Board 8 > Board 8 Watches and Ranks 80s Horror - The Rankings

(+) Yeah! (+)

Can't believe Creepshow is still hanging on.

Excellent
1) ?
2) ?
3) ?

Great
4) ?
5) ?

Good
6) ?
7) ?
8) Pet Sematary (1989)

Didn't Like
9) ?
10) ?
11) Tetsuo: The Iron Man (1989)

Watched as a teenager, had planned to rewatch before ranking them
Friday the 13th (1980)
?
?

"Tetuso is one of the most thoroughly unpleasant experiences I've ever had watching a movie, and even though it had the shortest runtime in the project it was still way too long."

This comment from Karo sums up my thoughts perfectly. I was very certain that this was going to be my 30/30 if I had finished the project. It was also the last movie in the project I watched. Coincidence? Yeah maybe.

Great_Paul posted...

"Tetsuo is one of the most thoroughly unpleasant experiences I've ever had watching a movie"

Prettttyyyy much. The first time I tried watching it, I bailed after about a minute when the dude just starts cutting his arm open. It's only not 30th for me because the stop-motion is pretty wild. I recommend just reading the synopsis on Wikipedia and wondering how the hell something like that could be put to film.

Snake5555555555 posted...

Decades before films like Martyrs or Antichrist pushed the boundaries of bodily violation

Snake5555555555 posted...

Tetsuo's raw energy and unapologetic violence of course paved the way for the wave of Asian Extreme horror to come too, notable examples of its influence seen in films like Audition

Yeeaaahhhhh....those movies had a point, though

Bitto cashes in on Tetsuo and grinds into 3rd place!

VEGAS ODDSBOARD:
+650 Creepshow (1982)
+650 Re-Animator (1985)
+800 Fright Night (1985)
+1000 Possession (1981)
+1000 Phenomena (1985)
+1250 Gremlins (1984)
+1500 Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986)

+200 Any Other Movie (+2000 if guessed correctly)

Current Leaderboard:
1) Inviso $1750 (Killer Klowns From Outer Space 600, Sleepaway Camp 650, Basket Case 500)
1) Exdeath $1750 (Friday the 13th 500, Killer Klowns From Outer Space 600, Sleepaway Camp 650)
2) Lightning $1650 (Friday the 13th 500, Sleepaway Camp 650, Basket Case 500)
3) Bitto $1250 (Tetsuo: The Iron Man 600, Sleepaway Camp 650)
4) Johnbobb $1150 (Friday the 13th 500, Sleepaway Camp 650)
5) Seginus $650 (Sleepaway Camp 650)
5) Karo $650 (Sleepaway Camp 650)
6) jcgamer $600 (Killer Klowns From Outer Space 600)

The House Won On:

• +1000 Pet Sematary (1989)
• +1000 Prince of Darkness (1987)
• +2000 Childs Play (1988)

Sticking with Creepshow.

Also guessing Creepshow, just because it feels bizarre to still have in, when its tone and filmmaking is very similar to Killer Klowns.

I dont want to get into it due to list spoilers but Im looking forward to talking about Creepshow!

On which note Inviso we actually agree on quite a few things about Videodrome there but lets hold off until it drops!

Espeon posted...

Also guessing Creepshow, just because it feels bizarre to still have in, when its tone and filmmaking is very similar to Killer Klowns.

The filmmaking behind Killer Klowns is so much better tbh.

Well as my bottom 8 have all gone meaning that just from whats been revealed so far you can tell I ranked Creepshow above Killer Klowns, I disagree. Also, Creepshow has genuinely creepy Leslie Neilsen.

I will also stay on Creepshow

Anthology films are among my personal favorite types of films so incorporate that into your predictions if you so wish!

I don't see why anyone would think the filmmaking behind Creepshow is even on par with Killer Klowns. They couldn't even competently light a scene in Creepshow. Even the best short in that, the Ted Danson and Leslie Neilsen one looks like a daytime drama While Killer Klowns has a lot of genuinely good looking exterior sequences and interesting and complicated effects.

plasmabeam posted...

Bitto cashes in on Tetsuo and grinds into 3rd place!

jcgamer107 posted...

Tetsuo and let it ride

and I'll guess Possession next

8 of my bottom 10 still in. Lord...

