Synopsis:
A young boy (Joe King) whose unreasonable father (Tom Atkins) throws away his Creepshow comic book finds a creative way to get back at him — but first we see a series of horror vignettes about an abusive patriarch (Jon Lormer) returning from the dead on Father’s Day to seek retribution on his murderous daughter (Viveca Lindfors) and other family members; a backwoods yokel (Stephen King) hoping to earn money from a fallen meteor, which instead turns him into a plant-like organism; a millionaire (Leslie Nielson) wreaking gruesome revenge on his wife (Gaylen Ross) and her lover (Ted Danson) before being turned on himself; a henpecked professor (Hal Holbrook) who discovers an unusual way to take care of his shrewish wife (Adrienne Barbeau); and a ruthless business mogul (E.G. Marshall) whose pathological fear of insects literally consumes him.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• E.G. Marshall Films
• Episodic Films
• George Romero Films
• Horror Films
• Revenge
• Stephen King Adaptations

Response to Peary’s Review:
Peary writes that “George Romero and Stephen King collaborated in this homage to… sexy and nightmarish pre-Code horror comics of the early fifties” (such as those produced by EC Comics). He argues that the film is “overlong” — with none of the five “King-written episodes” “exceptional” and none “dreadful” — but all “laced with devilish tongue-in-cheek humor, and four of the five deal[ing] with cruel people getting their horrific just deserts.” He adds that the “production design by Cletus Anderson and the comic-book-like illustrations that bridge the episodes by former comic-book artist Jack Kamen give the film its Tales From the Crypt flavor.” I’m essentially in agreement with Peary’s assessment; while I’m sure fans of these comics will revel in this homage, I simply found it diverting and nicely produced. My favorite episode is “Something to Tide You Over”, which shows the extreme lengths to which a cuckolded (and psychotic) husband will go.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• Some truly creepy moments
  
• Creative production design and cinematography
  

Must See?
No, though Stephen King fans will of course want to check it out.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• Classic Horror Review
• Spinning Image Review
• Moria Review
• Roger Ebert’s Review