‘Creepshow’ – Season 4
I’m still that person who forgets he has Shudder and then goes on a mad watching spree to somehow try and justify the expense… I’d like to say that I’ll sort myself out but I’m a regular creature of habit so that’s not going to happen ;o) Halloween got me in the mood for some horror but after the bleak horror of ‘Lockdown Tower’, I needed something a little more light-hearted so when I realised that Season 4 of ‘Creepshow’ was on ‘Shudder’ and I had no other plans for Sunday, my afternoon and evening pretty much took care of itself.
Just under six hours later… ‘Creepshow’ was just what I needed to get me over the bleakness of ‘Lockdown Tower’. It was a good mix of laughs, unsettling moments, full on scary bits and some particularly unlikeable people getting what they deserved. Not all of the episodes worked for me but enough did to make the Season a success, for me overall. Episodes are below followed by some quick thoughts on each…
Episode 1 – ‘Twenty Minutes with Cassandra’ & ‘Smile’
Cassie is being chased by a monster and endangers a kind stranger when she asks for help…
A celebrated photographer is tormented after an ward winning photograph comes with more consequences than just fame…
A couple of slow burners to kick things off and I wasn’t sure that was the best approach to be honest… ‘Twenty Minutes’ redeemed itself with an unexpected turn from the monster but ‘Smile’ was a little too obvious about where it was going and didn’t have the scares to balance things out.
Episode 2 – ‘The Hat’ & ‘Grieving Process’
A horror novelist’s agent offers him help overcoming writers block, but it comes with a heavy price…
Richard’s wife is attacked and left for dead. He’ll do anything to help her but she isn’t the woman he married anymore…
This was more like it right away. ‘The Hat’ didn’t do anything particularly new but the practical effects were just eighties enough to make this story so much fun to watch.
‘The Grieving Process’ was a bit more serious and while the payoff didn’t quite hit the mark, Richard’s wife’s mutation and the tension around the cellar made for some very effective moments in the meantime.
Episode 3 – ‘Parent Deathtrap’ and ‘To Grandmother’s House We Go’
Lyle is a disappointment and when his parents meddle in his life and their plan backfires, he must deal with the aftermath.
Marcia takes her stepdaughter to her grandmother’s house to claim their inheritance, and nothing can stand in her way…
‘Parent Deathtrap’ is a definite contender for favourite story of the season. Not scary in the slightest but watching a bad situation slowly get worse, as the living and the dead meddle, ended up being really funny. Just what I needed in fact.
‘To Grandmother’s House We Go’ though… Some properly creepy moments in the woods are let down by an ended that I saw coming from a mile off.
Episode 4 – ‘Meet the Belaskos’ and ‘Cheat Code’
The Belaskos get more than they bargained for when they move in next door to a vampire hating suburbanite.
A father and son bond by playing an old video game, but soon find out there’s a reason why it was abandoned.
I’ll be honest, you could skip this episode entirely and not notice it. At least, that’s how I felt. These weren’t bad stories though, just not particularly memorable. ‘Cheat Code’ was quiet wholesome though so, erm… that’s something I guess.
Episode 5 – ‘Something Burrowed, Something Blue’ and ‘Doodles’
A young couple are gifted everything they could ever wish for… but there’s a catch.
An aspiring comic artist keeps hitting roadblocks and as she doodles away her frustrations, she realises she might have more power than she thinks.
‘Something Burrowed’ was more solid than memorable but was definitely one of those stories where even though you know how it will end, you have to stick around to see exactly how it happens. One twist that I saw coming (so, not really a twist then?) but another that I absolutely didn’t and that made up for a lot.
‘Doodles’ though, that was superb. Another one where you know someone is going to get theirs but the real question is how… And the way they answered that question was brilliant, simple yet so effective.
Episode 6 – ‘George Romero in 3-D!’ and ‘Baby Teeth’
A struggling bookstore owner finds unpublished works of George Romero, but the comics lead to new troubles.