Try Fright Night again

Yeah ok it feels like creepshow time

Back in university, I did a module on horror films. Each week we had a screening session and a discussion session. One week, the film was Tetsuo. I looked up each of the films before the screening to get an idea of what to expect, and after looking up Tetsuo, I decided to bail on that week's screening. Across the three year course, I can count on one hand with fingers left over the number of sessions I missed, and this was one of them. Reading the Tetsuo reviews has further convinced me that Past Me had the right idea. Then again, reading along, part of me does regret not signing up as there been some really interesting sounding films so far. Maybe I should have manned up and powered through Tetsuo anyway!

Also, I burst out laughing at the Krang comparison in the Basket Case reviews!

I expected Tetsuo to be divisive, but yeah, that's like a solid split down the middle. Way more people liked it than I would have expected!

At least it was only one hour long.

It's gotta be Creepshow.

I honestly think people would've liked Cannibal Holocaust better or at least comparably so

Alright I'll bite on Creepshow

Snake5555555555 posted...

I honestly think people would've liked Cannibal Holocaust better or at least comparably so

would've been my #30 for sure

JC, I'll get you your money next round. Can't edit the post now.

Cannibal Holocaust is an interesting one since its REALLY nasty but also is actually about something. I dont think it would have gotten the love that Tetsuo did but also probably doesnt get the hate either.

Johnbobb posted...

Snake5555555555 posted...
I honestly think people would've liked Cannibal Holocaust better or at least comparably so

would've been my #30 for sure

Top 10 for me

22. The Lost Boys (1987 / 242 points)
Directed by: Joel Schumacher / Screenplay by: Janice Fischer, James Jeremias, and Jeffrey Boam
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/f/fe8898c7.jpg
Why Its Significant - Prior to The Lost Boys, vampires were typically depicted as aristocratic, brooding figures shrouded in mystery with very rare exceptions. However, David and his gang of young, punk rock bloodsuckers resulted in a cooler take on the classic stock monster, and the rest of the film followed this youthful reimagining, with a soundtrack lead by INXS and Cry Little Sister by Gerard McMann, a brooding goth-rock staple thats been covered by dozens of artists since its release and remains a yearly Halloween anthem. What resulted was something that almost wasn't even horror anymore - it was trendy, it was slick, it was hip, it resembled high-concept movies produced by Jerry Bruckheimer & Don Simpson. Placing teenage brothers as the protagonists only enhanced this feeling, their struggles with adolescence, peer pressure, and family drama resonating perfectly with young viewers at the time. The influence of The Lost Boys can be seen in countless horror properties that followed - mostly teen-focused, pseudo-horror, shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer or the books & films of Twilight taking inspiration from the film's portrayal of alluring, yet dangerous vampires and a trend towards teenage audiences. So yes, its safe to say you can blame The Lost Boys for Twilight. The Lost Boys received two sequels and multiple comic book series.

The Rankers
Bitto - 5
Johnbobb - 10
Fortybelowsummer - 13
Lightning - 13
Evilordexdeath - 15
Inviso - 17
Mythiot - 17
Plasmabeam - 19
Karo - 25
Seginustemple - 25
Rockus - 26
Snake - 28
Jcgamer107 - 29

Bitto - Rating: B+

Excellent premise for a movie. I especially like that there's two really strong tones: a brooding movie about transformation and peer pressure for the older brother and a lighthearted, more heroic movie for the younger brother. I also like that the younger brother refused to kill the older brother and instead look for a way to change him back to normal. I wish there were a few more characters so that there's more suspicion on who the head vampire is, but this is a pretty big cast already. The humor and jokes are spot on too. Though, as someone who lived very close to Santa Cruz, it was jarring to hear everyone call it "Santa Carla" when it's obviously Santa Cruz.

Johnbobb - sorry don't have time to do a write-up, too busy listening to Cry Little Sister on repeat

Fortybelowsummer - No 80s-centric list would be complete without the two Coreys! The Lost Boys was largely (perhaps single-handedly) responsible for how vampires were depicted in popular culture. It ushered in the new era of young, cool, and sexy vampires as a modern alternative to the traditional (some would say dated) Dracula types of old. Vampires have always been sexy and cool, but never before did they ride motorcycles, sneering and smirking with beautiful mullets and rad dangly earrings. The movie itself is definitely more style than substance, but thats ok. The plot is pretty thin, but its funny, the cinematography is great, and most importantly its just very watchable. Also, theres no way Im ending this writeup without mentioning that the soundtrack, especially the theme song, Cry Little Sister, absolutely slaps. For a good portion of an entire generation, Lost Boys is the best vampire movie that there is, and while Im not in that portion myself, it is definitely up there.

