Shudder-day: Creepshow- 'Baby Teeth"

One last Segment to go.  

What will do after I'm done talking about...

A teenage girl gets her wisdom teeth taken out.

In my experience, this look is to be expected.

Her Mother is very smothering, which we find out later is due to her Husband and Mother both running out on her.

She insists that the Daughter put her matching, metal necklace back on, but she refuses.

She goes back home and acts all rebellious, being a teenage girl on all.

She finds out that her Mother kept all of her baby teeth (as well as the now-extracted ones) in a box.

What is the reason behind it?

It is too weird for me to SPOIL, so you'll just have to watch it and see.

It's definitely a weird one to go out on.

To be fair, the Show has mostly moved past the more straightforward 'Monster A Shows up to kill People' kind of story.

It is Season 4- you've got to mix things up!

This one was very strange, but does a good job of building up mystery and tension in a tight runtime.  This one is about 20 minutes long.  Even so, it foreshadows things nicely.

I *think* I understand it, but that's fine.

I won't SPOIL the creature.  I will say that it is a fun, low-budget one.

So, there we are- the last Segment in Creepshow so far.  Now I just have to break the news to someone else.  I hope that they take it well...

A fun, weird little Story.  I'm not going to say that it is my favorite, but it was freaky.

Shudder-day: Creepshow- 'George Romero in 3-D'

 As we are in the last Episode of Creepshow so far, let's do each segment separately this time.

It is a fitting tribute to the man behind this whole Show (even if he didn't live to see it come to fruition) ...

In Pittsburgh, a Book Store is in trouble.

They don't sell online and are going to soon lose their lease.

They discover a box of unpublished Comics written by George Romero.

It turns out that this Store was built on Romero's old Production Company Building.

The sale of the Comics could save them, but there's a catch- the 3-D effect seems to bring a Zombie out of the Comic Book.

So now the ragtag group must get some help out of the pages of the comic itself.

Can Paper George Romero help them save the day as they throw in a half dozen homages to his Films?

To find out, check it out now.

A fun little segment.  The idea of this one is a weird one, but I'm here for it.

The idea of Zombies coming out of a form of Media is not new, of course.  A Film about them coming out of a TV is one I can think of right away.

I do like how they made it about Romero's allegedly-unreleased Comics.

Was that based on a real thing?  I'm too lazy to Google it, so...sure.

They have a fun time with the 3-D aspect and the idea of a Romero avatar.  I was worried about how that would come off, but the effect is nice and it is a loving homage.

The whole Segment is fun and great.  It sure beats other attempts to do Romero Films in 3-D...

A nice homage to Mr. Romero- as you'd expect.  A nice twist on a Zombie story, even in this condensed form.

Shudder-day: Creepshow- 'Something Borrowed, Something Blue/Doodles'

 Another Week and we're now 1 Episode away from the Finale.

Let's look at two more Segments on...

In Something Borrowed, Something Blue, an old man (Tom Atkins) tries to reconnect with his estranged daughter (after 15 years).

She wants nothing to do with him though.

He explains to her Fiancée that they will inherit everything upon his death...but he has a very strange task that he must do.

He agrees...but can he go through with it?

Of course, it is Creepshow, so it is not that simple.

What else will happen?

In Doodles, a young woman in Seattle is trying to make it big as a Cartoonist.

However, fate (and people) seem to be against her.

A drawing she makes seems to correlate to the death of a person who wronged her.

Is it a coincidence or something more?

What will she do with this information?

To find out, stream the Episode now.

*

A pair of pretty simple, but good Segments.  Not much to complain about, yet again.  I know people tend to prefer angry, ranting Reviews...but I don't have one here.

The first Segment has Tom Atkins and it doesn't feature Robots made by Druids-5 Stars.  Joking aside, he does a good job of being sincere at some points, stern at others and kind of evil at others still.  It is the kind of subtle range you get when you cast someone with his level of experience.

The rest of the Cast does a good job too.  At most I'll complain about how the Budget doesn't really allow for you to see the creature which the Story relates to.  I'm sure others will be happy with the tease alone and that's fine too.

Doodles is also fun, if a bit one-note.  It is one of those 'Who is the good guy' Stories (which admittedly, comes up a bit in the last one too) that I'm not always fond of.  Our Heroine is definitely in the wrong by the end...but she was also wronged too.

I definitely have questions about how this all works in regards to her drawings.  This kind of short is obviously NOT the place you are going to get it.  I understand- even if I have so many, MANY questions.

In summary, two good Segments.  Have a drink now to celebrate!

One final Episode to go.  Will they go out strong?

