Just Desserts: The Making of 'Creepshow' (2007)

You won't be disappointed!

It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

Made in 2007 this documentary is now making its way to blu-ray via Synapse. Thank goodness they made the decision to do so, adding several special items that will please fans of the film and those who made it. As we learn via interview with director George Romero Warner Brothers contacted him after the success of his film MARTIN concerning a vampire in modern society. They had just acquired the rights to SALEM'S LOT and wanted him to meet with author Stephen King about making a film adaptation. The two met, became fast friends and while the studio changed their plans about that film the pair later found something else to work together on. That was the 1982 film CREEPSHOW.Fans of the old EC Comic books that were banned at one time and credited with creating subversive attitudes in teens, they came up with an anthology film that combined those old styled stories with modern movie technology. Rather than use the old comic titles they came up with their own comic called Creepshow. Instead of the Crypt Keeper they had The Creep. But the stories they told in this film would have fit perfectly in those old comics.This documentary takes a look at their efforts moving from how they came up with the idea to the cast to the special effects to the music and so on. Each step of the way is an interesting look at just how a movie gets made and in this case outside of the studio system. That's because whole Warner Brothers eventually distributed the film it was indeed an independent film to begin with. Made on a shoestring budget for the project it was every penny spent on this film shows up on screen. That only made it better.Interviews in the film range from various cast members including Ed Harris and Adrienne Barbeau to effect supervisor Tom Savini to Romero himself. All of them offer anecdotes about the making of the film and from the things they discuss it sounds like they had far more fun than they should have. The entire team seems to have bonded, everyone from grips to well-known actors who had been in loftier roles but found that there was something special in this film, that it was more than just a cheap horror flick. It was a homage to those great comics that came long ago. For myself I think that this film was an inspiration for the later HBO series TALES FROM THE CRYPT which used those original comics for their scripts. The film uses behind the scenes footage along with the interviews to give a glimpse of what goes on behind the scenes. It's interesting to watch as some actors who were just beginning at the time, like Harris as well as Ted Danson who was just about to start a TV series about a group of people hanging out at a bar, and others involved in the production who went on to bigger things are shown in their early days. Particularly fascinating is the way the effects were done. Remember these were days long ahead of computer generated effects. Most were practical effects that were done, including some hair raising stories concerning the final story involving thousands of cockroaches. The movie is well made, informative and for fans of the film a must have for their collection. In addition to the film the extras are fairly massive for as old as the movie is. They include: -An audio commentary track with director & editor Michael Felshe -An audio commentary track with actor John Amplas, property master Bruce Alan Miller and make-up effects assistant Darryl Ferucci -Creepshow Days – An interview with director of photography director Michael Gornick -Extended interview segments with George A. Romero, Tom Savini and Bernie Wrightson -Behind the Screams – a compilation of on-set video footage from Tom Savini -Horror's Hallowed Grounds with Sean Clark – An episode of the series that takes you to the locations made famous in various horror films -Vintage 1982 Evening Magazine segment shot on the set of the film featuring rare cast & crew interviews -Behind the scenes photo gallery of CREEPSHOW -Best of all the full SCREAM GREATS VOL. ONE: TOM SAVINI documentary with optional audio commentary track with Tom Savini. To my knowledge this is the first time this has ever been released on disc.If you love making of movies, documentaries, horror films, George A. Romero, Tom Savini or CREEPSHOW then by all means this needs to be added to your shelf. Once viewed you'll find yourself digging out that copy of the original film to watch again and remember just how much fun it was the first time around.