Lightning - One thing about living in Santa Carla I never could stomach, all the damn vampires.

Among each and every movie on this list, The Lost Boys may be the most quintessentially 80s. From the hair to the style to the themes to the increasing self awareness, it almost feels like it learned from the seven previous years of horror movies and combined them into one film. Of course along with Fright Night this is also a key influence on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, giving it a lot of the setting as well as the romantic and teenage elements. This film was both very influenced by its era and very influential on the next era and its easy to see why.

This is just a really enjoyable, really stylish film that sets a unique tone and atmosphere while also being a lot of fun. I think one of my favourite moments is the montage right at the beginning where you see the sundrenched seaside town and people living it up intercut with missing persons posters showing us that something is definitely not right here. Joel Schumacher (of Batman and Robin fame) really uses his exaggerated, neon drenched style to full effect here, creating a world that seems both alluring and threatening. Keifer Sutherland gives a great villain performance too, with some truly remarkable hair. The jokes also still land today, it might be the funniest film on this list and its not even one of the comedies.

This is not a perfect film, you can see the twist coming a mile away (also the film gets very flimsy with its own rules there), it does sag a bit in the middle and the addiction metaphor is tremendously obvious. However, it really is a film you can just let wash over you and soak it in like the Santa Carla sun those vampires are avoiding.

Also, saxophone guy the best

4/5

Evilordexdeath - Years before I ever saw this movie, when my mother introduced me to online piracy by downloading songs on Bearshare, I heard the song Cry Little Sister and knew that it was from a movie about vampires. I distinctly remember finding the song kind of scary as a kid - it made me think of the idea of an older brother who had become a vampire and was about to kill and feed on his own sister. This is not a scary movie and there are no little sisters in it. It's a goofy movie about four boys, one of whom is a teenage Corey Feldman putting on a deeper voice to try and sound mysterious and tough, who have to fight some vampires. There's also an incredibly cheesy sex scene with funny music, even though the guy involved has more romantic chemistry with Keifer Sutherlands character. The whole thing maintains enough self awareness and a deliberate enough aesthetic that it works.

Inviso - This movies lives or dies on whether you can tolerate Corey Haims annoying, high-pitched pre-teen antics throughout the film. I cantI found him unbearable (and by association, Corey Feldman and Jamison Newlander), and the fact that half the movie is that trio trying to do the standard We know vampires exist and we need to defeat them thing you get in any teen/pre-teen monster movieit wasnt enjoyable. And the other half of the movie with Jason Patric falling in with the wrong crowd and getting inducted into a vampire cultit could have worked, but it came across as a little melodramatic and it made what could have been a comedic vampire movie feel far too much like a teen drama. Eh.

That being said, like a lot of the movies on this list, I do appreciate a fun climax. Granted, the Lost Boys climax comes on pretty quickly when the Coreys and their hit squad take out Bill S. Preston, Esquire, and then have to Home Alone their house to defend against vampires. But still, it is fun to watch a vampire get shoved into a bathtub full of garlic and holy water, and another vampire gets shot via arrow into a stereo system. Plus, Keifer Sutherland is a smug douche, so seeing him get impaled on taxidermy horns was satisfying as well. And also, to be completely fair, I like the concept of a half-vampire struggling not to lose himself, and to fight back against the peer pressure of his alleged sire. It adds a little more complexity than if Haim was just trying to fight back against vampires like a spunky pre-teen. Ultimately though, this is a middling film for me, and I think this placement reflects that.

Plasmabeam - I had a college professor who said this was her all-time favorite movie. Never understood the hype then, and I still dont understand it now.

Karo - So two teenage boys move to this fictional beachfront town in California that to put it mildly, is fucking ridiculous. It seems to be part ghetto, part circus, part hillbilly village, and all stupid.

But you see, this town has a small problem. It is terrorized by a biker gang made out of the absolute worst kind of bikers - vampire bikers!

The older boy gets turned into a vampire thanks to being stupid enough to drink vampire blood from people who already tried to feed him maggots and worms, and his brother gets the help of these stupid teen vampire hunters who are annoying and impossible to take seriously and they all confront the undead horde in a climax featuring a lot of stupidity and AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA.

There is an almost forced sense of cheesiness that permeates the entire film. For such things to work they need to develop organically, here it just feels like they are trying too hard to create a bad cult movie and only succeeding at the bad part.

