JP’s Halloween Tradition

I have a Halloween Tradition that I follow each and every October 31 --- besides picking through my kid's hard-earned candy after they brave the bitter cold. But once the sugar rush burns off and they're fast asleep, I plop down on my chair with a pail of buttered popcorn and watch the 1982 horror movie "Creepshow."

I'm not sure how this tradition started, but I vividly remember watching it when I was young and was captivated by it.  Since my college years, I have watched it every Halloween night for nearly 20 years.

The film was written by Stephen King, making this film his screenwriting debut. The film's cast includes Hal Holbrook, Adrienne Barbeau, Fritz Weaver, Leslie Nielsen, Ted Danson, Ed Harris, and E. G. Marshall, as well as 34-year-old Stephen King himself.

The film consists of five short stories, including opening and closing scenes featuring a young boy, named Billy, played by Stephen King's 10-year-old son, Joe.

It debuted at #1 in the box office, knocking off "First Blood" from the top spot.

I first saw this movie as a youngster in the early-1990s and the fourth story, 'The Crate,' absolutely terrified me, and is still my favorite story from the film. Although, Leslie Nielsen was fantastic in his role in "Something to Tide You Over."

The Walking Dead paid homage to the "The Crate" in Season 5 (episode 1) when a crate marked "Ship to Horlicks University via Julia Carpenter" can be seen in the episode. (Watch it HERE)

A sequel, Creepshow 2, was released in 1987, followed by Creepshow 3 in 2007.  A Creepshow television series premiered on Shudder on September 26th.  Adrienne Barbeau, from the original film, returned in a new role, and Tobin Bell was also featured in an episode.

On 10/30, the show was renewed for a second season. 

Credit: Warner Bros.