The fictional Creepshow comic books come to life in this anthology series of terrifying tales hosted by the silent Creepshow ghoul.
It’s not easy for an anthology show to bat a thousand. Whether you’re sci-fi dystopia “Black Mirror” or sci-fi TV “Tales From The Loop” or the very up or down horror anthology “American Horror Story,” there’s lots to wade through and “Creepshow” falls right down the middle. While admittedly much more adult in its content the whole thing feels rather toothless as a direct translation of the EC Comics origins. “Creepshow” feels like an adult “Goosebumps” by adding all the gore and language it could never have as a kids program but maintains its rather loose setup and payoff as a horror anthology.
I’ve seen this happen before in other kinds of horror anthologies. The horror short storybooks can be extremely hit or miss with some authors choosing for briskly delivered world-building in favor of a bizarrely elaborate payoff condensing what feels like one hundred ages into ten. “Creepshow” has the same effect. I imagine the EC comics (being such a smaller format) utilized every square inch to convey story in a forthright manner. This same delivery gets directly translated into this new television show kind of weighing it down.
The best episodes work by evicting lengthy world-building altogether in favor of conflict. Take, for instance, the episode “The Companion,” in which a bullied teenager encounters an evil scarecrow. This episode doesn’t languish in its contrivance but focuses on the protagonist’s plight. We’re granted a sufficient character introduction and we’re off. Another episode of the same disc, “Times Is Tough in Musky Holler” relies very specifically on a LOT of backstory that you can kind of piece together through dialogue but they grant you with comic displays and hand-drawn animation.
It’s exciting to see the “Creepshow” brand revived, and especially by legend Greg Nicotero. The stories themselves vary widely in their strength and the delivery of those stories is ultimately what makes or breaks each episode. While much could be said of the contrived lighting, almost day-time TV aesthetic of every episode, and the spotty tempo at the end of the day each episode’s quality is dictated by its story. It’s a very hit or miss series, like all anthologies.
I’d recommend this series for horror fans. It’s just cheap-looking enough to not truly scare the pants off anyone and it’ll provide some entertainment. CAUTION: I would not recommend children watch this. Just because I said it’s like “Goosebumps” does not mean it actually is like that. Far from it, this series trades on blood and gore and a little bit of the old ultra-violent. What I’m saying is this series works for adults who grew up fans of these series. The fact that they’re coming back signifies a renewed interest in horror fare, to begin with.
Available on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital HD June 2nd
