Creepshow: Collector's Edition - 4K Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

Creepshow: Collector's Edition



Movie:
4K Video:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score:


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Movie
Ahh, nothing is more fun than coming home from vacation and realizing that one of your favorite horror movies from your birth year has come to 4K UHD, and is sitting on your doorstep waiting to be reviewed. Yup, 1982 was a bonkers year for classic horror, and one of my personal favorites is George Romero’s quirky little anthology horror film Creepshow. The movie has had a sort of limited release on Blu-ray over the years, with Warner Brothers putting out a mediocre disc in 2009 when the format war between HD-DVD and Blu-ray was still going on, and then was turned over to Scream Factory in 2018 where they released a limited edition (2,000 copies if I remember correctly) set that I sadly missed out on for one reason or another. Now, 5 years later, Scream is releasing the ever elusive Creepshow III on Blu-ray AND re-releasing the original film that started it all with a brand new 4K master and absolutely LOADED with special features.

Bracketed by a narrative revolving around a little boy getting the “Twisted Sister” esque parental crackdown on his creepy comic book choices, Creepshow sets us up with 5 horrific and comical tales from the darkness.

The first story is called Father’s Day, in which a family of old money elites have to pay homage to the matriarch of their family, Bedilia (Viveca Lindfors) who is coming home to the family estate to pay homage to her father (whom everyone knows she murdered years ago). However, this year there is going to be more than tears and bitterness, as the long dormant spirit of her dead father has something to say on this dark and stormy night.

The second is probably the funniest and quirkiest tale of them all with The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verrill. Hayseed hillbilly Jordy Verrill (Stephen King) comes across a meteor that lands in his back yard and attempts to put it in a bucket so that he can sell it to the local research college down the road. Only thing is, everything the meteor touches (including Jordy) starts to sprout green moss, soon turning his entire farm into a jungle.

Something to Tide you Over is by far the best acted and most well done tale of them all. Starring Leslie Nielsen in one of his few straight man roles, we watch Richard Vickers (Leslie) confront the man that his wife is having an affair with (played by Ted Danson) and uses some clever technical trickery and manipulation to torture the young lovers in a revenge plot by the edge of the sea shore.

In The Crate, professor Henry Northup (Hal Holbrook) has had it up to his ears with his brash and lewd wife Billy (Adrienne Barbeau) and dreams of putting her out of his misery. However, he’s a bit too spineless and weak to ever leave her or stand up for himself, but fate has something to say when he and his co-worker come across an ancient crate that houses a horrible unknown monster who hungers for human flesh. Seeing his chance, Henry lures his wife down to the college and lets “nature” take its course to solve his problem.

The 5th story is probably the most forgettable of them all. Millionaire stock trading Upson Pratt (E.G. Marshall) is a nightmare for everyone around him. He sits up in his hypoallergenic sci-fi looking apartment where he does his trades, and isolates himself from the rest of the world. Only thing that really scares the brutal businessman is bugs. Turns out that this dark and stormy night is not exactly his night at all, as the storm going on outside soon drives the bugs indoors and creates a nightmaric condition for the bug phobic old man in what may be his last night alive.

If you’ve seen Creepshow before (what self respecting horror aficionado hasn’t?) then you obviously know that Something to Tide you Over and The Crate are the best stories of the bunch. The other 3 aren’t bad at all, but those two are easily the cream of the crop. Ted Danson and Leslie Nielsen are on point with their respective rolls, and it’s really awesome to see Leslie doing a non comedic role and really reveling in the twisted psychotic nature of Richard. Hal Holbrock is absolutely awesome as the henpecked Henry in The Crate and you LOVE to hate his wife Billy.

George Romero and Stephen King collaborated on the anthology series as it was a love letter to the old horror pulp comics that the two grew up reading as children, so it’s no surprise to see King star as the hayseed hillbill Jordy in the second story. It may not be the best, but King is having a blast in the horror version of The Beverly Hillbillys.

All in all, not every story is going to be amazing, but Creepshow is one of the best of the 1980s anthology series by a long shot. It’s got that right blend of humor and terror, and an almost cheeky self awareness that most other gore fests and monster movies lacked up to that point (this coming out of the tale end of 1970s horror, which took itself WAY too seriously). Also, it’s nice to see a brand new transfer and the TONS of extras crammed on this set as well.




