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{{Short description|1982 horror comedy anthology film by George A. Romero}}
{{about|the film|the TV series|Creepshow (TV series){{!}}''Creepshow'' (TV series)|other uses}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox film
| name           = Creepshow
| image          = CreepshowPoster.jpg
| alt            = 
| caption        = Theatrical release poster
| director       = [[George A. Romero]]
| producer       = [[Richard P. Rubinstein]]
| screenplay     = [[Stephen King]]
| based_on       = {{Plainlist|
* {{based on|''[[Weeds (short story)|Weeds]]''|Stephen King}}
* {{based on|''[[The Crate]]''|Stephen King}}
}}
| starring       = {{plainlist|<!-- Per poster billing -->
* [[Hal Holbrook]]
* [[Adrienne Barbeau]]
* [[Fritz Weaver]]
* [[Leslie Nielsen]]
* [[Carrie Nye]]
* [[E. G. Marshall]]
* [[Viveca Lindfors]]
}}
| music          = [[John Harrison (filmmaker)|John Harrison]]
| cinematography = [[:it:Michael Gornick|Michael Gornick]]
| editing        = {{plainlist|
* [[Pasquale Buba]]
* [[Paul Hirsch (film editor)|Paul Hirsch]]
* George A. Romero
* Michael Spolan
}}
| studio         = {{plainlist|
* United Film Distribution Company
* [[Richard P. Rubinstein#Laurel Entertainment|Laurel Show, Inc.]]
}}
| distributor    = [[Warner Bros. Pictures|Warner Bros.]]
| released       = {{Film date|1982|11|12}}
| runtime        = 120 minutes
| country        = United States<ref name=AFI/>
| language       = English<ref name=AFI/>
| budget         = $8 million<ref name="numbers">{{cite web |url=https://the-numbers.com/movie/Creepshow#tab=summary |title=Creepshow (1982) | website=The Numbers | access-date=April 27, 2016}}</ref>
| gross          = $21 million
}}
'''''Creepshow''''' is a 1982 American [[horror comedy]] [[anthology film]]  directed by [[George A. Romero]] and written by [[Stephen King]] in his screenwriting debut. It consists of five segments intercut with a sixth story acting mostly as an opening and epilogue; two of the segments, "[[Weeds (short story)|The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verrill]]" and "[[The Crate]]", are based on stories by King, while the others are original material he wrote for the film.

The film stars an [[ensemble cast]] including [[Hal Holbrook]], [[Adrienne Barbeau]], [[Fritz Weaver]], [[Leslie Nielsen]], [[Carrie Nye]], [[E. G. Marshall]], [[Viveca Lindfors]], [[Ted Danson]] and [[Ed Harris]], with King and his son [[Joe Hill (writer)|Joe]] portraying the respective main characters of two segments. It was primarily shot on location in [[Pittsburgh]] and its suburbs, including Monroeville, where Romero leased an old boys' academy (Penn Hall) to build extensive sets for the film. ''Creepshow'' is an [[Homage (arts)|homage]] to the [[EC Comics|EC]] horror comics of the 1950s, such as ''[[Tales from the Crypt (comics)|Tales from the Crypt]]'', ''[[The Vault of Horror (comics)|The Vault of Horror]]'' and ''[[The Haunt of Fear]]''. In order for the film to give viewers a comic book feel, Romero hired long-time effects specialist [[Tom Savini]] to replicate comic-like effects.

The film earned $21 million in the United States.<ref>{{cite web | title=Creepshow (1982) | url=https://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=creepshow.htm | publisher=[[Box Office Mojo]]|date=1982-12-28 | access-date=2016-01-22}}</ref> It was followed by a [[sequel]], ''[[Creepshow 2]]'' (1987), directed by the first film's cinematographer [[:it:Michael Gornick|Michael Gornick]], written by Romero and only featuring segments based on King stories. Two further works in the franchise were made without involvement from either Romero or King: the film ''[[Creepshow 3]]'' (2006) and an [[Creepshow (TV series)|eponymous television series]] (2019–2023).

==Plot==
===Prologue===
Billy Hopkins, a young boy, gets disciplined by his abusive father Stan for reading ''Creepshow'', a horror comic. Not wanting his son to be exposed to the comic's content, Stan throws it in the garbage while ranting on stories like people coming back from the dead and people turning into plants. As Billy sits upstairs, wishing that his father rots in [[Hell]], he hears a sound at the window. The source of the noise turns out to be the Creep, the host of the comic book, who beckons him to come closer. The scene transitions to animation as the Creep removes the trash can's lids. Then the first story is shown.

==="Father's Day"===
Sylvia Grantham meets her nephew Richard and niece Cass along with Cass's new husband Hank Blaine at the Grantham estate for the family's annual dinner on the third Sunday in June. They proceed to tell Hank about the family [[Matriarchy|matriarch]] Great Aunt Bedelia and of how it is an [[open secret]] in the family that she murdered her late father: the miserly and domineering Nathan Grantham who had accumulated the family's fortune through [[Rum-running|bootlegging]], [[fraud]], [[extortion]], and [[Contract killing|murder-for-hire]].

