Hello! A while back I started counting down my top ten favorite horror films. Like everything I do, of course, I got lazy and abandoned the project. In the spirit of Halloween and October and all of that good stuff, I’ve decided to do two or three more and then quit again finish that list! Let’s get on with it, shall we? Today’s countdown entry is Creepshow (1982)!

Like Trick ‘r Treat, Creepshow is an anthology film. It’s the anthology film, actually. Each episode is its own love letter to anyone who has ever enjoyed a horror movie, presented in the form of a live action EC comic—complete with panels and text balloons! The whole thing is played more for laughs than scares, creating an immensely entertaining cinematic experience. It’s like an even better Tales From The Crypt that’s written by Stephen King and directed by George Romero.

It has everything.

In the first episode, Father’s Day, we get the riveting yarn of a zombie dad on the prowl for the cake he never got. It’s amazing. There’s bad dancing, a drunken old harpy, death by tombstone, and, uh, the titular image of this post. Where’s my cake, Bedelia? 

In the second, The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verell, we get to watch a bumbling bumpkin—a bumbling bumpkin played by Stephen King, no less—have an unfortunate encounter with a meteorite that turns him into a plant monster. There’s also this wonderful evil doctor who exists only inside of Jordy Verell’s subconsciousness. Oh, and this.

In the third episode, Something To Tide You Over, Leslie Nielsen buries Sam motherfucking Malone from Cheers up to his slightly over-sized chin in sand. Also, aqua zombies. It’s my favorite of the bunch. As a quasi-relevant aside, since I’ll probably never have another opportunity to voice this opinion publicly: I’ve always thought Ted Danson should play Frankenstein’s monster. They’re almost identical.

The fourth installment, The Crate, is probably my least favorite of the bunch. It’s still amazing, though, because Creepshow and anything associated with Creepshow (except Creepshow 3, though that association is dubious) is amazing. It’s about this baboon werewolf yeti monster who is trapped inside, well, a crate. It’s awesome. The best part of this one is Adrienne Barbeau. She comes across as one of the nicest people in the history of people in interviews, but she’s somehow amazing as the main protagonist’s uber-bitch wife. 

And, finally, They’re Creeping Up On You. It’s my second favorite of the lot, although that may or may not be because I don’t feel like scrolling up to erase that line about Something To Tide You Over being my favorite. E.G. Marshall plays an uppity, rich germophobe who lives in a vacuum-sealed apartment and he does so brilliantly. The best acting performance in the film, bar none. He, of course, meets an ironic, germ-related end. Here there be cockroaches. It’s so fun.

Then again, everything in Creepshow is fun. It’s my go-to “hey you stop being depressed about silly things” movie. If you’ve never seen it, you should. If you have seen it: I love you. But go watch it again! It’s almost time for Halloween!