Ahhhh, the horror anthology series. From to Tales of the Unexpected and American Horror Stories to The Twilight Zone, they’re as ubiquitous now as the horror movies they imitate. Creepshow arguably predates most of them, citing it’s origins in the 1950s comic-books Tales From the Crypt and The Vault of Horror, before coming to the big screen in 1982 thanks to zombie maestro George A. Romero and horror writer supreme, Stephen King. Fast forward forty-one years and Creepshow now lives on the small screen of Shudder, and although Romero and King are a distant memory, the schlocky horror and mix of genres make for an occasionally entertaining watch in this latest series.
Creepshow remains true to it’s comic-book origins with its opening graphics of demons and monsters, before starting each story with a scan over panelled pages that introduce the tale – alongside a ghoulish ‘cryptkeeper’ style character (oh, how I miss the ’90s Tales From The Crypt series). The pun filled paragraphs that precede each chapter are witty enough, but they’re for speed readers as we switch to four-dimensional storytelling – without quite staying on the descriptions long enough. There are two tales per episode, and both are approximately twenty to twenty-five minutes long so they’re concise, and often wrap up quickly which is great for a speedy horror snack on the go.
The series has twelve stand alone stories that vary in quality, with some shooting for straight horror while others are firmly comedic – but none of them elicit any scares past the mild raising of an eyebrow. That doesn’t mean that there’s a lack of good ideas, for example episode one’s ‘Twenty Minutes with Cassandra’ has an interesting twist, and a welcome addition is that it features Midnight Mass’s Samantha Sloyan. She’s not the only name to feature in the series as episode three’s ‘To Grandmothers House We Go’ has Once Upon a Time alum Keegan Connor Tracy in the lead, and episode five’s ‘Something Burrowed, Something Blue’ stars Halloween 3 protagonist Tom Atkins – which is a treat for horror aficionado’s. Weaker stories, like episode four’s ‘Meet The Belasko’s’ and ‘Cheat Code’, combine poor writing and acting but are at least mercifully short – something that plays against episode five’s ‘Doodles’, which tries to squeeze it’s grisly karma story into far too short a timeframe.
What Creepshow needs is to break out of it’s two stories per episode model – if a story is good enough, it should be allowed to grow and stretch it’s legs…
Episode six’s finale double bill has two disappointing stories to round out the series, the first being ‘George Romero in 3D’ – which pitches itself as a loving tribute to Creepshow’s co-creator, and brings zombies and George himself into the modern day. Now I understand that budgets are tight, but the idea that zombies can only be seen while wearing special glasses means we don’t get to enjoy what appears to be decent undead makeup and a fair bit of gore – which is a shame when it’s been done but features so briefly. George A. Romero appears as a black and white drawing, and while I appreciate the homage, it’s a weak story that doesn’t use its hero’s legacy sufficiently well.
The second story, ‘Baby Teeth’, follows an overprotective mother and her moody teenage daughter after a bloody trip to the dentist. It tries to mix the tooth fairy with what I’m guessing is Irish folklore, and largely fails at every turn until the unexplainable ending. It was disappointing to finish the series on such a strange note, and with the assumption that the most important stories in an anthology are the first and the last, I’m not sure if viewers will return given that’s the send-off.
To describe Creepshow as uneven would be an understatement, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing – all of my favourite anthology series often have some episodes that are considered better than others. Black Mirror, for example, has always had a wildly uneven tone, but the quality of the series has suffered immeasurably since its move to a streaming platform. Creepshow needs to break out of its “two-stories-per-episode” model because a good tale should be allowed to grow, stretch its legs and breathe – and most of the issues with this series come from underdeveloped characters, poorly-written plots and rushed endings due to the time constraints. Although multiple stories have run through Creepshow from its origins, I think it could benefit from being given some space for the tales to break the mould and breathe – or indeed scream.
Creepshow series 4 does nothing to shake up the world of horror or anthologies, but it’s a fun romp through some wacky ideas that the kids will love, so sit down, get the family around (including the grandparents), make a cup of cocoa (other beverages are available), and watch it before bedtime. If you’re not intrigued by the stories then at least they won’t keep you up all night.
Creepshow Series 4 is out now on Shudder