Many years earlier, Bedelia was rendered an unstable [[spinster]], the result of a lifetime spent putting up with her father's incessant demands and [[emotional abuse]] which got even worse after he suffered a [[stroke]] and she was made to nurse him full-time. The torture culminated with Nathan orchestrating a fatal "hunting accident" which took the life of his daughter's fiancé Peter Yarbro in order to keep her under his thumb. That [[Father's Day]], Nathan does his petulant demands for his Father's Day Cake while insulting Bedelia. Driven into a murderous rage bashed her overbearing father's head in with a marble ashtray (which is hidden throughout the other stories).

In the present day, Bedelia arrives at Grantham Manor that evening. She stops by the family cemetery just outside the mansion to lay a flower at her father's grave. She drunkenly reminisces about the murder and reveals that Sylvia staged the killing as an accident in order to steal and distribute Nathan's fortune among the rest of the family. She accidentally spills her [[Whisky|whiskey]] bottle in front of the [[headstone]]. Just then, Nathan emerges from the burial plot as a putrefied maggot-infested [[zombie]], still demanding the Father's Day cake he never got. He avenges himself on Bedelia, strangling her. He proceeds to systematically wipe out the rest of his family: telekinetically crushing Hank to death with a gravestone, then twisting Sylvia's neck; he also kills the Granthams' [[Cook (domestic worker)|cook]] Mrs. Danvers possibly to cover his tracks. As a gruesome final joke, Nathan surprises Cass and Richard by presenting them with his Father's Day cake: Sylvia's severed head, covered with frosting and lit candles.{{efn|While the ending is left ambiguous in the film with Nathan gloating over a terrified Cass and Richard in [[Freeze-frame shot|freeze-frame]] that he finally got his Father's Day cake, the [[Creepshow (comics)|comic book based on the film]] has the Creep giving a vague hint that Nathan's next act was to "blow out their candles".}}

===Interlude #1===
An advertisement of Bolt: the family newspaper that nobody knows about where selling them can get you prizes like a bow and arrows, pistols and rifles, surveillance equipment, cannons and tanks, and nuclear warheads. Then there are some Creepy Correspondences where fans have their questions answered by the Creep. Returning to animation, the Creep turns the comic's page to the next story.

==="The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verrill"===
{{see also|Weeds (short story)|l1=Weeds}}

Jordy Verrill, a comedic and dim-witted yokel who runs a gas station, watches as a [[meteorite]] crash lands on his farm. Observing the crash site, Jordy gets his fingers burned when he tries to touch the meteorite. In a fantasy sequence, Jordy imagines selling the meteorite to the local college's "Department of Meteors", hoping that the sale will provide enough money to pay off a $200 bank loan. Taking precautions, he douses the meteorite with a bucket of water, causing it to crack open and spill a glowing blue liquid. In another fantasy sequence, Jordy reimagines the "Department of Meteors" refusing to purchase the now broken meteorite. Resolving to try and glue the halves together in the morning, Jordy nonchalantly dumps the liquid inside the meteor into the soil, but not before the substance makes contact with his skin.

As time passes, Jordy finds his fingers being overcome by what appears to be grass. He attempts to call a doctor, but he reconsiders doing so when he imagines (in another fantasy sequence) that the doctor will chop the afflicted fingers off without [[anesthetic]]. Over time, the strange substance continues to grow all over Jordy's farm, everything Jordy has touched, and even on Jordy's body, which causes him to itch furiously. Jordy panics as he discovers the increasing growth, and tries to calm himself by pouring himself a bottle of [[vodka]] and mixing it with [[orange juice]]. Soon after, Jordy falls asleep in a drunken stupor.

Jordy wakes up sometime later, believing the experience to have been a dream, but his hopes are dashed when he sees that the plant growth has managed to reach inside the house, as well as discovering in a mirror that he has now grown a green beard. He starts to draw a bath to relieve the itching, but he is visited by the ghost of his deceased father, who appears in his mirror and warns him against doing so by telling him that water is what the plants want. Grimly rationalizing that not getting in would only delay the inevitable, Jordy laments that "[he's] a goner already." When the itching from the growth on his skin becomes unbearable, Jordy succumbs to temptation and collapses into the bathwater.

The next morning as The Farm Report plays on TV, Jordy's farm has been completely coated with dense layers of the [[Extraterrestrial life|alien]] [[vegetation]], with Jordy himself transformed into a human-shaped collection of plant matter. In despair, he reaches for a [[Coach gun|Coach Gun]], prays to God that his luck will be in just this once, and blows the top of his head off, killing himself. Immediately afterwards, the weather announcement mentions that moderate temperatures and heavy rains are predicted as the plants spread down the roads to other towns. The Creep mentions in a panel about the rain and the Verrill luck being in again.

