A delivery truck arrives at a quaint newsstand in a small town, eagerly awaited by a young boy named Billy. As the truck's back shutter opens, a sinister figure, the Creepshow Creep, reveals himself, dropping off the latest issue of Creepshow to Billy's delight. As the package magically opens, Billy starts to dive into the thrilling contents.
"Old Chief Wooden Head" follows the story of an elderly couple, Ray and Martha Spruce, portrayed by George Kennedy and Dorothy Lamour, who run a general store in a dwindling Arizona silver mining town. Despite their humble demeanor, their lives take a dark turn when a Native American elder, Benjamin Whitemoon, visits them. He leaves behind sacred turquoise jewelry as collateral for his tribe’s debts before saying goodbye.
Later, as the couple attends to their store, they fall victim to a brutal robbery led by Benjamin's estranged nephew, Sam, armed with a shotgun, along with two friends. They ransack the store mercilessly and demand the turquoise from a resisting Ray. A tragic confrontation ensues, resulting in the deaths of the Spruces. However, their wooden sentinel, Old Chief Wooden Head, comes to life, seeking vengeance for his fallen friends. In a terrifying sequence, he takes out Sam's friends one by one, utilizing his deadly arrows and fierce strength. Cornering Sam, Old Chief Wooden Head proves unstoppable, and in a grisly scene, he exacts his final revenge.
The following morning, Benjamin finds the bag containing the turquoise returned to him. Upon visiting the store, he discovers Old Chief Wooden Head once again displays the artifacts of his wrath, including Sam’s scalp. With a sorrowful heart, he wishes the Spruces eternal peace.
In an Animated Interlude, Billy is seen at the local post office retrieving a package he sent, containing a bulb for a carnivorous Venus Flytrap. Dismissed by a skeptical clerk, Billy prepares to head home, determined to prove the package’s worth.
"The Raft" introduces a terrifying lake experience for four college friends—Deke, Laverne, Randy, and Rachel—who venture to a secluded raft. Their joy quickly turns to horror as a mysterious black blob attacks, consuming Rachel before their eyes. Panic ensues as Deke attempts to swim back for help, only to meet a grim fate as the blob drags him beneath. The pair left, Randy and Laverne, endure a harrowing night clinging to the raft, too scared to sleep. The next morning, everything seems calm until the creature strikes again, leading to a grotesque demise for Laverne, leaving only Randy to make a desperate plunge to safety. However, even in his victory, he is swiftly claimed by the horror lurking beneath the surface, leaving no trace of their presence behind, save for a faded "No Swimming" sign.
In the next Animated Interlude, Billy faces off against a gang of bullies who steal and crush his flytrap bulb. In a moment of defiance, he retaliates and flees, setting the stage for an unfolding horror.
The concluding segment, "The Hitchhiker," paints a sinister tale of Annie Lansing, an unfaithful businesswoman who accidentally kills a hitchhiker during a frantic drive home. Initially, her attempt to evade responsibility seems successful, but the hitchhiker’s ghostly presence becomes her relentless tormentor, haunting her every mile, no matter how many times she runs him over. A disoriented Annie crashes her car, believing she has escaped the nightmare. Yet, when she steps out, the hitchhiker re-emerges, mangled and bloody, delivering his eerie line, “Thanks for the ride, lady.”
As the story spirals to its grim conclusion, Annie’s husband discovers her lifeless body from carbon monoxide poisoning, the hitchhiker’s sign ominously lying nearby.
Finally, in the Epilogue, Billy leads the bullies into a tangled lot of plant life as a means of escape. Just as they corner him, the smashed bulb’s effects reveal themselves as giant Venus Flytraps spring to life, devouring the gang. Nearby, the Creep watches with a gleeful cackle as he drives off, delivering yet another issue of Creepshow to unsuspecting townsfolk.