Regardless, it is a forgettable piece of dreck that should have stayed as lost as these boys.

Seginustemple - All style and no story, but how about that style? Not much of a horror but certainly 80's, it remains engaging as a pop culture time-capsule. You got the two Coreys hamming it up, the garish colors vs. black leather fashion statements, the iconic bodybuilder saxophonist (I still believe!) There's one scene in a neon video store that's like pure, uncut nostalgia. I think where it runs into problems is in trying to straddle two lanes, the kid-friendly Goonies adventure and the more adult wrong-side-of-the-tracks story, and it comes across as tonally at odds with itself. Jason Patric strikes me as a weak link as well, someone more compelling in that lead role would go a long way.

Rockus - I was never a big fan of The Lost Boys and I always preferred Near Dark as my 80s vampire film of choice in which a young man searching for a place to belong gets wrapped up with a gang of counterculture vampire delinquents. But revisiting this its better than I remembered. The first hour of it has a nice 80s music video soft looking fog machine heavy aesthetic that carries a lot of its visuals and makes it look a lot better than I remembered. The Coreys stuff is not great though, and Feldman trying to put on a deep voice the whole time is kind of embarrassing. The twist climax is a bit of a cop-out but I suppose it works if you dont think about it too much. The bathroom vampire kill is the best part of that final sequence, gnarly stuff, almost makes up for how lame the Coreys were in the rest of the movie.

Snake - Eh, I dont know, this one just never really clicked for me. If I was ranking it on the soundtrack alone, its a 10. But unfortunately, the rest of the movie is there. Okay, thats a bit harsh - the initial set-up is promising, but the plot quickly gets bogged down in teenage angst and goofy antics. All the characters are the annoying side of campy and the two protagonists are so stereotypical and one-note. When Kiefer Sutherland is on screen though, then the film suddenly comes alive with his delightful blend of menace and charm. Maybe you had to be there but The Lost Boys just doesnt really resonate with me much at all.

Jcgamer107 - 2/10

Oh man, I thought this was a lock for the top half.

Yeah despite my own personal low-ranking of it I definitely expected this film to do better

Bitto posted...

Oh man, I thought this was a lock for the top half.

Okay, so, honestly...when I was trying to come up with my prediction for Killer Klowns...it was Klowns, Creepshow and Lost Boys that I was debating for 27th place. It just struck me as the kind of movie that wouldn't inspire a lot of high-tier love...and I was ALMOST right.

Woah I expected that to be a top 10 contender for sure

Wow, I legit thought I'd be one of the lowest rankers for TLB. Shocker. Good news for the gambling industry, though.

VEGAS ODDSBOARD:
+650 Creepshow (1982)
+650 Re-Animator (1985)
+800 Fright Night (1985)
+1000 Possession (1981)
+1000 Phenomena (1985)
+1250 Gremlins (1984)
+1500 Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986)

+200 Any Other Movie (+2000 if guessed correctly)

Current Leaderboard:
1) Inviso $1750 (Killer Klowns From Outer Space 600, Sleepaway Camp 650, Basket Case 500)
1) Exdeath $1750 (Friday the 13th 500, Killer Klowns From Outer Space 600, Sleepaway Camp 650)
2) Lightning $1650 (Friday the 13th 500, Sleepaway Camp 650, Basket Case 500)
3) Bitto $1250 (Tetsuo: The Iron Man 600, Sleepaway Camp 650)
4) jcgamer $1200 (Tetsuo: The Iron Man 600, Killer Klowns From Outer Space 600)
5) Johnbobb $1150 (Friday the 13th 500, Sleepaway Camp 650)
6) Seginus $650 (Sleepaway Camp 650)
6) Karo $650 (Sleepaway Camp 650)

The House Won On:

• +1000 Pet Sematary (1989)
• +1000 Prince of Darkness (1987)
• +2000 Childs Play (1988)
• +2000 The Lost Boys (1987)

I totally agree that Near Dark is the superior 80's counterculture vampire movie

Although I have been enjoying "I Still Believe" nearly daily since watching this. The sax guy is immortal, there's even an SNL skit about him

vegas: shot in the dark this time, show me The Changeling

man this one has been tricky to try and predict

I'll go Gremlins again though

Part of me wants to predict Fright Night right after this one, but the fact that its lasted this long and beat out the more contemporary choice means that maybe more people enjoyed it than expected. I've gotta stick with Creep Show at this point, because it strikes me as the third of my predictions for number 27 that's still in, now that Lost Boys and Klowns are out.

