We all know by now that Thursday is the spookiest day of the week thanks to Shudder’s latest offering, Creepshow! I’m happy to report that for the most part the series has been worth the bloody hype. And then some. Notice how I say ‘for the most part’. I say that because with the release of it’s fourth installment…well, I’m having mixed feelings. And this is the first episode that’s left me feeling that way!
One could nitpick all day long so I will touch on what I loved first. The first story “The Companion” gives viewers Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark vibes with the story of Harry, who finds a scarecrow whilst outrunning his jerk older brother. Things are going fine until Harry accidentally brings the scarecrow to life and finds a dead body in its wake. Can he fix everything before he becomes the scarecrow’s next victim? The atmosphere set up in this episode is unsettling from the very beginning and only grows more frightening as thing progress. Your attention is grabbed from the get-go while your footing feels insecure. You think you’re getting the idea of where this story is going but, ultimately, you’re clueless until the very end.
And you gotta love the gloriously grotesque monster that will do just about anything for it’s beloved companion. The design is reminiscent of one of those classic monster movies with a Frankenstein-like origin. If you like a story with utter madness, vengeance and twist endings, you’ll thoroughly enjoy “The Companion”. As for the second story “Lydia Layne’s Better Half”? You won’t be missing much if you only use it as background noise.
I really wanted to like this one. The set up had hints of the story “Something to Tide You Over” from the original Creepshow. A dead lover coming back to haunt the killer? I was pumped. The execution was lackluster at best, making for just an ok psychological thriller that had the occasionally clever jump scare. Again, while I wanted to like “Lydia Layne’s Better Half”, I was left bored and disinterested throughout the whole story. The only reason I kept on watching was for the tiny hope of redemption. Alas, I was left disappointed.
Creepshow releases new episodes every Thursday, only on Shudder!
Wicked Rating: 6/10
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