I love every second of the great classic that is Creepshow, from the opening image of the pumpkin right down to the final candle blowing out in the wind... If like me, you consider the movie to be the Fillet Mignon of horror anthologies, then by all means you should be in hog heaven when you watch this! No stone is left unturned... All segments of this movie-length doc have hilarious intros in which quotes from the movie are used ironically. There's such a wealth of fascinating trivia, like in Father's Day, the guy who wore the excellent suit of the Grantham zombie - a gruesome masterpiece of makeup effects to this day - refused to have mealworms(not maggots) put on him, and so a female member of the crew happily volunteered. And it was kinda disturbing to learn that the owner of the mansion later buried his dog in the very hole that Mr.Grantham crawled out of. Ew... I never had a clue that in certain shots the house in Tide was a matte painting. It sure fooled me. It was also very interesting and cute to learn that because the story called for a cold deserted beach where you could "scream all you want" and never be heard, all members of the crew had to walk in single file so as not to leave footprints all over the sand. Some of the most fun I had with this doc was listening to Tom Savini talk about how he created all of his monsters. It turns out, that the enchantingly eerie skeleton seen in the opening was actually a real skeleton underneath that they had shipped in from India. There's a fascinating little sketch that shows how the puppet was operated using many puppeteers. Also, the crate monster was actually a person in an elaborate suit, with the lips and jaws being remote-controlled. Savini says that the teeth really were very sharp and could seriously injure a person if they clamped down. Even in its most basic stages as a mere face mold you can clearly see the striking ferocity of his most awesome creation. Savini also states that his happiest time was with the unlimited creating that he was free to do on the set of Creepshow, and it shows, it really does. He reused parts of the monster in an episode of the rancid TV series "Tales From the Darkside" called "Trick or Treat". It was heavily remodelled, but I never forget a face! Adrienne Barbeau speaks of how she had to dig deep to play the fabulously wicked drunk Billy, and that the "unmitigated bitch" as she calls her, is high on her list of favourite roles! It was especially awesome to see the secrets behind the infamous roach eruption scene, one of the finest moments in horror cinema as far as I'm concerned. Their first attempt to force the bugs to tear their way out of the Upston Pratt dummy didn't work and they simply jammed and wadded in the mouth. It was then the director himself who suggested they merely leave the chest uncovered and use toilet paper to conceal the cavity, and then it went off perfectly. I felt a bit sad for all the poor little roaches, learning that that they were obliged to exterminate them all afterwards-all the ones that they could manage to wrangle anyway! That was my favourite part, the part about the roaches. I loved the chapter that dealt with all the film's amazing music, which I believe is what really keeps the film alive and gives it its very special magic. I can't really pick any particular track that I like best as it's all so good, but...probably the Crate score cause it's so dark and brooding, followed closely by the mournful tones heard in Tide. I also loved when they discussed the stylistic comic-panelling and electro-shock back-lighting effects that they felt were very important to keep because they were intended to capture the spirit of the old E.C. comic books-and for me, all truly great tales of terror... For me they positively crystallised that spirit. This was thorough, witty and immensely fun. Everything a fan could possibly ever want in a documentary on Creepshow. Fantastic, it's a documentary worthy of the movie!

Just Desserts: The Making of Creepshow (2007) *** 1/2 (out of 4) This 90-minute documentary takes a look at the making of George A. Romero's CREEPSHOW, the 1982 anthology film. Romero, Tom Savini, Richard P. Rubinstein, Tom Atkins, Adrienne Barbeau, Ed Harris and various other crew members are all interviewed about the ups and downs of making the picture. Romero starts off talking how Warner first saw MARTIN and asked him to meet Stephen King because they were interested in him doing SALEM'S LOT. Romero talks about how everything led to this movie and then we hear about the casting of the picture and then we get a story-to-story breakdown of the shooting of each film. There are some great stories told about the making of the picture and we also get some very good behind-the-scenes material as well as some outtakes. Most of this comes from 'Something to Tide You Over' and the King acted episode. Fans of the film are certainly going to enjoy all of these stories as you really get a great idea of what it was like filming it. We get stories from each film and there's also an entire sequence where Savini talks about his work on the picture. There's also some terrific stories about all the cockroaches that they brought in and how it all turned to a real nightmare. The documentary covers the making of the film as well as the release of it. The only negative thing is that they don't talk about the extra episode that was cut from the picture. Still, fans will certainly enjoy this thing.