What is it about cockroaches that are so inherently unsettling? Is it how they secretly move into someone’s home, only letting their presence be known after they’ve already amassed a staggering army? Is it how their long antennae reach out in a way disproportionate to their bodies, with spiky, spindly legs to boot? Is it how they’re virtually indestructible, as they can survive shoes, nukes, and decapitation? I will issue a big fat yes to all the above, with a sprinkle of “they carry disease” and a large scoop of “They’re Creeping Up On You.” Between the films and Greg Nicotero’s Creepshow series, there has been no shortage of deaths within the Creepshow universe.

Yet, nothing gives me the shivers like the case of Upson Pratt in the original

Strap in Creeps: The most disturbing death in Creepshow is a roach invasion you’ll never forget. Behold, some of the best of bug horror.

One of Creepshow‘s Best: They’re Creeping Up on You

Things start small in Upson Pratt’s highrise apartment. He spots a roach and quickly chauffeurs it to a super vacuum alongside his desk. The dead roach is shuttled off to places unknown, and we begin to get to know Upson Pratt a little better. Similarly to most intended victims in the Creepshow universe, Upson Pratt is, on no uncertain terms, a terrible person. His mentality is money overall, and he’s racist to boot.

But in another facet of his personality, there is the overwhelming need for complete sanitation. His apartment is whiter and brighter than a mental ward, and he is particularly unhappy about finding a roach in his house.

How Not to Deal with Roaches

An old saying goes, ‘If you see one roach, you have a hundred more.’ These pesky invaders like to hide from the light, and it’s a sentiment that I wonder if Upson Pratt knew. As he spots a couple more roaches and disposes of them, he’s eerily calm, all things considered. Granted, he gets on the phone angrily, demanding that the roach problem be dealt with immediately; he’s the owner of the building, after all. However, when it comes to being faced with an infestation of roaches, he’s surprisingly lackadaisical, so much so that he decides to enjoy a nice snack.

A Meal to Remember Creepshow‘s Upson Pratt By

Here, we’ve come to the moment that has haunted me and every cereal box I’ve ever owned since the first time I saw this film. After Upson Pratt has destroyed some roaches and thinks he’s safe, he treats himself to a nighttime mix of oatmeal made in a blender. Frankly, I’m surprised he wasn’t on the lookout for roaches to be elsewhere.

Because dear horror friends, in case you don’t know (n)or remember: mid-munch-session, Upson Pratt discovers roaches throughout his blender. He’s been ingesting them. He tips over the box of oatmeal, and roaches come spilling out.

At this moment, Upson Pratt begins to realize the magnitude of the problem he’s dealing with.

Bug-Invasion Horror Done Right

Roaches pour into his apartment through every crack and crevice, overflowing the sink and covering every surface. Overcome, Upson Pratt finally locks himself into a sanitized panic room.

However, a wriggle underneath the bedsheet quickly lets Upson Pratt know that he has far from won.

Hundreds of roaches scurry across the mattress within the sanitation panic room and begin swarming the man until he chokes and drops to the floor.

The beauty of this segment is the realism behind it. These aren’t some comically large roaches, nor are they CGI. These are the real deal, all different sizes and varieties of roaches. Creepshow director George A. Romero didn’t hold back from any uncomfortable close-ups, and those scurrying invaders with their long antennae never fail to give me the shivers.

Our final look at Upson Pratt shows roaches pouring from his mouth and bursting from his chest en masse. The final shot shows a dormant apartment, not a speck of movement until it pans to the sanitation room. There, roaches are swarming at least three feet high, where Upson Pratt once was now covered in crawling swarms of long antennae and spindly legs.

Death by Cockroaches is Totally Possible

Should this subject matter make you fear a “death by cockroach,” never despair. The only person in recent years who died from cockroaches was a man who apparently suffered an allergic reaction after eating too many during a cockroach-eating contest. I didn’t want to know that, but here we are, uncomfortable together now. At least we can all take heed in knowing that roaches probably can’t kill us so long as we don’t consume them. That doesn’t make my haunted cereal boxes feel any more comforting, though.

This innate blend of horror and reality is precisely why “They’re Creeping Up On You” shines. Never mind that the invasion started seemingly negligible, as most invasions tend to do.

“They’re Creeping Up On You” works on a terrifying notion that sticks with a viewer long after watching. Who knows what’s creeping, just out of sight, ready to invade our late-night snacks? Utilizing real roaches, Creepshow created a story that felt possible and more horrifying. After all, if it can happen to the rich and powerful Upson Pratt in his sanitized highrise, what could happen to us? Creepshow undeniably gave us one substantial bug death to remember in horror.

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