===Interlude #2===
Returning to animation, a gust of wind turns the comic book's page briefly passing over an advertisement for a [[voodoo doll]] that is missing its order form). The next page shows weird novelties like [[disappearing ink]], a secret agent periscope, [[Exploding cigar|exploding cigarettes]], [[X-Ray Specs (novelty)|X-ray specs]], an [[Joy buzzer|electric buzzer]], an authentic Egyptian [[Mummy (undead)|mummy]], and [[Carnivorous plant|meat-eating plants]]. Then the next story is shown.

==="Something to Tide You Over"===
Richard Vickers is a vicious and heartless [[millionaire]] whose spry [[jocularity]] belies his cold-blooded and murderous nature. He visits Harry Wentworth, the man with whom his wife Becky is having an [[affair]]. Richard mentions that he and Becky never shared any actual affection, but such is beside the issue; Richard's point of honor is always keeping what's "his", a rule that he enforces no matter what. Rather than physically assault Harry, Richard plays a recording of Becky's voice, where she tearfully begs Harry to help her. Both men travel to Comfort Point, Richard's isolated [[beach house]]. Richard points out what appears to be a burial mound in the sand. When Harry promptly runs to it, Richard pulls a gun on him. He forces Harry to jump into the empty hole and begin burying himself.

Eventually, Richard finishes burying Harry neck-deep in the sand below the high-tide line. Richard then sets up a [[closed-circuit television|closed-circuit TV camera]] and a [[VCR]] to record Harry. He also brings along a monitor displaying Becky, who is also buried up to her neck farther down the beach, where the rising tide is already washing over her face. Richard does tell Harry that he and Becky have a chance of survival: if they can hold their breath long enough for the sand to loosen once the seawater covers them, they can break free and escape. With that, Richard abandons Harry and returns to Comfort Point. Sipping a [[cocktail]], Richard watches with great satisfaction as Harry and Becky slowly drown. Just before Harry is completely submerged by the advancing tide, he looks directly into the camera and vows revenge on Richard.

Hours later, Richard returns to Harry's "grave" to collect the tape. He finds the ruined monitor, but no sign of Harry. Not disturbed, Richard writes this off as the body having been carried away by the current. Later that night, Richard hears voices calling his name, as a mysterious unseen presence easily bypasses Comfort Point's extensive security system. The culprits turn out to be Harry and Becky, the two lovers having returned as waterlogged, [[seaweed]]-covered [[revenant]]s intent on revenge on their killer. Richard shoots them, but when the bullets have no effect, he barricades himself in his bedroom, only to find Becky and Harry already inside. The two victims taunt Richard, who laughs insanely.

Sometime later, the undead lovers have buried Richard up to his neck on the beach. They have since disappeared together into the surf, leaving Richard's own seaweed-covered video camera to record his coming demise. The hysterical Richard screams that he can hold his breath "for a LONG time!" Some of the tide goes into his mouth as the story ends.

===Interlude #3===
Returning to animation, a stronger gust of wind blows the comic book out of the trash can and onto the street where it opens to the next story.

==="The Crate"===
{{see also|The Crate}}

Mike Latimer, a [[janitor]] at Horlicks University, drops a quarter he was flipping and it rolls behind a grate under a basement staircase. While attempting to retrieve the coin, he comes across a wooden storage crate marked "Ship to Horlicks University via Julia Carpenter - [[Arctic]] Expedition - June 19, 1834" hidden underneath the staircase. He calls Professor Dexter Stanley to notify him of the discovery, drawing Dexter away from a faculty social gathering. Also at the gathering are Dexter's best friend, the mild-mannered Professor Henry Northrup, and Henry's perpetually drunk, obnoxious, and [[Emotionally abusive|emotionally-abusive]] wife Wilma "Billie", who has a penchant for embarrassing herself, belittling her husband, and annoying or insulting everybody she meets. Henry regularly fantasizes about killing his horrific wife, but is far too timid to actually go through with it.

Stanley meets Mike at Amberson Hall, where the former discovers the crate. Both men move the crate into a nearby [[biology]] lab, where they tirelessly work to get it open. In the process, Mike sticks his hand inside the crate and begins yelling in pain. The crate opens to reveal its contents: a shaggy, [[ape]]-like creature with sharp fangs. Despite its diminutive size, the creature promptly kills and devours Mike whole, leaving behind only his mangled boot. Fleeing the lab, Dexter bumps into graduate student Charlie Gereson, to whom he frantically relays what happened. While skeptical, Charlie agrees to investigate the professor's claims. The two find the lab covered in blood, with no sign of the creature or its crate. They discover that the crate has been moved back under the stairs, where they also discover Mike's boot. Wanting to measure the bite marks on the boot, Charlie examines the crate closer. The creature pounces on Charlie and kills him, prompting Dexter to escape and take the boot with him.

