I'm aware of the fact this film has a very loyal and devoted horror movie fan base, but you can count me out. Perhaps because I never actively experienced the glorious high point years of Bill Gaines' E.C. comics, but I just don't think it's a brilliant idea to shoot an entire film with the deliberate intention of making it look like a comic book coming to life. Previous cinematic interpretations of the exact same comic book series, like Amicus' omnibuses "Tales from the Crypt" and "The Vault of Horror", were much more effective simply because they focused on the sinister content of the stories as well as on atmosphere and set pieces. "Creepshow" largely puts the emphasis on comedy and, as we all know, horror & comedy rarely ever go well together and an overload of irritating cartoonish imagery (frames, hectic color patterns, whirly lines, text balloons, etc
) that only raise weak impressions of childishness and accessibility for mainstream audiences. Not coincidentally, the two segments I enjoyed the most are those that featured the least gimmicks and cartoon characteristics. And still these two finest "Creepshow" stories barely just rise above mediocrity, as their plots are unoriginal, overlong and underdeveloped. Number three stars Leslie Nielsen as a sleazy and rich husband who inventively buries his wife and her lover (Ted Danson) to their necks in the sand and then patiently waits until the flood tide drowns them. Of course, the vengeful lovers inexplicably return as watery zombies to settle the score. It's a clichéd and totally unsurprising tale, but Nielsen is a joy to behold as the over-the-top killer. The fifth and final story is also worthwhile, albeit highly derivative. It stars the underrated E.G. Marshall as a boisterous and merciless business tycoon who lives all isolated in a big city penthouse because he's terrified of germs and vermin. But since he's such a mean person (who just caused one of his employees to commit suicide), naturally his tidy white apartment becomes overrun by eerie cockroaches during a power failure. I'm biased because I love insect-horror, perhaps, but this was the only segment that somewhat sent shivers down my spine. The other three segments are hardly even worth mentioning, except maybe in order to accentuate how lamentable they are. We have a family patriarch zombie coming out of his grave during father's day because he wants cake (funny, isn't it?) and a tale about a 147-year-old baboon going on a murderous rampage because someone opened the crate he was in. Adrienne Barbeau stars in this horrendous tale, but her terrific performance deserved a better script. The worst and absolute most pointless story shows respected author Stephen King struggling with extraterrestrial mucus that gradually takes over his body. "The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verrill", as this chapter is called, is the complete opposite of funny and King's monologues are indescribably annoying. Also, no offense Mr. King, but you're a horrible actor. "Creepshow" probably was a fun project for Stephen King, George A. Romero and a long list of eminent cast members to collaborate on, but you can hardly call it a genuine classic in the horror genre. As usual, the finest contribution comes from Tom Savini, as his make-up effects are highly imaginative and much gorier than the overall tone of the movie suggests.
