The horror-comedy anthology Creepshow 2 is finally releasing on 4K Blu-ray, and fans of the 1987 movie can save on their preorder. Over at Amazon, Creepshow 2’s 4K Limited Edition is discounted to $38 (was $50) ahead of its September 30 release. Restored in 4K by popular home media distributor Arrow Video, Creepshow 2’s Limited Edition is bundled with a couple of collectibles, including the comic book adaptation of unpublished Stephen King story that was cut from the film.
Only the first printing includes the comic booklet, so you’ll want to preorder if interested. The first printing of the 2016 Blu-ray release was bundled with the comic as well, but it sold out years ago.
While you wait for Creepshow 2’s 4K Blu-ray edition to arrive, you should check out the original 1982 anthology on 4K Blu-ray. Creepshow’s Limited Edition Steelbook is up for grabs for $27.79 at Amazon.
$38 (was $50) | Releases September 30
Creepshow 2’s Limited Edition is a native 4K restoration from the original camera negative with HDR (Dolby Vision and HDR10) and three audio formats: 5.1 DTS-HD, stereo, and lossless monaural.
Arrow Video originally created a 2K restoration that released as Creepshow 2: Special Edition back in 2016 on 1080p Blu-ray. The on-disc special features for the 4K release largely mirror the Special Edition. The reversible sleeve and cover art by Mike Saputo matches the 2016 release, too.
Just like the first printing of the 1080p Blu-ray, the 4K release includes two limited-edition booklets. These are no longer included with the standard Blu-ray and were limited to 3,000 units, but now you have another chance. For reference, the first printing has a red sleeve, but after it sells out, it’ll likely switch to a blue sleeve like the Blu-ray edition.
Most notably, you’ll get a booklet with the comic adaptation of “Pinfall,” one of the two stories that were cut from the film. The story was written by Stephen King and adapted into a script by George Romero. Jason Mayoh adapted the story into a comic for the Blu-ray release in 2016. Along with the comic booklet, you’ll get an illustrated booklet with commentary from Michael Blyth.
“Pinfall” has never been published as a short story or filmed, so this is the only way to experience one of Stephen King’s unpublished stories.
Creepshow 2 4K Limited Edition Bonuses
- “Pinfall” comic booklet (adaptation of unpublished King story)
- Illustrated booklet with commentary on the film
- Collector’s sleeve with original artwork and reversible cover art
- Featurettes, audio commentaries, and interviews
A full list of on-disc special features can be found at the end of this article.
$27.79 (was $40)
Though you can watch Creepshow 2 without watching the original, the 1982 anthology is a more well-rounded collection of horror-comedy stories, so it doesn’t really make sense to skip it. Plus, it’s already available on 4K Blu-ray. A Collector’s Edition released in 2023, and the awesome Steelbook Edition shown above arrived just in time for Halloween last year. The Limited Edition Steelbook is on sale for $27.89 (was $40), only two bucks more than the Collector’s Edition.
Both editions include 4K Blu-ray and standard 1080p Blu-rays and the same special features. The film was remastered in 4K using the original camera negatives and supports HDR (Dolby Vision and HDR10), Dolby Atmos audio, and DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and 2.0. Special features include audio commentary with George Romero, a roundtable on the making of the anthology, and a whole bunch more. You can check out the full list at the bottom of this article.
Creepshow and its numerous follow-ups blend horror and comedy while paying homage to classic comics like Tales from the Crypt and The Haunt of Fear. Directed by George Romero, the 1982 original is an anthology film with five distinct vignettes. Stories include a murdered man rising from the dead, a mysterious meteor that lands on a remote farm, and a cockroach army that’s hunting a man with entomophobia.
Stephen King made his screenwriting debut with Creepshow, and two of the five tales were adapted from his short fiction. Creepshow wears its comic book influences on its sleeve, and King adapted the film into a graphic novel the same year the film premiered.
Creepshow 2’s screenplay was written by Romero and directed by the original film’s cinematographer Michael Gornick. Though originally planned to mirror its predecessor with five vignettes, only three made it into the movie: “Old Chief Wood’nhead,” “The Raft,” and “The Hitch-hiker.” All three are based on King’s short stories, but “The Raft” is the only one that has been published and collected in the author’s heralded collection Skeleton Crew.
“Cat from Hell,” the other King story that was cut from Creepshow 2, was later included in Tales from the Darkside: The Movie, the 1990 spin-off of the TV series created by Romero in 1983. Given the timing, it should come as no surprise that Tales from the Darkside–also a horror-comedy anthology–existed because Creepshow performed well at the box office the previous year.