Traumatized and hysterical, Dexter runs to Henry's house after Billie leaves for the evening. He tells Henry everything that happened since the crate was discovered, and insists that the monster must be disposed of somehow. Seeing the supposed creature as an ideal way to rid himself of his wife, Henry appears to believe Dexter's story. To this end, Henry spikes Dexter's drink with sleeping pills and writes a note stating that Dexter had supposedly assaulted a female student. This brings Billie rushing to Amberson Hall, where Henry has since cleaned up the bloody lab. When Billie arrives, Henry lures her under the basement stairs, trying to awaken the creature. As Billie rants at Henry for dragging her out there in the middle of the night and assaulting her, the beast awakens and proceeds to consume her.

The next morning, Henry tells Dexter that he secured the beast inside its crate, and then dumped the crate into a nearby [[quarry]], watching as it sank to the bottom. He convinces Dexter that the creature has drowned, and both men agree to let the authorities handle the disappearances. Unknown to Henry and Dexter, the beast is shown to still be alive, and is last seen tearing the submerged crate apart. A panel shows the Creep in goggles stating "You can't drown your fears that easily, Henry".

===Interlude #4===
Returning to animation, it begins raining as the comic book turns to the next page. There is a brief advertisement of the "Father's Day" ashtray, a "Creepy Cockroach", and a [[Charles Atlas]]-type bodybuilding course. Then the next story begins.

==="They're Creeping Up on You!"===
Upson Pratt is a ruthlessly cruel [[business mogul]] who suffers from [[mysophobia]], which has rendered him living in a hermetically sealed [[penthouse apartment]] outfitted with [[Electronic lock|electric locks]] and [[surveillance cameras]]. His apparent contacts with the outside world are through the telephone and are primarily made to put-upon employees. One stormy night, Pratt receives a call from George Gendron, one of his subordinates, about the fact that his company (Pratt International) has recently instigated a [[corporate takeover]] of the Pacific Aerodyne company. Gendron also informs Mr. Pratt that the takeover caused a business rival, Norman Castonmeyer, to commit [[suicide]], much to Pratt's delight.

During the call, Pratt slowly begins finding [[cockroach]]es around his apartment. Being a fanatical insect hater, Pratt arms himself with [[Insecticide|bug spray]] in an attempt to combat the insects. Before long, someone manages to get through on Pratt's private line. The caller turns out to be Norman Castonmeyer's widow Lenore, who tearfully recalls her husband's final moments and curses Pratt for causing his death. After finding pieces of cockroaches in his [[food processor]], Pratt receives a call from the [[building superintendent]] Carl Reynolds, currently on vacation in [[Orlando, Florida|Orlando]]. Despite his vacation, Pratt forces Reynolds to send the building's [[handyman]] Mr. White to call an [[Pest control|exterminator]] under the threat of firing him.

Soon after, Pratt discovers more cockroaches in a box of cereal, trying and failing to crush any that he can. Mr. White soon arrives outside Pratt's door, and tells him (speaking in a stereotypical [[minstrel show|minstrel]] voice to mock him) that he is calling a 24 hour [[fumigation]] service. A [[rolling blackout]] then heads towards the building. During the blackout, cockroaches numbering in the hundreds of thousands begin pouring out of every nook and cranny in Pratt's apartment. As the insects overwhelm Pratt, he activates the emergency power and attempts to call the police for assistance. The police are unfortunately unable to be of any help because of the blackout, nor is Mr. White who is stuck in the elevator.

At his wit's end, Pratt locks himself inside a climate-controlled [[panic room]] to escape the growing swarm of cockroaches. He gets another call from Lenore, who continues to curse at him. It's during this call that Pratt finds his bed covers wriggling, and he removes them to discover that the cockroaches have already invaded the panic room. With no way for Pratt to escape, the cockroach swarm charges at him, which induces a [[Cardiac arrest|fatal heart attack]].

When electricity returns to the building, the apartment is utterly devoid of cockroaches. Pratt's corpse is shown in the panic room as Mr. White calls in to report. When he gets no answer, Mr. White mockingly asks Pratt "Bugs got your tongue?" Pratt's body soon begins to contort as cockroaches burst out of his mouth and chest, re-enveloping the panic room. Mr. White continues to call Pratt's name to get a response, then calls him a bastard when he gets no answer. A panel with the Creep on it has him stating that the cockroaches can hide anywhere.

===Epilogue===
The next morning, two garbage collectors find the ''Creepshow'' comic book on the curb. They look at the book's ads for X-ray specs and a Charles Atlas-type bodybuilding course. They also see the advertisement for the Voodoo doll, but lament that the order form has already been redeemed. They read from the bodybuilding course advertisement that also asks the readers if they are tired of someone kicking sand in your face.

Inside the Hopkins house, Stan complains to his wife that he is suffering from a stiff neck, figuring that he must have strained it. Upstairs, Billy is revealed to have sent away for the voodoo doll and has decorated it with a piece of his father's clothing and some of his hair. Stan clutches his throat in [[pain]] as Billy repeatedly and gleefully jabs the voodoo doll with a pin, finally getting revenge on his father for his abuse.

