family exacted revenge on his ungrateful family and he even managed to get his Father's Day cake in the end. And for all of you people on the old ball and chain, look at the way in which Henry dealt with Wilma, his horrifying wife. This just goes to show us that sometimes, seeminlgy awful situations can work in our favor.
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