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Retro Reviews: Creepshow

1982 was the year that saw the horror stars align. Written by Stephen King. Directed by George Romero. Makeup FX by Tom Savini.The film was Creepshow. And it proved to be one of the more popular anthology films amongst horror fans.

With horror films taking off into various franchises and comedies hitting their stride in the 80's, the combination of both genres became a natural marriage. There are only a handful of filmmakers able to tackle the horror/comedy genre because it often falls flat on its face.

The melding of these genres long before they gestated onto the silver screen. In the 1950's, William Gaines would create a comic book company known as EC Comics. Becoming quickly under fire by conservative groups of the time and facing allegations of causing juvenile delinquency, the comics would become banned. A number of genre filmmakers took influence from these comics. One of them being a young George Romero. After all, one of the most common stories of the three big titles (Tales From the Crypt, Vault of Horror & Haunt of Fear) was the 'walking zombies' story.

Creepshow is essentially 5 stories in the EC tradition that's filled with ghoulish glee and devilish delight.

First up we have Father's Day, where Nathan Grantham returns from the grave to seek retibution on those who did him wrong. The Lonesome Death of Jody Verrill stars Stephen King himself as the titular character. A 'nunkead' who ends up coming across a meteor that gives a whole new meaning to the term "going green." The third returns back to walking zombie type story. It's called Something To Tide You Over and stars Leslie Nielsen in one of his few villianous roles. The Crate, my personal favorite is probably the goriest. A demonic, ape-like monster that hibernates underneath the stairs in the basement of a college conservatory. Finally, we have They're Creeping In You. E.G. Marshal stars as a germophobe who is overrun by cockroaches in his penthouse apartment.


















Just look at the cast: Adrienne Barbeau, Hal Halbrook, E.G. Marshal, Ted Danson, Leslie Nielsen, a young Ed Harris and Fritz Weaver. That's all you need right there. Not to mention, the macabre piano driven score the film has. The closest another anthology film has come to capturing the macabre sense of black humor that EC Comics had was Trick R Treat from 2008.

FLIP SIDES 2

The Social Network (2010)

David Fincher always brings a high level of excellence to each project he is working on. Even if it is a potboiler like Panic Room or the misfire of Curious Case of Benjamin Button, they all have one thing in common: impeccable craftmanship. This film is no different. Fincher's style has recently been internalized and is letting the content drive the story. The flash and flair of Se7en and Fight Club may not be there visually, but the tone has sure creeped into it.

I was weary of a film about facebook. But after hearing Fincher was attached and seeing the well put together trailer, it peaked my interest in the material.

Fincher spins a web of betrayal, blackmail and deceit around the characters. The primary being Mark Zuckerberg, now the world's youngest billionaire. Mark is a man who is possessed by the possibilities of social interaction online. Yet as the gap widens online, the barrier for human interaction closes in on Mark. What I found just as riveting were the secondary characters. The characters of the Winkervoss twins and Mark's friend Eduardo made for dynamic storytelling.

Aaron Sorkin's script and wordplay are one of a kind. The rapid fire dialogue will coil around you and strap you into your seat. It's not like we are seeing cracks in the Zuckerberg armor as the film goes on. The flaws rear their ugly head from scene one. In it we are introduced too Mark as he "sets a landspeed record for talking" when discussing getting into clubs to a girl. The use of intercutting between depositions gives this material a narrative pull and makes the bridge between past and present structurally sound. But more than that, it's a comment on both exclusivity and just how easy it is to get caught up in the business of getting their first.

Being a huge fan of Nine Inch Nails, I was elegaic when I heard Trent Reznor was scoring this film. The score never screams attention to itself when taken in context with the whole. It moves the scenes along with a natural rhythm. It's a soundtrack I'll be definately purchasing.

Zodiac, two films prior to this one, drew upon a theme of obssessiveness. The protagonist Robert Graysmith had a quest to find the true identity of the Zodiac killer. Yet, his quest ended up overtaking his life with his wife & child. Mark Zuckerberg's quest is completely different but he is still just as obssessive as the protagonists in Fincher's previous films.

5/5

An excellent day for an exorcism

Watching The Exorcist: The Director's Cut in the theater reminded me of something sorely missing in cinema these days- great horror films. No shitty jump scares. No large crashes of the soundtrack. The scares are genuine. The tension was palpable in the audience I was in. People were cringing, covering their eyes and were geuinely terrified.

Being that the horror movie is one of the most profitable genres of film (thus there being a cornucopia of crappy horror movies), it has become harder to find one that is effective. We had it in 2005 with Rob Zombie's The Devils Rejects.

So I'm asking, what are some of your favorite horror films of the past decade?

May I smoke my pipe?

So I'm sitting in the theater watching Inglourious Basterds for the first time. Along comes the now famous scene of Hans Landa and Pierrer LaPadite sitting at a table. At that point a quote by Hitchcock was brought to mind that is used to describe ways to create tension: "There's two people having breakfast and there's a bomb under the table. If it explodes, that's a surprise. But if it doesn't..."

In this case, Robert Richardson's camera literally goes under the table to uncover not a bomb, but Jews underneath the floor boards. From the moment Landa walked in, he knew. It's a scene that not only builds tension but character. The calculating nature of this villian is on display. Like a cat toying with its prey before going in for the kill.

There's another moment of a similar nature: the scene in the underground bar. Large exchanges of dialogue set us up for an explosion of violence. And again, the "under the table" device is used. Only this time it's handguns pointed at testicles. It's scenes like these where Tarantino is on his A game and in complete service of the story.

Name That Connection

Name the other film with Tom Cruise and that magical number 82.