Lost Boys is okay. Don't feel bad seeing it drop though.

Still surprised Creepshow is hanging around.

I might do a third ranking tonight to get us started with #20 tomorrow

Let's get in on Creepshow.

Outlier
Fortybelowsummer - 95
Inviso - 69
Jcgamer107 - 68
Karo - 64
Seginustemple - 63
Evilordexdeath - 62
Johnbobb - 61
Bitto - 48
Rockus - 47
Mythiot - 42
Snake - 39
Lightning - 36
Plasmabeam - 35

You don't have to try and beat forty, you just gotta try and keep up.

Thats shocking. This was another one that surprised me with how much I liked it.

Going to stay picking Creepshow, seems like it would get lots of middle rankings.

I too will predict Creepshow

21. Creepshow (1982 / 242 points)
Directed by: George A. Romero / Written by: Stephen King
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/a/a035dfd0.jpg
Why Its Significant - A pure & loving tribute to the horror comics of yesteryear, particularly EC Comics like Tales from the Crypt or The Vault of Horror, Creepshow was about celebrating a brand of horror that reveled in the dark and the strange before censorship took over, and was rife with vibrant comic book colors and campy narration perfectly capturing the tone of said comics. Of course - the creators are important here too. George A. Romero, famed zombie popularizer, and Stephen King, master of horror, uniting in one film with three of the stories here being totally original King works, making it essential viewing for any Stephen King completionist, and Romeros directing with heavy use of practical effects and innovative camerawork creating a visually stunning anthology piece throughout. And sure, while anthology formats have always been popular when it comes to horror in any medium, it just feels like Creepshow changed the game and certainly inspired a whole new wave of films and off-shoots deeply indebted to the film. It received two sequels (though the third may as well be unofficial), inspired the film Cats Eye (another collection of Stephen King tales), Tales from the Darkside TV spin-off (which itself had a spin-off called Monsters), 2018 Shudder TV series, & Halloween Horror Nights attraction.

The Rankers
Karo - 7
Snake - 9
Jcgamer107 - 11
Inviso - 13
Fortybelowsummer - 17
Mythiot - 19
Lightning - 20
Seginustemple - 20
Bitto - 23
Evilordexdeath - 24
Plasmabeam - 24
Johnbobb - 26
Rockus - 29

Karo - A horror anthology presented in the style of a cheesy pulp comic is separated into five shorts that get better as they go along, which are linked together with cool animated scenes that show pages from the magazine (complete with silly ads) in the transition.

Father's Day: This is a standard zombie tale that is highly unremarkable and uninspired, full of questionable costume work and is the very definition of the wrong kind of bad.

The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verril: A bumpkin who has clearly been sampling lead paint chips off the side of his barn fucks around with a meteor and turns into Swamp Thing. It is rather boring.

Something to Tide You Over: A graduate of the Bond School of Overcomplicated Villainy kills two people by drowning them in the high tide and so they come back as zombies and my god please stop with the zombies already that is so passe.

The Crate: A box is found under the stairs and there are bad things inside! This is the first one with any kind of complexity to it (the box goblin could represent evil in the heart of man), and it avoids the predictability of most of the other shorts.

They're Creeping Up on You!: The movie ends with this tale of a neurotic millionaire battling a roach infestation that turns into something truly horrifying. None of the other shorts are really that scary, but this one, oh lord. The bed. The motherfucking bed.

It is an uneven collection of short tales that embraces its stupidity as stylistic choice and it works for the most part. The film is somewhat carried by the latter half, but other than the misadventures of zombie grandpa none could really be considered bad.

Snake - Love, love, love this one! Probably the film that made me fall in love with anthology films my whole life after. Im not sure how many times I watched this as a kid but it was a lot. I love the films aesthetic, the vibrant panels and transitions that seamlessly blend illustration with live action tickling my tastes perfectly. Theres so much to love in each story, from macabre family drama, to goofy almost slapstick-style comedy mixed with body horror, Twilight Zone type cruelty, a creature feature, and my favorite of the bunch (and the one that always freaked me out the most), the creepy and disgusting bug-fest that preys on all sorts of fears. Of course, one throughline is dark comedy, and yeah I pretty much crack-up every time I give this film a watch. The performances are all over the top fantastic, perfectly matching the tone of each short. Its just so much fun every time and sometimes horror truly works best in quick bursts like these.

