just desserts

DVD/ Blu-ray extras have evolved from a couple of trailers and radio spots to full-fledged documentaries that almost warrant a theatrical release in their own right. In fact, with collectors demanding more and more special features on nearly every title, including those that have been re-issued several times in the past, it seems like extras now carry more weight than the feature film itself. That being the case, it seems like the perfect time for Synapse to release Just Desserts: The Making of Creepshow, which actually did appear on a pair of UK special edition releases, but was left off of Warner's domestic release of Creepshow, the 1982 George Romero / Stephen King collaboration.

It goes without saying that if one has no interest in Creepshow itself, then Just Desserts is nothing more than self-congratulatory fluff. But, really, who doesn't love Creepshow?! A near-perfect recreation of the E.C. Comics horror brand, consisting of five stories and an animated wraparound, it was the only film in Romero's career to reach #1 at the box-office. With a script from Stephen King - who also stars in one segment as a pea-brained yokel turned into a shambling plant monster - Creepshow mixes its mean-spirited moral lessons with a tongue-in-cheek approach that gets the best out of its Love Boat of familiar faces (Hal Holbrook, Leslie Nielsen, Adrienne Barbeau, Ted Danson, Tom Atkins and Ed Harris).

Edited, produced and directed by Michael Felsher in 2007, Just Desserts covers the filmmaking process in typical fashion, gathering big name participants like Romero, Ed Harris, and special effects guru Tom Savini to brainstorm anecdotes about the production. The trouble is, by all accounts the filming of Creepshow was a pretty much a breeze! Beginning with Romero and King's initial meeting, which was in regards to filming Salem's Lot, the relatively low budget production didn't hit many road bumps other than keeping track of the 20,000 cockroaches used for the final segment. That sort of easy camaraderie between cast and crew shows in the final product (Creepshow still feels very much like one of Romero's homegrown Pittsburgh productions) but doesn't make for a very dramatic documentary.

What Just Desserts is best at is reinforcing why Creepshow is such a fan favorite: the practical effects (this was Savini's first crack at creating monsters), the creative comic book lighting (produced with gels, scrims and dimmers), and the script's juvenile glee at dishing out scenes of violent revenge. Even the opening animation, produced by a small company specializing in corporate logos, reflects Romero and King's dedication to getting all the small touches right.

But Synapse has made Just Desserts - which runs about 90-minutes - into a full-fledged special edition itself with a number of new extras. That's right extras on top of extras! The most notable is Scream Greats Volume One: Tom Savini, Master of Horror Effects, which was part of a Fangoria video series. Running about 45-minutes, it also comes with an optional Savini commentary. Felsher provides another audio commentary for the main feature and also grabs cinematographer Michael Gornick for an interview in Creepshow Days (Gornick, like Stephen King, is notable for his absence in Just Desserts itself). Add to that extended interview segments, behind-the-scenes footage filmed by Savini, a vintage 1982 PM Magazine feature, photo gallery and Horror's Hallowed Grounds tour of the original shooting locations, and you have an encyclopedic breakdown on all things Creepshow.