Father's Day was a pretty strong introduction to the Creepshow anthology film, but I'd have to say its second title was significantly more entertaining. If you have no idea what I'm referring to just yet, well, it's the Creepshow film from 1982! Directed by George Romero and with some short stories written by Stephen King, as well as based on some of his own stories, this horror and thriller anthology film takes the best from the 80s and puts it together into a handful of spooky stories that are perfect for an immersive viewing over the month of October. If you're anything like me and love the month of October for Halloween, then you may be searching for something new to watch over the month to spread out the fun and atmosphere of the holiday. Creepshow is not a film containing genuinely horrifying stories. Much of them are stories on zombies, revenge, or simple ghostly spooks. Though, sometimes, we get some really unique stories like The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verrill, which takes us down a really strange path of the unexplained. This is a story that is adapted from one of Stephen King's own stories, and thrown together into a Creepshow story, it was one that instantly stood out to me. Being incredibly creative, mysterious, and full of charm.
The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verrill is a story of tragedy. Ripe in chaos and the unknown. It details the story of none other than Jordy Verrill, a lonesome and not-so-smart individual deep in the countryside somewhere. He owns the remainder of the old family farm after all of his relatives have died off and left everything down to him. He's a character that's portrayed comically dim, to the point where he feels wholesome and rather gentle. A character that we, the audience, very quickly begin to enjoy watching, feeling for him and wanting to see something good happen to him. Though that's not the type of story this is. Jordy Verrill is a character of great misfortune. A man that contains the bloodline of many unlucky ancestors. To which one night while standing outside in the farm, he witnesses the falling of a meteor, which lands in the field. He instantly can't believe his luck! A meteor! He could get $200 for this if he sells it to the college! He daydreams (or night dreams given the time) of selling it to the college, comedic interactions unfold on screen as we see him smartly bargaining with the college over the price, all the way up to a whopping $200.
Jordy Verrill's character jumps immediately to touch the meteor, which burns his fingers. He takes the genius idea of cooling it down with water; it breaks up and a strange liquid spills into the hole. He puts the meteor pieces into a bucket. Quite angry about the whole ordeal, as now he believes he'll get laughed at when taking it to the college, they wouldn't be interested in a broken meteor now, would they?! And it's here that the story really takes a turn, one that is incredibly like Stephen King's nature. Focused on the idea of body horror and the misfortune of others, usually those already downtrodden and unheard of from the general population. From this point, the episode has utilised a wide range of colours to portray the otherworldly nature of the meteor. Strong blues, reds, and most importantly: green. You'll find out why green is more important soon. Alongside this, the episode has great fun poking fun at the ways in which Jordy deals with others. The bubbles in his mind in how he interacts with the world and assumes a better life. There's something quite childish about it, which creates a great depth in character to give us something to feel bad about.
He's not smart. And he's definitely quite alone. Such innocence in his character portrayed to us through this manner builds up to the more horrific side of the story: the body horror. The meteor begins to grow a strange green type of growth around the farm, and even on Jordy, starting with his fingers and tongue. Everything he touches, effectively. It shows us that things are quickly worsening for Jordy, who isn't really smart enough to know what's going on. Even the idea of calling the doctor invokes a great fear in him as he assumes they'd immediately want to remove his fingers and cause great pain. Naturally, things only worsen from here. The ways in which the set changes quite rapidly is shot really well, the changing in the scenery as things become overgrown. The gradual shift from night to day as the environment becomes smothered in some green type of fungus. The same happening to Jordy as his body turns into something more similar to that of the Grinch. What becomes something of a discovery filled with joy and assumptions of a better life quickly becomes a nightmare. And it's genuinely tragic to watch it unfold. The title really lives up to its name.
For a second story, it's quite the opposite from our first. And that range is incredibly immersive, only setting up the fun for the next episode to come. And yes, I'll be reviewing that one too! One last thing: it's really strange to see Stephen King acting! I didn't quite catch it at first, only after I watched the episode and looked it up online did I see him credited as Jordy. That was a surprise!