Beyond the collectible editions, both anthology films are available for around 10 bucks on standard Blu-ray. The Creepshow franchise technically has three film anthologies, but the 2006 straight-to-home-video Creepshow 3 is one that many fans want to forget exists at all (it’s quite bad).
Thankfully, Creepshow 3 wasn’t the end for the franchise on screens. In 2019, Shudder debuted a Creepshow anthology series that effectively captured the tone of the original. The series ran for 25 episodes across four seasons, ending in 2023. Each episode contains a pair of vignettes, roughly 20-25 minutes each. All four seasons of Creepshow are available on Blu-ray for cheap at Amazon.
Shudder’s series also led to a revival of Creepshow in print. Skybound and Image Comics hav published three volumes of comics so far. Each volume contains five distinct comics written and illustrated by a rotating group of big names in the industry, including Garth Ennis and Joe Hill, who is Stephen King’s eldest son. As a child, Hill appeared in the prologue and epilogue of the original Creepshow film, and over 40 years later he wrote an official Creepshow comic called Joe Hill’s Wolverton Station.
Volume 4 is scheduled to start in September. If you want to catch up on the anthology series, the first three volumes are available in trade paperback for $15 (or less) each. Volume 3 was published in April. Last November, Image Comics published a hardcover Deluxe Edition compiling the first two volumes. Amazon has Creepshow Deluxe Edition for $24 (was $40), which is almost exactly the same price as the two paperback editions combined.
Joe Hill’s Creepshow comic and three others are one-shots that aren’t included in the collected volumes, but you can buy digital editions for Kindle for a couple bucks each. All 19 Creepshow comics released so far can be purchased as a digital bundle for $40. Before reading the new series, we’d highly recommend Stephen King’s original graphic novel, which is available in paperback for only $15 (was $20) at Amazon.
Creepshow 2 Limited Edition Special Features
- “Pinfall” comic booklet (adaptation of unpublished King story)
- Illustrated booklet with commentary on the film
- Collector’s sleeve with original artwork and reversible cover art
- Native 4K (2160p) restoration from original camera negative
- HDR: Dolby Vision and HDR10
- Audio: 5.1 DTS-HD surround sound, stereo, and lossless mono (original)
- Optional English subtitles
- Audio Commentary: Director Michael Gornick
- Screeplay for a Sequel – Interview with screenwriter George A. Romero
- Tales from the Creep – Interview with actor and makeup artist Tom Savini
- Poncho’s Last Ride – Interview with actor Daniel Beer
- The Road to Dover – Interview with actor Tom Wright
- Nightmares in Foam Rubber – Archive featurette and interviews on Creepshow 2 special effects
- My Friend Rick – Howard Berger talks about special effects mentor Rick Baker
- Behind-the-scenes footage
- Image gallery
- Trailers and Commercials
- Original screenplay galleries
Creepshow Steelbook + Collector’s Edition Special Features
Disc 1: 4K Blu-ray
- Audio commentary with director George A. Romero and makeup effects creator Tom Savini
- Audio commentary with photography director Michael Gornick
- Audio commentary with composer/first assistant director John Harrison and construction coordinator Ed Fountain
- Interviews: Michael Gornick, John Amplas, Bruce Alan Miller, Darryl Ferucci
- Mondo Macabre – A look at Creepshow posters with Mondo co-founder Rob Jones and events planner Josh Curry
- Collecting Creepshow – Creepshow prop collector Dave Burian shows off his collection
- The Colors Of Creepshow – How Creepshow was restored in 4K
- Into The Mix – Sound re-recordist Chris Jenkins talks about remastering the audio
- Still Galleries – Behind-the-scenes pictures, movie posters, special effects makeup, color stills, and poster and lobby cards
Disc 2: 1080p Blu-ray
- Terror and the Three Rivers – Roundtable discussion on the making of Creepshow
- The Comic Book Look – Interview with costume designer Barbara Anderson
- Ripped From the Pages – Interview with animator Rick Catizone
- Horror’s Hallowed Grounds – Sean Clark tours original filming locations
- Tom Savini’s Behind-the-scenes footage
- Deleted scenes
- Theatrical trailers in English and Spanish
- TV and radio commercials
- Audio commentary with photography director Michael Gornick
- Audio commentary with composer/first assistant director John Harrison and construction coordinator Ed Fountain
- Audio interviews with original crew
- Mondo Macabre – A look at Creepshow posters with Mondo co-founder Rob Jones and events planner Josh Curry
- Collecting Creepshow – Creepshow prop collector Dave Burian shows off his collection
- The Colors Of Creepshow – How Creepshow was restored in 4K
- Into The Mix – Sound re-recordist Chris Jenkins talks about remastering the audio
- Still Galleries – Behind-the-scenes pictures, movie posters, special effects makeup, color stills, and poster and lobby cards
