The five stories in Creepshow (1982) are “Father’s Day,” “The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verrill,” “Something to Tide You Over,” “The Crate,” and “They’re Creeping Up on You.” These tales, woven together in an anthology format, blend horror with a macabre sense of humor, each offering a distinct flavor of fright.
“Father’s Day” kicks things off with a tale of vengeance from beyond the grave. The story centers around a wealthy family and their murdered patriarch, Nathan Grantham, who rises from his grave to exact a grisly revenge on Father’s Day. This story sets the tone for the entire film—gory, ironic, and dripping with a dark, twisted sense of justice.
Next up is “The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verrill,” which showcases Stephen King himself as the hapless Jordy, a backwoods bumpkin who discovers a meteorite on his farm. What follows is a descent into madness as Jordy becomes infected by an alien plant that begins to overtake his body and property. It’s a tragic, almost pathetic tale that leaves you with a sense of cosmic indifference—the universe doesn’t care about you, and neither does the horror.
“Something to Tide You Over” brings us back to the world of calculated revenge, this time with a seaside twist. A cruel husband, played by Leslie Nielsen, buries his wife and her lover up to their necks on the beach, leaving them to drown as the tide comes in. But, of course, they don’t stay buried for long. The story delivers a satisfying comeuppance, wrapped in the cold, salty embrace of the sea.
“The Crate” is arguably the most memorable segment, featuring a mysterious, old wooden crate discovered under the stairs of a university. Inside lurks a ferocious, carnivorous creature that becomes the solution to a henpecked husband’s problems. This story taps into primal fears—what’s lurking in the dark, unseen corners of our world? And what might we unleash if we tamper with it?
Finally, “They’re Creeping Up on You” rounds out the anthology with a phobia-inducing tale of a ruthless, germaphobic businessman who finds himself besieged by an army of cockroaches in his sterile apartment. It’s a story that makes your skin crawl, literally, and serves as a fitting, squirm-inducing conclusion to the anthology.
Creepshow is a love letter to the horror comics of the 1950s, with each story delivering a potent mix of terror, dark humor, and moral retribution. The film’s comic book aesthetic, complete with vibrant colors and dramatic angles, only heightens the sense of being drawn into a twisted, nightmarish world where justice is served cold, with a side of blood.