A recurring question I often ask myself when I zone out of reality is "what's the G.O.A.T horror anthology?" I'm often torn over a bunch of Amicus's classic portmanteaus, with From Beyond the Grave (1974) being my personal top choice. But then there's George A. Romero and Steven King's collabarotive return to the old school effort, Creepshow (1982). The legendary comic book publishing company EC Comics plays a major hand in both films as one was sourced and the other clearly inspired by the defunct publisher's tales of terror.
Creepshow achieved the impossible by turning Ted Danson into a frightening zombie in the short story Something To Tide You Over; who, along with his lover played by Dawn of the Dead's Gaylen Ross, seek revenge upon their murderer played by Leslie Nielsen. Along with Danson's gargled dialogue and the terrifying sight of him shuffling in all that zombie makeup, it would continue to instil fear upon me whenever I caught sight of him on an episide of Cheers (1982 - 1992). Kind of funny that one of the most frightening moments from a film to leave a permanent mark on me - especially one that includes: cockroaches bursting out of E.G. Marshall's corpse; the oncoming doom of an alien weed taking over the world; a severed head for a cake; and of course Fluffy - it's the one with Ted Danson and Leslie Nielsen in it.
Dada Debaser Bonus Feature:
Didn't realise until writing that Martin (1978) review earlier this year that John Amplas played the zombie Nathan Gratham in the Father's Day segment.
I'm finding it difficult to decide between Tales From The Crypt, From Beyond The Grave and Creepshow. Might f*ck around to plump for The Vault Of Horror instead purely because of Tom Baker's ginger beard.
ReplyDeleteChoosing your fave Amicus anthology is tough as nails, imo. Would go with From Beyond the Grave for The Gatecrasher, An Act of Kindness and The Door, as they are three of my fave tales; plus Cushing as the antiques shop owner.
ReplyDeleteDoes Halloween III qualify as an anthology? If so, that's another G.O.A.T.
ReplyDeleteThat was Carpenter's intention.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of Halloween III, have you heard Carpenter's new redo of Chariots of Pumpkins yet? I much prefer the original, but I still dig this version of it.
I can dig that too.
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to hearing his new versions of The Shape Stalks Again and 69th St. Bridge when the album arrives.
ReplyDelete