The images of Billy jabbing the doll becomes the cover of the next issue of ''Creepshow''. The Creep is seen holding the same comic book, laughing sinisterly as a candle goes out.

==Cast==
'''Wraparound Story'''
* [[Joe Hill (writer)|Joe King]] as Billy Hopkins
* [[Tom Atkins (actor)|Tom Atkins]] (uncredited) as Stan Hopkins
* Iva Jean Saraceni as Mrs. Hopkins
* Marty Schiff as Garbageman #1
* [[Tom Savini]] as Garbageman #2

'''Father's Day'''
* [[Carrie Nye]] as Sylvia Grantham
* [[Viveca Lindfors]] as Bedelia Grantham
* [[Ed Harris]] as Hank Blaine
* [[Warner Shook]] as Richard Grantham
* Elizabeth Regan as Cass Blaine
* [[Jon Lormer]] as Nathan Grantham
* [[John Amplas]] as Nathan's Corpse
* Nann Mogg as Mrs. Danvers
* Peter Messer as Yarbro

'''The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verrill'''
* [[Stephen King]] as Jordy Verrill
* [[Bingo O'Malley]] as:
** Jordy's Father
** Doctor

'''Something to Tide You Over'''
* [[Leslie Nielsen]] as Richard Vickers
* [[Ted Danson]] as Harry Wentworth
* [[Gaylen Ross]] as Becky Vickers
* [[Richard Gere]] (uncredited) as Man on TV<ref>{{cite web|last=Kennedy|first=Michael|title=Every Future Movie Star in Creepshow|date=29 May 2020|publisher=[[Screen Rant]]|url=https://screenrant.com/creepshow-movie-future-stars/|access-date=6 September 2020}}</ref><ref name="amazing">{{cite web|last=Fahnestalk|first=Steve|title=CREEPSHOW RESURRECTED! (Shudder….)|url=https://amazingstories.com/2019/11/creepshow-resurrected-shudder/|work=[[Amazing Stories]]|date=November 15, 2019|access-date=August 18, 2021|archive-date=August 18, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210818154257/https://amazingstories.com/2019/11/creepshow-resurrected-shudder/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

'''The Crate'''
* [[Hal Holbrook]] as Henry Northup
* [[Adrienne Barbeau]] as Wilma "Billie" Northup
* [[Fritz Weaver]] as Dexter Stanley
* [[Robert Harper (actor)|Robert Harper]] as Charlie Gereson
* [[Don Keefer]] as Mike the Janitor
* [[Christine Forrest]] as Tabitha Raymond
* Chuck Aber as Richard Raymond
* Cletus Anderson as Host 
* Katie Karlovitz as Maid
* Darryl Ferrucci (uncredited) as Fluffy

'''They're Creeping Up on You'''
* [[E. G. Marshall]] as Upson Pratt
* David Early as Mr. White
* Mark Tierno (uncredited) as the voice of Carl Reynolds
* Ann Muffly (uncredited) as the voice of Lenora Castonmeyer
* [[Ned Beatty]] (uncredited) as the voice of Bob Bean<ref name="amazing"/>

==Production==
[[Image:Styleexamplescreepshow.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Several screenshots from the film, demonstrating the way comic-book imagery and effects were used extensively by director George A. Romero to recreate the feel of classic 1950s EC horror comics, such as ''[[Tales from the Crypt (comics)|Tales from the Crypt]]]]"Father's Day", "Something to Tide You Over" and "They're Creeping Up on You!" are original stories by King written for the film. "The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verrill" is based on King's short story "[[Weeds (short story)|Weeds]]" and "The Crate" is based on [[The Crate|the short story of the same name]].

In keeping with Romero's tradition of filming in and around the Pittsburgh area, most of the film was shot in an empty all-girls school located outside [[Greensburg, Pennsylvania]]. The school was converted into a film studio, and the episodes "The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verrill" and "They're Creeping Up on You", as well as the prologue and epilogue, were filmed in their entirety at the former school. Filming took place at the Greensburg location throughout 1981.<ref name="Tiech">{{Cite book |title=Pittsburgh Film History: On Set in the Steel City |last=Tiech |first=John |publisher=The History Press |year=2013 |isbn=978-1609497095 |pages=39–40}}</ref>

In a 2015 interview with ''[[The A.V. Club]]'', Ted Danson explained the brief shot of his character drowning underwater: "So they make a little aquarium tank. I got in a wetsuit and climbed in, and somebody would reach down with an oxygen tank ventilator thingy, and I'd breathe, and then they'd take that out. And there was a yoke made out of... I don't know, wood and fake sand, so it looked like my head was buried in the sand, underwater."<ref>{{cite web|last=Harris|first=Will|title=Ted Danson on Fargo, Damages, Cheers, and Leslie Nielsen's fart machine|date=7 December 2015|work=[[The A.V. Club]]|url=https://avclub.com/article/ted-danson-fargo-damages-cheers-and-leslie-nielsen-228795|access-date=7 January 2016}}</ref>