Shudder Day: Creepshow- 'Meet the Belaskos' and 'Cheat Code'

 Another Episode of Creepshow is on the menu.

At this rate, Season 5 will be out by the time I finish this if I keep to the '1 Segment a Week' plan.

Let's do the whole Episode then.

In Meet the Belaskos, a family of Vampires moves into a 'mixed community.'

Their nature is not a secret, which their upset neighbor is all to aware of.

Their Daughter and the Neighbor's Son fall in love.

This love can't last, so see what twists and turns will come their way.

In Cheat Code, a Father tries to connect with his Son in the wake of his Mom's death.

By the way, we're two for two with dead Wives, as the Neighbor's Wife was also dead.

His Son is a gamer, so he tries to bond with him over a Not-Atari game called Weird Wednesday.

This Game- which is a juiced up version of Paperboy- is supposedly cursed.

Does that explain where their friend went?

To find out the full secret of the game, stream the Episode now.

A pair of very different, but good Segments.

The first one has a nice story twist on the Vampire Clan/Family Story.  Seeing a normal looking Suburban Family that just happens to be Vampires is neat.

The fact that the humans are the bad guys here is not the most unique twist, but is still different enough to help.

Thankfully, we get some great Vampire action to really seal the deal.

The second Segment is super sketchy as far as this being an Atari game.  It's clearly a game more in the vein of modern 8-bit games.

That said, the Story itself is fun, really playing with the Video Game story.  The actual Story is nothing special, but I had fun.  Random Lochlyn Monroe sightings are always fun.

They do a good job with the silly Plot here and I'm all in.

Definitely check these one out, especially for this Stephen King reference.

Two very different Stories, but I enjoyed them both.  You will too...or else!

Holi-Shudder Day: The Creepshow Holiday Special

 Ho ho Holiday Frights!

I watched this a while ago, but never reviewed it.

Well, 'tis the Season!

If you need a break from Hallmark and A Christmas Story Marathons, here's a Host to give us a long, Holiday Story.

A man- Adam Pally- is convinced that something weird is going on with his body.  

Is he transforming?
Is he crazy?

Well, he finds a group called Shapeshifters Anonymous.

He learns that he's not alone, although the question is what he actually turns into.

You can be a Were-anything (as 'Were' just means human essentially).

Fortunately, they have a box of items to help test this...until trouble arises.

A group of people turning into animal hybrids isn't a Christmas Special, you say derisively.

I hear you, so hold on...

You see, the transforming people are actually targeted by Kris Kringle- who we call Santa Claus- since it was his mission to destroy their race of people/beings.

Can they unite to save themselves?
What happens when The Big Guy shows up?

To find out, stream this Holiday Special now!

A fun, strange and jolly time for all!

This one tends to lean more towards the overtly funny than most Creepshow Segments/Episodes tend to do.  It is rare to get an Episode that is all funny- assuming that it ever happened at all.

This one still delivers the creature work, so don't overlook it.  The transformation results are nice to see, both with the actual quality and the variety.  At least Anna Camp becomes a Were-cheetah and not a Were-hyena.

Is the Plot turn for the second half ridiculous?  Yes.  Does it make sense?  Not much.
Do I care?  No.

This crazy stand-alone Story works in its absurdity and really draws you in.  I guess all I can say now is, um, Cowabunga?

Bad on 2021 me for not getting around to this sooner.  Good on 2023 me for reminding everyone to give this another look.

Shudder Day: Creepshow- 'The Parent Deathtrap/To Grandmother's House We Go'

 After missing last week on account of traveling hundreds of miles via plane, let's just cover both Segments in the next Episode of Creepshow.

In our first Story, we see a tale of death, family and the afterlife in...

A young man grows up hating his Parents.

To be fair, they are terrible to him.

What does he do?

He kills them.

That...is a decision.

The trade-off- the Ghosts keep hanging around him 24/7.

Can he keep his secret?

In our second Segment, we get a modern riff of a classic Fairy Tale.  

A 'gold digger' marries a rich guy, but thanks to his Sister, she doesn't get what she wants.

She gets very little money...and the Daughter.

They go to see the Sister (aka Grandma) when she is sick.

Of course, one of them just wants to live in a nice house.

So, what could happen to ruin the trip?

Oh right- a Wolf.  I don't know how I didn't see that coming.

I won't SPOIL all of what happens, so go ahead and Stream it now.

Two enjoyable, albeit very different Stories.

The first tale is definitely one that leans into Dark Comedy.  Our 'Hero' is awful, but everyone else is awful to him.  So, when he does something awful to them, how are we meant to feel?  Happy?  Sad?  Temperate?

It takes some nice twists and turns that I didn't want to SPOIL.  It is a good one, just know that this is not one with an obvious Hero or someone to really root for.

