Shudder
[Review] “Creepshow” Season 2 Kicks off With Two New Groovy Tales
Season 2 of the Shudder series Creepshow will debut it’s first episode on April 1 on the AMC owned streaming platform. The long awaited season was delayed due to the pandemic of the last year but now is finally making its way to the small screen. The series is based on the 1982 horror classic anthology Creepshow, by Stephen King and George A. Romero. Showrunner Greg Nicotero was able to recapture the EC horror comic style and make it work for Shudder with season one. Now that the series has found its footing, Nicotero and crew have created new stories for Season 2.
The first story “Model Kid” follows a young horror fan who enjoys collecting models of his favorite monsters. The story feels reminiscent of the kid from the first Creepshow film, played by a young Joe Hill, Stephen King’s son. In the new episode, Joe (Brock Duncan) and his ill mother find solace and connection in horror movies. After his mother’s situation worsens, Joe’s aunt and uncle step into care for him. As Joe tries to process his new life, he wishes nothing more than to escape into his world of monsters, much to the chagrin to his uncle (Kevin Dillon). His uncle does not understand Joe’s love of horror, often berating and belittling him and his characters.
His uncle wants Joe to be more manly and to stop playing with his horror toys. Joe finds a solution to his problem in an odd advertisement in his issue of the Creepshow comic book. After his purchase arrives his uncle will discover why you don’t mess with horror fans. This story felt familiar, but it also managed to hold its own in a new way. Many old school monsters make an appearance and pay homage to the days of black and white horror films. The best way to describe this story is if the Creepshow films met The Monster Squad (1987). The fun story, great costumes, and practical effects all come together to create a new perfect Creepshow tale.
The second story “Public Television of the Dead” is its own mini Evil Dead episode. This episode pays tribute to creator Sam Raimi, with the help of brother Ted (Raimi), and the Deadite filled world he created. While I wish we could have seen some incarnation of Ash Williams, we do get a new hero, Norm Roberts (Mark Ashworth). Norm isn’t your average hero, in fact he resembles everyone’s favorite soothing painter, Bob Ross.
Set in a 1970s local TV network station, Ted Raimi brings an old family antique to be appraised on live television. However when infamous book, the Necronomicon Ex-Mortis is opened, evil begins spilling out into the television station. The station employees are left to fight their way through their Deadite co-workers as the evil tries to fill the airways. “Public Television of the Dead” is a blast from start to finish. Of course I’ll watch anything that brings me back to the Sam Raimi world of Evil Dead. With that said, the cheesy one liners, Deadite commentary and special effects all work seamlessly, and allows it to fit somewhere within the franchise. Overall, this is the better segment of the two but both stories look and feel like they were made specifically for horror fans, and for that we dig it. 5/5
You can check out the trailer for Creepshow season 2 below and the new series will premiere April 1 only on Shudder. This season will feature guest stars Kevin Dillon, Iman Benson, Josh McDermitt, Keith David, Molly Ringwald, Barbara Crampton, Justin Long, and D’Arcy Carden, among others.
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