Jcgamer107 - 6/10

Inviso - This was just a fun movie. Its not the BEST movie, but its a horror film that knows its trying to be camp and knows its trying to tell a bunch of goofy little stories, and none of them really overstay their welcome because theyre not MEANT to be feature-length plots. I dont mind glaring plot holes in a film like this, because youre not supposed to take it seriously; its JUST meant to be creepy and offputting, but there are also some hilariously hammy acting choices that make it enjoyable to watch overall. Of the segments, I would say it goes: Something to Tide You Over > Theyre Creeping Up On You > The Crate > Fathers Day > The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verrill.

Jordy Verrill is dumb fun, and its just a chance for Stephen King (who is not an actorand this movie proves that) hams it up as this over-the-top redneck who gets infected by an alien plant. Its hilariously stupid. Fathers Day isstrange, but it has a fun kill count where this zombie just kills all his shitty relatives (after he gets killed first for being a shithead). Crate is very standard monster movie stuff, but Adrian Barbeau is AMAZING heinous in this, and youre kinda rooting for her henpecked husband to succeed. Creeping Up is an even MORE horrible character who LOVES being fucking horrible to people, and then he gets his absolute comeuppance at the hand of roaches. And Tide is easily my favorite, because Leslie Neilsen is having the time of his life as a charming psychopath, and the premise is so bizarre that it becomes funny in and of itself. The end result is every vignette carries a little bit of weight, and theyre all able to come together into a decent whole.

Fortybelowsummer - Yo dawg, I heard you like rankings so

5. Something to Tide you Over: I kind of have an issue with 2 out of 5 stories having the same premise of revenge from beyond the grave when there are so many other possibilities. Leslie Nielsen is great as the villain in this one, but it has a more serious tone that makes me like it less than Fathers Day. The idea of being buried in the sand with the tide coming in is intriguing, and the dead couple are sufficiently creepy when they come looking for payback. I dont even dislike it, but it is my least favorite of the stories.

4. Theyre Creeping Up on You!: This one hits different if youve ever dealt with cockroaches. Needless to say, they are, as Upson Pratt likes to say, bastards. I had them briefly in an old apartment and they can produce anxiety even if you arent a pathological entomophobe. Crawling all over you and eventually inside you, blech. This one is short, sweet, and effective and if that ending doesnt make your skin crawl at least a little bit then I dont know what to tell you.

3. Fathers Day: Good ol revenge from beyond the grave story. The reanimated old man corpse is definitely scary (wheres his cake?) and the music, atmosphere, and special effects are cool. The birthday cake head is a nice ending, even if it feels a bit abrupt and unsatisfactory not knowing if Richard and Cass get their candles blown out (its implied they do). The introduction of the comic book effects is a fun addition that carries throughout.

2. The Crate: I think its hilarious that the guys reaction to hearing about the crate monster is Perfect! Just the thing Ive been looking for to conveniently kill my bitch wife. The performances in this one are really good, but the star is obviously Fluffy the crate beast. The ape-like creature with fangs and claws that can devour a person whole is exactly the type that you picture lurking under your bed. Or yknow, in a mysterious crate under the stairs or something. Good, gory fun, and I like to think Fluffy was out for more blood after surviving his fall into the quarry.

1. The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verrill: Despite his numerous cameos, I always think about this role when I think about Stephen King movie appearances. I dont know why I like this story so much, but the overly exaggerated dimwit yokel character is funny, and the plot is both silly and unsettling. Honestly, imagine that stuff growing on you and all around you, to the point of knowing you have to kill yourself as it marches ever onward. Pretty messed up.

Like most anthologies, Creepshow has its ups and downs, and it certainly feels like the combo of King, Romero, and Savini could have produced something a bit better, but overall, it really is some of the most fun youll have being scared.

Lightning - Its showtime!

This is a collection of Stephen King stories (with a VERY loose bit of connecting tissue) that includes both short story adaptations and adaptations of a comic he wrote for this film. The whole thing is framed as EC Comics style horror stories and the comicbook styling gives it an aesthetic of pulpy fun.

The first short, Fathers Day, is extremely basic with one of the simplest stories you can imagine. While it is fine theres really no substance to it other than a zombie coming back and killing some people. However, the camp visuals give it a bit of a jolt. The second, The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verrill, just didnt work for me. In this Stephen King plays a truly stereotypical hick character that is just too cartoonish for either the horror or the comedy to work. The third short, Something to Tide You Over, was my favourite, with a young Ted Danson and a surprisingly quite chilling performance from Leslie Neilsen. The setup is effective and the twisted justice is exciting to see unfold. The fourth short, The Crate, is nearly as good, working as a pulpy and effective creature feature. The creature itself works and the lead is suitably loathsome. Lastly Theyre Creeping Up on You is again very simple but it works as a nasty bit of grossout horror that King sometimes enjoys.