Ray Mendez, an [[entomologist]] with the [[American Museum of Natural History]], and David Brody provided 20,000 cockroaches for the segment "They're Creeping Up on You".<ref>{{Cite book |title=Encyclopedia of Insects |url=https://archive.org/details/encyclopediainse00resh_059 |url-access=limited |last1=Resh |first1=Vincent H. |last2=Cardé |first2=Ring T. |publisher=Academic Press |year=2009 |isbn=9780080920900 |page=[https://archive.org/details/encyclopediainse00resh_059/page/n710 674]}}</ref> In the final scene of the segment—in which the room is almost filled with cockroaches—many of the apparent insects were actually nuts and raisins, as specified by Tom Savini.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Grande Illusions |url=https://archive.org/details/grandeillusions00savi |url-access=limited |last=Savini |first=Tom |author-link=Tom Savini |publisher=Imagine Inc. |year=1989 |isbn=978-0911137002 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/grandeillusions00savi/page/n127 127]}}</ref>

== Release ==
''Creepshow'' was given a four-week test release in Boston during July 1982 to get a sense of how to market it later on, with the hugely successful results convincing Warner Bros. that they had a hit on their hands. It went into wide release on Wednesday, November 10, 1982.<ref name=AFI>{{AFI film|56749}}</ref> In its opening weekend, ''Creepshow'' grossed $5,870,889 from 1,127 theatres, ranking number 1 at the U.S. box office, replacing ''[[First Blood]]'' in the top spot,<ref>{{cite web | url=https://boxofficemojo.com/weekend/chart/?yr=1982&wknd=46&p=.htm | title=Weekend Box Office Results for November 12–14, 1982 - Box Office Mojo | publisher=[[Box Office Mojo]] | access-date=2010-08-09}}</ref> and had a five-day total of $8,003,017.<ref name="harmetz">{{cite news | last = Harmetz | first = Aljean | title = Autumn at the Movies | work = [[The New York Times]] | page = 23 | date = November 18, 1982 }}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date=November 17, 1982|page=3|title='Creepshow' Leads B.O. Upswing; 'First Blood' Still Flows Strong|last=Ginsberg|first=Steven}}</ref> In total it grossed $21,028,755 in the United States and Canada,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=creepshow.htm|title=Creepshow|publisher=boxofficemojo.com|access-date=2011-04-02}}</ref> making it the highest grossing [[horror film]] for Warner Bros. that year.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://boxofficemojo.com/yearly/chart/?yr=1982&p=.htm|title=1982 Domestic Grosses|publisher=boxofficemojo.com|access-date=2011-04-02}}</ref>

==Reception==
[[Rotten Tomatoes]] gave the film a 66% approval rating based on 76 reviews; the average rating is 6.3/10. The site's consensus reads: "It's uneven, as anthologies often are, but ''Creepshow'' is colorful, frequently funny, and treats its inspirations with infectious reverence."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://rottentomatoes.com/m/creepshow/|title=Creepshow (1982)|work=[[Rotten Tomatoes]]|access-date=2025-08-13}}</ref> [[Roger Ebert]] gave the film three out of four stars and wrote, "Romero and King have approached this movie with humor and affection, as well as with an appreciation of the macabre".<ref name="ebert">{{cite news | last = Ebert | first = Roger | title = ''Creepshow'' | work = [[Chicago Sun-Times]] | date = January 1, 1982 | url = http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19820101/REVIEWS/201010314/1023 | access-date = 2009-01-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060905194016/http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19820101/REVIEWS/201010314/1023|archive-date=5 September 2006 }} [https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/creepshow-1982 Alt URL]</ref> In his review for ''[[The New York Times]]'', Vincent Canby wrote, "The best things about ''Creepshow'' are its carefully simulated comic-book tackiness and the gusto with which some good actors assume silly positions. Horror film purists may object to the levity even though failed, as a lot of it is".<ref name="canby">{{cite news | last = Canby | first = Vincent | title = ''Creepshow'', in Five Parts | work = [[The New York Times]] | date = November 10, 1982 | url = https://www.nytimes.com/1982/11/10/movies/creepshow-in-five-parts.html | access-date = 2009-01-23 }}</ref> Gary Arnold, in his review for ''[[The Washington Post]]'', wrote, "What one confronts in ''Creepshow'' is five consistently stale, derivative horror vignettes of various lengths and defects".<ref name="arnold">{{cite news | last = Arnold | first = Gary | title = Oh, Horror! Oh, Yawn! ''Creepshow''; Five Stale Vignettes Plus One Redeeming Monster | newspaper = [[The Washington Post]] | page = 17 | date = November 12, 1982|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1982/11/12/oh-horror-oh-yawn-creepshow/98ab269e-81d5-43e6-a0b5-ff2f28786ae8/ }}</ref> In his review for ''[[The Globe and Mail]]'', [[Jay Scott]] wrote, "The Romero-King collaboration has softened both the horror and the cynicism, but not by enough to betray the sources&nbsp;— ''Creepshow'' is almost as funny and as horrible as the filmmakers would clearly love it to be".<ref name="scott">{{cite news | last = Scott | first = Jay | title = It may be slow at times, but ''Creepshow'' has its share of spookies | work = [[The Globe and Mail]] | date = November 10, 1982 }}</ref> [[David Ansen]], in his review for ''[[Newsweek]]'', wrote, "For anyone over 12 there's not much pleasure to be had watching two masters of horror deliberately working beneath themselves. ''Creepshow'' is a ''faux-naif'' horror film: too arch to be truly scary, too elemental to succeed as satire".<ref name="ansen">{{cite news | last = Ansen | first = David | title = The Roaches Did It | work = [[Newsweek]] | date = November 22, 1982 }}</ref> In his review for ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'', Richard Corliss wrote, "But the treatment manages to be both perfunctory and languid; the jolts can be predicted by any ten-year-old with a stopwatch. Only the story in which Evil Plutocrat E.G. Marshall is eaten alive by cockroaches mixes giggles and grue in the right measure".<ref name="corliss">{{cite magazine | last = Corliss | first = Richard | title = Jolly Contempt | magazine = [[Time (magazine)|Time]] | date = November 22, 1982 | url = http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,955051,00.html | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20101015042821/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,955051,00.html | url-status = dead | archive-date = October 15, 2010 | access-date = 2009-01-23 }}</ref>