The second tale is more cut and dry, doing its best to make certain people really cliche.  That's not always bad- especially when you need to tell a Story in less than 20 minutes.  They call them shortcuts because they work, you know.

Both Stories over the usual good F/X, especially if you consider the Budget and timetable.  These aren't feature Films, but the creature work is top notch.  It is also very different work in both Segments, so that's another challenge.

All in all, I liked both parts of the Episode, although I did think of a way to make the second one even scarier...

Two fun Segments that were, as always, quite different.  That's the strength and weakness of this kind of Show.

Shudder-day: Creepshow- 'Grieving Process' (2023)

 Another busy weekend, so let's just cover the other Segment from Season 4, Episode 2 of Creepshow.

In this one, a man experiences a more subtle loss than you might think.

It gets pretty dark though.

Things are looking up for Richard.

He's an accomplished Chef and his young Wife just started a new job.

However, he soon gets a call with some bad news.

His Wife was attacked and doesn't seem to be recovering.

It gets intense around there and he's not sure what to do.

Eventually, he does find out what she needs...but can he do it?

No SPOILERS.

A good Segment, but boy is it dark!  And no, I don't just mean that basement!

Seriously, this one is intense, both for what the inciting incident is supposed to be representing and what actually happens.

So how do I discuss this without SPOILERS?  Carefully, I guess.

Both of are Leads do a great job here, with our guy slowly going crazy in the wake of what is happening in his life.  The Wife's Actress does a good job with a role that could be thankless- freaking out and, well, that's all I can say.

The Practical Effects here really shine through, which is always great.  They look freaky and I'm here for it all day, every day.

I'd probably recommend 'The Hat' over this one for the casual Horror fan, but this one is good for those willing to accept a more intense, freaky segment.  

More of that in the future?

We'll see...

A dark, intense Segment that really delivers.  Just know what to expect before you take a bite of this one.

Shudder-day: Creepshow- 'The Hat'

 Less time, so a quicker Review.

Let's check out the first part of the 2nd Episode of...

A Writer has written one Book and now can't figure out how to start his 2nd one.

He learns that 'all Writers' had a lucky charm (Lovecraft a token, Matheson a cigar) and he is allowed to borrow the one used by his idol- Stephen Bachman.

This is Creepshow, so there's a catch.

It allows him to write constantly...but always constantly.

He also seems to lose control of himself...but is it worth it?

Surely there's not a horrifying secret behind this item.

Surely not.

Yeah, you know that there is.

How it all plays out, however, you'll have to watch and see...

A really fun and crazy one.  

Sidenote: I was going crazy (like the Lead) while trying to figure out where I knew the Actor from.  You'll find out tomorrow.

I like the idea and the execution.  It works nicely as a realistic thing at first- people believe in totems and superstitions- and then just gets pretty crazy.

It feels as real as, well, a Story like this can feel.

Hopefully you can figure out the joke with the Author's name.

This is a great example of how well something can work as a Creepshow Segment.  Stretched to full length, it wouldn't be nearly as good.  In here, it works.

Listen, Fictional Author, if you do need some advice, I know a guy who can help.  He's out at a Hotel...

A fun one that was just horrifying enough to be scary, but still funny.  I feel for you, man.

Shudder-day: Creepshow- 'Twenty Minutes with Cassandra/Smile'

 A rare case of me doing this on time.  Don't get your hopes up.

Creepshow is back, so let's cover some more of it, shall we?

In the first tale, a woman is alone at home when there's a sudden knock at the door.

Cassandra is running from a monster?!?

She doesn't believe it- especially when told what the monster is- but soon gets proof of it.

With no way to call for help, can she survive?

In the second tale, a Photographer's celebratory night out is ruined by a creep taking his photo.

It leads them on a path of fear that takes them home.

He reveals the truth of what is going on- well, what he can, anyhow- and things don't get better from there.

What is going to happen now?!?

A good collection of tales, although I prefer one over the other.  I'll get to that in a bit.

'Twenty Minutes' is a nice twist on a Horror Story.  It has a Monster, but it is not quite what it seems.  It has a would-be victim, but she isn't what she seems to be either.  Even our Heroine has a secret or two.

It does just enough to subvert things for me and tells a unique story in the process.

'Smile' is good for what it is.  It feels like a Story out of an EC Comics Book, for the most part.  The first part in how it all plays out is good.  The second part is...eh, kind of predictable.

The worst thing you can do is be predictable.

While the first tale is strongest for me, they are both good in their own ways.  Hey, I'm being nice- don't look at me like that!

A good start to the Season.  I'm looking forward to more like this!