As a lifelong Stephen King fan and horror aficionado who’s seen more horror movies than I care to count, let me tell you that revisiting the classic anthology masterpiece “Creepshow” was like rekindling an old friendship. The gruesome charm of this 1982 horror-comedy is as fresh and terrifying today as it was decades ago.
Despite the numerous new horror movies and eerie TV series coming soon, it’s hard not to revisit timeless classics and cherished favorites that have been gathering dust. To kick off our Halloween mood with my wife and 13-year-old child, I decided to play the George Romero-directed, Stephen King-written horror-comedy “Creepshow” as it’s been a long time since I last watched it.
Although I wouldn’t claim it to be perfect or the epitome of cinema, the 1982 Warner Bros. film brought back memories of its raw, gritty, and delightfully grotesque nature. Remarkably, if anything, it seemed even more intense than before. This rewatching experience ignited a particular craving in me for an upcoming Stephen King adaptation (or several) that I hadn’t considered much during my years as a fan.
Stephen King Should Write More Live-Action Anthologies
As a fan of Stephen King’s terrifying tales, I’ve always been amazed by his versatility. Known primarily for his chilling novels, he’s also dabbled in live-action projects, such as directing his only feature film, Maximum Overdrive, based on his short story “Trucks”. He’s even penned every episode of Apple TV+’s Lisey’s Story, and wrote the screenplay for the beloved ’90s miniseries adaptation of The Stand. Yet, he’s only written the screenplay for one other anthology besides Creepshow: Lewis Teague’s 1985 horror film, Cat’s Eye.
It’s surprising to me that there have only been as few anthology series entirely based on King’s works, given that we’re discussing a writer known for writing lengthy books. For instance, “Nightmares and Dreamscapes” and Hulu’s “Castle Rock” come to mind, not to mention individual episodes from “Tales from the Darkside” and others. However, it’s worth noting that King is skilled at crafting horror stories, as demonstrated by his collaboration with another master of horror in “Creepshow.”
It’s beneficial to have special effects expert Tom Savini involved in our hypothetical project, given his expertise in creating gruesome scenes. Since he previously worked on an episode of Greg Nicotero’s “Creepshow” series, maintaining the gory aesthetic is ensured.
Creepshow’s Segments Dig Directly Into Specific Fears Without Fluff
One factor contributing to the success of Creepshow as both a chilling horror and a humorous film is its focus on straightforward narratives, minimizing extraneous subplots featuring secondary characters who quickly fade from memory. Each tale adheres to a concise yet impactful structure, introducing protagonists or antagonists clearly, and establishing the central thematic or visual peril that the characters must confront. The story then delves deeply into those terrors it has set up.
For example, Stephen King played a co-starring role in the segment titled “The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verrill.” This story revolves around a character who is not too bright and ends up doomed due to his curiosity about alien plants. The horror lies in watching how dire Jordy’s situation becomes, with no need for additional suspense as the audience can already imagine how bad things could get just by looking at him.
In today’s era, it’s quite strange yet captivating to watch “Something to Tide You Over” with comedy icons Leslie Nielsen and Ted Danson in the lead roles. What makes this series unique is its ability to instill a genuine sense of unease in viewers, as it delves into the chilling fear of being buried alive or submerged up to your neck in sand. The growing tension leading up to the climax, particularly Nielsen’s character’s mounting dread, is unsettlingly effective, despite his character seemingly deserving such a fate.
But really, if we’re talking about extremely effective cinema, then there’s no need to look any further than the bug-filled “They’re Creeping Up on You!” Because holy farking shark, while I’m sure that segment is PETA-branded kryptonite, it is wildly shocking to see an intentional infestation on that scale. Who needs dense exposition when there’s the sound of thousands of tiny legs to pay attention to?
King’s Short Fiction Is Often Just As Powerful As His Epics
So far, Stephen King has written over a dozen published collections of short stories and novellas, ranging from his debut “Night Shift” in 1978 to the upcoming “You Like It Darker” in 2024. This doesn’t include numerous shorter works that appear outside these compilations. Many readers find these smaller creative pieces as impactful as his larger works like “IT,” “The Stand,” or the “Dark Tower” series.
This is a quote from the book “A Wrinkle in the Fard” by M. Cooke and E. Lee. It’s a clever way of referencing the authors’ own work.
It’s interesting how you put it:
1. The idea is to provide the reader with a sense of familiarity, like a comforting blanket.
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2024-09-04 05:37