''[[Bravo (U.S. TV network)|Bravo]]'' awarded it the 99th spot on their "The 100 Scariest Movie Moments", mostly for the scene with the cockroaches bursting out of Upson Pratt's body.<ref>{{cite web|title=The 100 Scariest Movie Moments |url=http://www.bravotv.com/The_100_Scariest_Movie_Moments/index.shtml |work=BravoTV.com |access-date=July 18, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071030070540/http://www.bravotv.com/The_100_Scariest_Movie_Moments/index.shtml |archive-date=October 30, 2007 }}</ref>

==Home media==
The film was first released in 1983 on [[VHS]] and [[CED Videodisc]].

In the [[United States]], Warner Bros. released a one-disc set on October 26, 1999, with the only extra feature being the film's trailer. No other special features have ever been released with the Region 1 version. The Region 1 DVD was a two-sided disc. One side was the 1.85:1 transfer (widescreen) version of the film and the other side was the full-screen version.

A two-disc Special Edition DVD of ''Creepshow'' was released on October 22, 2007, in the [[United Kingdom|UK]]. The discs feature a brand new widescreen transfer of the film sourced from the original master, a making-of documentary running 90 minutes (titled ''Just Desserts: The Making of Creepshow''), behind-the-scenes footage, rare [[deleted scene]]s, galleries, a commentary track with director [[George A. Romero]] and make-up effects artist, [[Tom Savini]], and more. The owner of Red Shirt Pictures, Michael Felsher is responsible for the special edition, the [[Documentary film|documentary]] and [[audio commentary]] in particular.

On September 8, 2009, the film was released on Blu-ray. Again the only special feature is the film's trailer. [[Scream Factory]] re-released the film on Blu-ray with new special features (along with most of the ones from the UK release) on October 23, 2018. This release is sourced from a brand new 4K scan of the original camera negative, despite the fact there was some criticism with the 5.1 audio track having been pitched too high and having sync issues (the included stereo track however has no issues).<ref>{{Citation|title=Creepshow Blu-ray (Collector's Edition)|url=https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Creepshow-Blu-ray/209360/|access-date=October 30, 2021}}</ref>

Second Sight acquired the license to release a new Blu-ray in the United Kingdom. It contains all of the special features included in the special two-disc edition which was released in 2007. It also contains a new audio commentary with Director of Photography Michael Gornick, Actor John Amplas, Property Master Bruce Alan Green and make-up effects assistant Darryl Ferrucci.

On June 27, 2023, [[Shout! Studios|Scream Factory]] released a [[Ultra HD Blu-ray|4K Ultra HD Blu-ray]] of the film, featurning a "2023 4K scan of the original camera negative supervised and approved by director of photography Michael Gornick" and new [[Dolby Atmos]] audio track, together with the 5.1 and stereo tracks included on the 2018 Blu-ray release.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Creepshow [Collector's Edition] |url=https://shoutfactory.com/products/creepshow-collector-s-edition |access-date=2024-01-23 |website=Shout! Factory |language=en}}</ref>

==Soundtrack==
{{Main|Creepshow (soundtrack)}}

==Legacy, sequels, and adaptations==
The film was adapted into an actual comic book [[Creepshow (comics)|of the same name]] soon after the film's release. [[Bernie Wrightson]], known for his work on ''[[Heavy Metal (film)|Heavy Metal]]'' and Warren magazines, and fittingly influenced by the 1950s E.C. Comics, did the artwork and is also the uncredited writer of the comic.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.tcj.com/the-berni-wrightson-interview/|title = The Berni Wrightson Interview|date = 22 March 2017}}</ref>

''[[Tales from the Darkside]]'' was the television spin-off.  Due to [[Warner Bros. Pictures|Warner Bros.]] holding certain rights including the name Creepshow, the title was changed.