Shelby’s Mum struggles to accept that her baby is growing up, but hanging onto childhood relics isn’t as harmless as she thinks…
And a couple of excellent stories to end on ‘George Romero’ was an affectionate tribute that also takes the time to give you invisible zombies that can only be seen with 3D glasses (you get to see all the gore though). And there I was thinking that zombies had been done to death, there’s still room for something new after all ;o)
And ‘Baby Teeth’… I’m not sure what was going on but it was creepy as hell and with an explosive finale (and I’m not just talking about Shelby’s jawbone…) The best way to end another more decent season of ‘Creepshow’, I’ll see you back here, in a years’ time, for the next one ;o)
Just under six hours later… ‘Creepshow’ was just what I needed to get me over the bleakness of ‘Lockdown Tower’. It was a good mix of laughs, unsettling moments, full on scary bits and some particularly unlikeable people getting what they deserved. Not all of the episodes worked for me but enough did to make the Season a success, for me overall. Episodes are below followed by some quick thoughts on each…
Episode 1 – ‘Twenty Minutes with Cassandra’ & ‘Smile’
Cassie is being chased by a monster and endangers a kind stranger when she asks for help…
A celebrated photographer is tormented after an ward winning photograph comes with more consequences than just fame…
A couple of slow burners to kick things off and I wasn’t sure that was the best approach to be honest… ‘Twenty Minutes’ redeemed itself with an unexpected turn from the monster but ‘Smile’ was a little too obvious about where it was going and didn’t have the scares to balance things out.
Episode 2 – ‘The Hat’ & ‘Grieving Process’
A horror novelist’s agent offers him help overcoming writers block, but it comes with a heavy price…
Richard’s wife is attacked and left for dead. He’ll do anything to help her but she isn’t the woman he married anymore…
This was more like it right away. ‘The Hat’ didn’t do anything particularly new but the practical effects were just eighties enough to make this story so much fun to watch.
‘The Grieving Process’ was a bit more serious and while the payoff didn’t quite hit the mark, Richard’s wife’s mutation and the tension around the cellar made for some very effective moments in the meantime.
Episode 3 – ‘Parent Deathtrap’ and ‘To Grandmother’s House We Go’
Lyle is a disappointment and when his parents meddle in his life and their plan backfires, he must deal with the aftermath.
Marcia takes her stepdaughter to her grandmother’s house to claim their inheritance, and nothing can stand in her way…
‘Parent Deathtrap’ is a definite contender for favourite story of the season. Not scary in the slightest but watching a bad situation slowly get worse, as the living and the dead meddle, ended up being really funny. Just what I needed in fact.
‘To Grandmother’s House We Go’ though… Some properly creepy moments in the woods are let down by an ended that I saw coming from a mile off.
Episode 4 – ‘Meet the Belaskos’ and ‘Cheat Code’
The Belaskos get more than they bargained for when they move in next door to a vampire hating suburbanite.
A father and son bond by playing an old video game, but soon find out there’s a reason why it was abandoned.
I’ll be honest, you could skip this episode entirely and not notice it. At least, that’s how I felt. These weren’t bad stories though, just not particularly memorable. ‘Cheat Code’ was quiet wholesome though so, erm… that’s something I guess.
Episode 5 – ‘Something Burrowed, Something Blue’ and ‘Doodles’
A young couple are gifted everything they could ever wish for… but there’s a catch.
An aspiring comic artist keeps hitting roadblocks and as she doodles away her frustrations, she realises she might have more power than she thinks.
‘Something Burrowed’ was more solid than memorable but was definitely one of those stories where even though you know how it will end, you have to stick around to see exactly how it happens. One twist that I saw coming (so, not really a twist then?) but another that I absolutely didn’t and that made up for a lot.
‘Doodles’ though, that was superb. Another one where you know someone is going to get theirs but the real question is how… And the way they answered that question was brilliant, simple yet so effective.
Episode 6 – ‘George Romero in 3-D!’ and ‘Baby Teeth’
A struggling bookstore owner finds unpublished works of George Romero, but the comics lead to new troubles.
Shelby’s Mum struggles to accept that her baby is growing up, but hanging onto childhood relics isn’t as harmless as she thinks…
And a couple of excellent stories to end on ‘George Romero’ was an affectionate tribute that also takes the time to give you invisible zombies that can only be seen with 3D glasses (you get to see all the gore though). And there I was thinking that zombies had been done to death, there’s still room for something new after all ;o)
And ‘Baby Teeth’… I’m not sure what was going on but it was creepy as hell and with an explosive finale (and I’m not just talking about Shelby’s jawbone…) The best way to end another more decent season of ‘Creepshow’, I’ll see you back here, in a years’ time, for the next one ;o)
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