Overall, this is a very light collection of stories that vary in quality, and the framing device is so minor it may as well not exist. However they are all in good fun, making this an enjoyable watch.

3/5

Seginustemple - Five vignettes with a pulpy comic-book vibe, I think the one with Leslie Neilson torturing Ted
Dansen is head and shoulders above the rest because it's treated seriously. Those burial/drowning
scenes get pretty intense. Then I would go Stephen King vs. the Kudzu Comet > Birthday Cake
Zombie (featuring Ed Harris dancing) > Dr. Cockroach > Crate Monster, with the last one being
the only real stinker as it drags on too long.

Bitto - Rating: C-

I generally really like short stories and especially horror short stories. So I'm a little shocked that I didn't rank this very high. It's definitely due to The Crate. This is the longest of the stories and the worst by a pretty significant margin. Even outside of its very questionable premise, it just functionally isn't a good story. I feel like the story would be so much better if you cut out basically every character except the Crate and the two chess-playing professors. One of them knows about the Crate and is horrified; the other heard about the Crate and wants to use it nefariously. But whatever, we gotta kill the wifey, am I right??? Anyways, the other short stories are fine. I think my favorite is actually the farmer and the meteor, with an incredible performance by Stephen King. I remember watching this and was like "holy shit, this guy is terrible" but then I learned it was King and I was like "holy shit, this is hilarious". Anyways, it hits the right angle of memorable, horrifying, and funny. I also like the beach one and the cockroach one. They do their job well. The beach one is a little long, but it justifies its length because the rich guy does feel a little unstoppable at first. The cake one is......fine, but feels way too long for what it's going for.

Evilordexdeath - My mom used to sometimes quote "Where's my cake Bedelia?" at random and I never knew before today that it was from this. I think I've seen parts of the middle segment with the two people's heads sticking out of the sand, too. This movie sucks, but I suppose the popularity of its screenwriter has given it some presence in pop culture. This is an anthology film paying homage to old horror comic magazines using five of Stephen King's more half-baked stories. To be fair, there is a certain authenticity to that format, where the limited print space and the authors being less experienced often leads to some pretty silly, insubstantial narratives. The first two in particular don't work even beyond how cheesy they are because you just don't get enough time to know the characters for the "spooky" death scenes to have any kind of meaning. I actually thought the third and fourth stories were alright. The third one, where Leslie Nielsen murders two people by burying them up to their heads in sand and waiting for the tide to come in, is probably the closest the collection comes to being scary because the situation has a bit more reality to it - though it is in my opinion let down a little by and ending where, like the other parts, some dumb horror thing happens for no good reason. The fourth part has a weak-willed academic murder his wife using an abominable snowman his friend accidentally unleashes from an old box in the school basement, and the wife is sufficiently obnoxious that you kind of get where he's coming from. This interests me more as a story because it's built around the choices the characters make while most other parts are driven by the random spooky stuff that happens. Some of the practical effects are cool, particularly the ending of the last story where a man's corpse bursts from the seams with cockroaches, and I liked the stylistic choices like the animated intro and the comic book pages turning between stories, and sometimes it's mildly amusing in a dumb way but I'm just really not into this kind of goofy ultra-cheesy horror themed comedy and was waiting for this one to end.

Plasmabeam - Being a Stephen King fan, I know all about how he was influenced by the Tales from the Crypt comic books as a kid. Sadly this Crypt-inspired collection of stories falls flat for me. The only remotely interesting tale here is the one where people get buried up to their necks at the beach, and thats not enough to elevate the rest.