Rating:

Rated PG by the MPAA




4K Video: Video:

Scream Factory’s press release states that the master for this set came from a brand new 4K scan of the original camera negative supervised and approved by director of photographer Michael Gornick in its original 1.85:1 framing. Compared to the old Warner brothers image this is a breath of fresh air. Cleaner grain structure, warmer colors that are boosted a bit more (the original image was waxy and pale). The fine details appear more natural and the black shadow details really stand out with the HDR application. Gone are the milky blacks and crushed areas, instead replaced with sumptuously detailed imagery to enjoy. I wish I had the 2018 Scream Factory Blu-ray to compare, but talking with other reviewer friends who do have both, this is a substantial upgrade from even that one as well.









Audio:

Supplying a brand new Dolby Atmos track that is really kind of overkill for the original 2.0 stereo track, but still rather nice and a distinct upgrade over the new 5.1 mix (oh, and by the way, the pitched up audio track issue from the old 5.1 mix has been fixed in both the included 5.1 DTS-HD MA track and the Atmos track as well for those of you wondering). Sound effects are loud and punchy, though I did feel like dialog was a tad lower than I expected. Not horribly so by any stretch of the imagination, but it was just enough for me to take notice. Ambient noises are crisp and clean, and we get some nice directional tones with Ted Danson buried up to his neck at the sea shore, and some mild to moderate overhead usage with the score and a few scrapes and bangs here and there. All in all, this is a great sounding track for a 41 year old film and is just icing on the cake.







Extras:

4K UHD
-Audio Commentary with George A. Romero and Tom Savini
-Audio Commentary with Michael Gornick
-Audio Commentary with John Harrison and Ed Fountain
-Audio Interviews with Michael Gornick, John Amplas, Bruce Alan Miller, and Darryl Ferrucci
-Mondo Macabre
-Collecting Creepshow
-The Colors of Creepshow
-Into the Mix
-Still Galleries:
--Posters and Lobby Cards
--Movie Posters
--Color Stills
--Special Effects Makeup
--Behind The Scenes

Blu-ray
-Audio Commentary with George A. Romero and Tom Savini
-Audio Commentary with Michael Gornick
-Audio Commentary with John Harrison and Ed Fountain
-Audio Interviews with Michael Gornick, John Amplas, Bruce Alan Miller, and Darryl Ferrucci
-Terror and the Three Rivers
-The Comic Book Look
-Ripped from the Pages
-Horror’s Hallowed Grounds
-Tom Savini’s Behind-The-Scenes Footage
-Deleted Scenes
-Theatrical Trailer
-Spanish Theatrical Trailer
-TV Spot
-Radio Spots

Final Score: ​

I never saw the 2018 Scream Factory disc, but from what I can tell with this transfer, and the accompanying Blu-ray (which is also sourced from the new master), you’ll be strongly advised to upgrade to this 4K UHD set. The extras are stellar, and the new scan provides a jaw dropping visual treat, making this package the whole Kahuna. The Dolby Atmos track may not have been NEEDED for a 1982 horror film, but the addition is nice and there are some decent upgrades to the old 5.1 mix. HIGHLY recommended.


Technical Specifications:

Starring: Hal Holbrock, Leslie Nielsen, Adrienne Barbeau
Directed by: George A. Romero
Written by: Stephen King
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 HEVC
Audio: English: Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 Core), English DTS-HD MA 5.1, English DTS-HD MA 2.0
Subtitles: English SDH
Studio: Scream Factory
Rated: R
Runtime: 120 Minutes
Blu-ray Release Date: June 27th, 2023

Recommendation: Highly Recommended

 

[tripplej]

Thanks for the review. I can't remember seeing this one so will check out the latest version.

 

[Asere]

A classic. "Where is my cake?"

 

[jdubs75]

Ahhhhhh the memories of watching Creepshow as a child. So much fun and so disturbing. Haha! I definitely need to pick this one up.

Thanks @Michael Scott for the review.

 

[Asere]

I just bought it. Couldn't resist. I needed a piece of nostalgia on my shelf and screen.