The Classic Anthology Movie Becomes an Anthology Series

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TV SERIES REVIEW
Creepshow: The First Three Seasons
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Genre: Horror, Dark Comedy
Released: 2019-2023
Director(s): Greg Nicotero, John Harris, Joe Lynch
Where to Watch: In the UK home entertainment release, courtesy of Acorn Media International. Creepshow Series One, Two, and Three are set to arrive on Blu-ray, DVD, and digital, available as individual releases, each packed with special features. On Shudder in the US.

RAVING REVIEW: The original two CREEPSHOW films were a dream project for a group of horror icons led by George Romero and Stephen King. The films brought the classic EC horror comics to life in film. Each anthology film featured several shorts written, directed, and often starring icons of horror. The films are highly stylized, with each segment ending in comic book style with vivid colors, comic art, and over the top lighting, and Dutch angles. Both films featured some fantastic short stories and, yes, a few shorts that don’t quite land. That’s kind of the nature of an anthology film or series.

Modern FX icon Greg Nicotero, the man behind the practical FX in The Walking Dead, had a dream to revive the horror anthology through these classic films. CREEPSHOW lives on Shudder in the US, a must-have streaming service for horror fanatics. As of this writing, there have been three seasons of the series. Each season features six episodes, with two vignettes in each episode. There is passion in the making of these seasons, but overall, the series is missing the horror icons behind the camera and the budget to fully realize the vision the series is going for. There are some seasoned TV writers and creators crafting the stories, but often, it feels like Nicatotero is the only one with a real passion for the source, the original films. That may be another “issue” with the series; they riff on the movies but don’t seem to have any foundation in the true source, those classic EC comics.

Of the thirty-six total vignettes, I really liked maybe twelve of them, thought another twelve were okay, and fully disliked the remaining twelve. Each season, I just left feeling underwhelmed, like the series has yet to reach its potential. The show needs more money and some top-tier writers that fully understand the source material. The practical FX is obviously great, but the CGI is not, and the actors are a mix of good enough and bad. I don’t always blame the actors for weak performances because, often, the direction is amateur feeling. Things that were fun, though, and very reminiscent of the film were appearances by classic horror actors. The first one that jumped out to me was Adrienne Barbeau in season one. She appeared in one of the better segments of the original film and has starred in other classics like Swamp Thing and The Fog. C. Thomas Howell, Barbara Crampton, Danielle Harris, and Tobin Bell also make appearances. In some episodes, some familiar A-list TV actors show up to elevate their vignettes, such as Kiefer Sutherland, Justin Long, and Giancarlo Esposito.

Sadly, all I can say is that taken as a whole, Creepshow is a middling little horror distraction. There are some fun episodes and a few cool ideas here and there, but even those are hampered by budget. There’s a fully animated segment that has a few good ideas, but the animation just feels cheap. I wanted to love this series. I love the films, and I love classic anthology shows like Twilight Zone, Masters of Horror, and Amazing Stories, but Creepshow never reaches those heights.

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[photo courtesy of ACORN MEDIA INTERNATIONAL, SHUDDER]

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