Imagine my shock and dismay when I learned, just today, that one of my favorite horror movies of all time was adapted into a television show without my knowledge. Why was I not informed of this? Better yet, why was I not approached for my approval before this project was even launched?
Creepshow is, without a doubt one of my favorite horror movies… Heck, it’s probably my favorite, come to think of it. The anthology is like a horror comic come to life and it entertains me now just as it did all those years ago when seven year-old me happened across it on Showtime and developed a crippling phobia of crates.
I’ve been hurt before… first by the lackluster and cheap-looking sequel, Creepshow 2, and then by… that other cheaper and more horrible than ever movie that dared call itself Creepshow 3. I’m just not sure I’m ready to love again, is all I’m saying.
Fortunately, the Creepshow television series… it ain’t bad. Based on the first episode, I’d venture to say that it shows genuine promise.
Just like that beloved first film, Creepshow is an anthology bookended by a comic book. At times, the panels of the comic book can be seen around certain scenes or a page will flip taking us to a new location… it doesn’t go crazy with the idea the way the first movie did which is a shame, but the fact that it’s adopted the format that the other sequels barely or even didn’t acknowledge is heartening.
The 6th episode (Which is my premiere since it’s new to me) features two stories sort of like the old Freddy’s Nightmares show.
The first, called “Skincrawlers” is about this overweight guy who’s presented with an amazing weight loss opportunity if he allows a TV doctor to attach a newly discovered fat-sucking leach to his body.
“Skincrawlers” lets you no right out of the gate that it is not going to be a scary episode, but rather one that pokes fun at the obsession with body image and what some people will do to look great, but not work for it. The danger could not be more obvious if it were blinking like a big red neon sign, but even in the face of this danger, simply eating right and exercising is never considered… a mysterious leach is thought of as the more attractive option.
The satire isn’t as strong as I hoped it would be, but it does allow for a gloriously gory ending with practical effects and comedy. Overall, I liked it.
The second story is “By the Silver Water of Lake Champlain” and finds a teenage girl stumbling upon the dead body of the Lake Champlain monster, affectionately known as “Champ.”
While I applaud this series for trying to do something with a little more heart, the episode was boring and predictable. The characters were never that interesting, and the mean, alcoholic stepdad was the most two-dimensional cardboard cutout character I have witnessed in a television show in a very long time.
The episode tried a few times to pull at heartstrings, and I suppose that it did become sweet and heartfelt, the problem is, you have to slog through an incredibly cliched and boring tale to get there and it just isn’t worth it.
I will, however, applaud the use of practical effects again. I love how the show doesn’t resort to CGI for everything… it gives the series a wonderful 80’s vibe.
I’ll be checking out the rest of Creepshow as time permits. I’m still shocked I knew nothing about it until today… and now I want it all!
Jason Gaston 