Johnbobb - This is listed as a horror comedy but so far it's been less funny than most of the non-comedies on this list. This really could've benefitted from some more time in the editing room; I like Leslie Nielsen but the process of "he kills a guy, guy comes back and kills him" didn't need to take half on hour. Weirdly the first story felt the shortest, despite having the most happen; it decided to end on an amiguous freeze frame while other stories spent just so long on obvious conclusions. It's just a shame the stuff happening there was stupid and poorly executed. Biggest surprise here was Stephen King; I've seen him appear in movies based on his works in cameo roles a couple times, but never in a main role like this. Jordy's story is the one that most feels like a horror comedy short story and he's not a great actor but he was at least entertaining. Lonesome Death of Jordy > The Crate > Something to Tide You Over > Father's Day

Rockus - Horror anthology films are often a crapshoot and Creepshow is no different. It starts out pretty rough with the first two shorts being pretty bad. The second one with Stephen King turning into some kind of alien plant is the low point. Its dull and Stephen King gives one of the worst performances Ive seen in ages. It picks up a little with the Ted Danson and Leslie Nielson short, the characters feel kind of thin but Danson and Nielsons performances fill them out and it has a memorable climax. The next section is also okay. It has some campy monster fun. The last short isnt really that exciting or interesting as a horror, though the final shot is pretty strong, but E. G. Marshall is so good as a mean selfish rich germaphobe that it still ends up being pretty enjoyable.

Hell yeah, Jordy fans.

I had a mental image of current-day King so I figured the King cameo was the old guy asking for his cake. The acting certainly fit, too. Learning that he was Jordy was so hilarious.

damn, should've stuck with Creepshow there.

Normally I like anthologys a lot but that just didn't click with me

Something to Tide you Over boosted it up like 15 spots for me. The rest is kinda whatever but man, what a great contraption & payoff. Leslie Nielsen gives an impressively dark performance. And I like me some water-logged vengeful spirits.

Haven't seen any of the movies that dropped so far. What I know about The Lost Boys:

-Producer Richard Donner would have directed it if he wasn't busy with Lethal Weapon (in which a marquee of a movie theater can be seen which reads "Lost Boys" at one point), hence why Joel Schumacher directed it instead.

-The director is a big fan of Batman, hence why Batman comics are discussed in one scene. Ironically when he directed his own Batman movies they were widely mocked, but he was also a hired gun for the studio's campy vision and he swore before he passed away that the Nolan movies resembled more of what he wanted to do with the character. I wound up checking out his Batman movies and A Time to Kill after he passed away and while I didn't like any of them, I was largely impressed with his direction and felt the scripts were what sunk all three. Also I had no problems with his Batman movies being campy, personally. Did Schumacher ever return to the horror genre after Flatliners?

-Siskel & Ebert both gave the movie marginal thumbs down because they thought it was too ambitious and overstuffed. Having seen the CinemaSins and the Dead Meat kill count, I think I get where they're coming from.

Espeon posted...

In Videodrome, first off, James Woods being a network exec trying to find new, more explicit shows to draw in viewersalready youre starting with a less rational premise. But then his transformation is weirdly supernatural, and while I can accept the concept of Videodrome creating a brain tumor, the body feels completely forced and unnecessary. Even if its a hallucination due to the brain tumor, the movie treats James Woods weird chest wound as a real thing that he uses to hide a gun. And then the movie turns into a weird plot about a shadowy cabal facing off against a light cabal and its just utter nonsense. Its too focused on visuals and theming to create the films framework of a solid plot first.

I'm curious if you specifically have a problem with an executive trying to draw in viewers with explicit content, since that doesn't sound at all irrational. At least by the standards of the time anyway. However I do know that one of the main gripes people have with that particular movie is the off-putting premise, which is also fairly standard with Cronenberg.

I've also only seen two of his movies, both of which I was impressed with, but they're The Fly and A History of Violence which are both adaptations.

LinkMarioSamus posted...

I'm curious if you specifically have a problem with an executive trying to draw in viewers with explicit content, since that doesn't sound at all irrational. At least by the standards of the time anyway. However I do know that one of the main gripes people have with that particular movie is the off-putting premise, which is also fairly standard with Cronenberg.

I've also only seen two of his movies, both of which I was impressed with, but they're The Fly and A History of Violence which are both adaptations.

I just think "scientist trying to make a groundbreaking invention" is much more of a straightforward and standard character than "asshole TV executive is trying to find the most violent and/or softcore porn programming possible to get ratings". The former makes for a much more rational and sensical storyline, whereas the latter has to jump through so many hoops to get from point A to B to C. It works in Scrooged because the plot is that this asshole is meant to become a better person over the course of the film. But here, Woods' character arc isn't him really changing so much as multiple people are using him as a conduit for their ideological battle.

At this point, I'm gonna guess Fright Night, just because I feel like it's AROUND the same general level of quality as Lost Boys/Creep Show, and I'm honestly surprised it outlasted Lost Boys n the first place.