A [[sequel]], ''[[Creepshow 2]]'', was released in 1987, and was once again based on Stephen King short stories, with a screenplay from ''Creepshow'' director George A. Romero. The film contained only three tales of horror (due to budget constraints) as opposed to the original's five stories.

Another sequel, ''[[Creepshow 3]]'', featuring no involvement from Stephen King, George A. Romero, or anyone else involved in the production of the first two films, was released [[direct-to-video]] in 2007 (though it was finished in 2006) to mostly negative reviews. This film, in a fashion similar to the original ''Creepshow'', features five short, darkly comedic [[Horror fiction|horror]] stories.

Taurus Entertainment (rights holders of the original ''Creepshow'') licensed the rights to [[Jace Hall]], of HDFILMS, a Burbank, California company, to produce ''Creepshow: RAW'', a [[web series]] based upon the original film. The [[pilot episode]] for ''Creepshow: RAW'' was wrapped on July 30, 2008. The pilot was directed by [[Wilmer Valderrama]] and features [[Michael Madsen]]. No other episodes have been produced.

Another ''[[Creepshow (TV series)|Creepshow]]'' television series was announced in July 2018, which was produced by [[Greg Nicotero]] and streamed on [[Shudder (streaming service)|Shudder]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.denofgeek.com/uk/go/59189|title=Creepshow TV series stories confirmed|website=Den of Geek}}{{Dead link|date=July 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> Each episode of the series consisted of two stories. On January 16, 2019, it was announced that one of the segments of the pilot episode will be based on Stephen King's short story, "[[Survivor Type]]" from his 1985 collection, ''[[Skeleton Crew (short story collection)|Skeleton Crew]]''.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Cavanaugh|first=Patrick|title=First 'Creepshow' Series Details Emerge About 'The Walking Dead' Director's Entry|url=https://comicbook.com/horror/2019/01/16/creepshow-shudder-greg-nicotero-episode-details/|website=ComicBook|access-date=March 12, 2019|date=January 16, 2019}}</ref> Adrienne Barbeau will return in a new role, and [[Tobin Bell]] will contribute a role.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.upi.com/Entertainment_News/TV/2019/04/06/Giancarlo-Esposito-Adrienne-Barbeau-booked-for-Creepshow-episode/4291554549577/|title=Giancarlo Esposito, Adrienne Barbeau booked for 'Creepshow' episode|website=UPI}}</ref> On July 19, 2019, it was announced that the series will premiere on September 26, 2019.<ref>{{cite web|title=Video: Shudder Releases First "Creepshow" Trailer at San Diego Comic-Con, Announces September 26 Series Debut|url=http://www.thefutoncritic.com/video/2019/07/19/video-shudder-releases-first-creepshow-trailer-at-san-diego-comic-con-announces-september-26-series-debut-276503/20190719shudder01/|work=[[The Futon Critic]]|date=July 19, 2019}}</ref> The series spawned a tie-in novel from Scholastic Books entitled ''Creepshow: The Taker'', featuring two novellas inspired from the show.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://kids.scholastic.com/kids/book/creepshow-the-taker-by-elley-cooper/|title=Creepshow: The Taker|website=scholastic.com}}</ref> A follow-up novel is scheduled for release in April 2021, entitled ''Creepshow: The Cursed'', also featuring two novellas inspired by the show.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/creepshow-scholastic/1137050838?ean=9781338631241|title=Creepshow: The Cursed|website=barnesandnoble.com}}</ref> On October 30, 2019, the series was renewed for a second season, which premiered on April 1, 2021. On February 18, 2021, the series was renewed for a third season.

On August 3, 2019, [[Universal Destinations & Experiences]] announced that ''Creepshow'' would be coming to [[Halloween Horror Nights]] exclusively at its [[Universal Studios Hollywood]] theme park. The maze featured three segments from the 1982 movie as well as two others from the newly made web television version for Shudder.<ref>{{cite web|title='Creepshow' announced for Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Hollywood|url=https://attractionsmagazine.com/creepshow-halloween-horror-nights-ush/|author=Brittani Tuttle|work=Attractions Magazine|date=August 3, 2019}}</ref>

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{wikiquote}}
* {{AFI film|56749}}
* {{mojo title|creepshow}}
* {{IMDb title|0083767}}
* {{rotten-tomatoes|creepshow}}

{{Stephen King}}
{{Media based on Stephen King works}}
{{George A. Romero}}
{{The Creepshow Trilogy}}

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[[Category:1982 films]]
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[[Category:Creepshow films]]
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