Creepshow
Movie, 1982, The '70s and '80s, Set in Five tales
Creepshow is #4 of 42 in release order and #3 of 42 in chronological order in the Stephen King Universe.
The story
Five grisly tales from a 1950s-style comic, including a murdered father rising from beyond, a bizarre meteor, a vengeful husband, a mysterious crate's occupant, and a plague of cockroaches.
Creepshow recap
Creepshow (1982) is an anthology of five horror tales framed by a boy whose father throws away his horror comic. George A. Romero directs from a script by Stephen King. In "Father's Day", a murdered patriarch rises from the grave for the cake he never got. In "The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verrill", King plays a farmer who touches a meteor and is overrun by fast-growing plant life. In "Something to Tide You Over", Richard Vickers (Leslie Nielsen) buries his wife's lover (Ted Danson) up to his neck on a beach at low tide. In "The Crate", professor Henry Northrup (Hal Holbrook) uses a creature found under a university stairwell to get rid of his wife Wilma (Adrienne Barbeau). In "They're Creeping Up on You", germ-phobic tycoon Upson Pratt (E.G. Marshall) is invaded by cockroaches in his sealed apartment. In the wraparound, young Billy (Joe King) is sent to his room after his father (Tom Atkins) throws away his comic.
Creepshow ending explained
Creepshow ends with Billy getting revenge on his father. The next morning, garbagemen find the thrown-out comic and notice the ad for a voodoo doll has already been ordered. Inside the house, Billy jabs pins into the doll while his father clutches his neck in agony, paying for the slap and the thrown-away comic. The film closes on the comic book pages, styled like the panels that link every segment.
Post-credits scenes
No. Creepshow has no mid- or post-credits scene.
Where to watch Creepshow
Creepshow isn't on a US streaming service right now. You can rent or buy it on Amazon, Apple TV, and Google Play.
Ratings
IMDb 6.8/10, Rotten Tomatoes 66%
Where it fits
- Release order: after The Shining, before Christine.
- Chronological order: after Salem's Lot, before Christine.
What to watch before Creepshow
In release order, the essentials before Creepshow (1982) are Carrie (1976) and Salem's Lot (1979).
Cast
- Hal Holbrook as Henry Northrup (segment "The Crate")
- Adrienne Barbeau as Wilma Northrup (segment "The Crate")
- Fritz Weaver as Dexter Stanley (segment "The Crate")
- Leslie Nielsen as Richard Vickers (segment "Something To Tide You Over")
- Carrie Nye as Sylvia Grantham (segment "Father's Day")
- E.G. Marshall as Upson Pratt (segment "They're Creeping Up On You")
- Viveca Lindfors as Aunt Bedelia (segment "Father's Day")
- Ed Harris as Hank Blaine (segment "Father's Day")
- Ted Danson as Harry Wentworth (segment "Something To Tide You Over")
- Stephen King as Jordy Verrill (segment "The Lonesome Death Of Jordy Verrill")
- Warner Shook as Richard Grantham (segment "Father's Day")
- Gaylen Ross as Becky Vickers (segment "Something To Tide You Over")
Directed by George A. Romero.