Creepshow 2 (1987)

In a perfect world, Creepshow 2 would be even better than the original. But sadly, the world is not perfect and we often have to make due with what we have. Directed by Michael Gornick, who was the cinematographer for Romero's Martin, Dawn of the Dead, Knightriders, Day of the Dead and the original Creepshow, this follow-up is based once again on King stories (but screenwritten by Romero).Creepshow 2 was originally going to be five stories (Pinfall and Cat from Hell went unfilmed, although Cat does appear in Tales from the Darkside: The Movie), but a lower budget forced the film to only include three tales.PInfall was to be about the rivalry between two bowling teams with one coming back from the dead to kill the other. It reminds me a lot of the story in Haunt of Fear #19, Foul Play!Instead of what wasn't filmed, let's get into what was: In Dexter, Maine, a delivery truck pulls up and drops off the latest issue of Creepshow, with the driver being the Creep himself!In Old Chief Wood'nhead, an elderly couple named Ray and Martha Spruce (George Kennedy and Dorothy Lamour in her last role) live in an old town on its last legs. No one in town has money and soon, the store they own - and their lives - will fade away, too. Chief Whitemoon comes to visit and gives them sacred jewelry to pay back his debt. It's not money, but the thought is what counts.As the wise old man leaves, the wooden Indian that stands guard in the store nods to him, which frightens him. It foreshadows what happens next, as that night, the chief's nephew Sam and his gang rob the store and kill the kindly old couple. Their blood splashes all over the old wooden chief as they depart with the stolen sacred jewels.The gang plans to go to Hollywood, where Sam thinks his long hair will make him a star. But he and his entire gang are killed, with their scalps and the jewelry left for the old chief.In The Raft, four teens (one of them is Page Hannah, the sister of Daryl and all of the characters share the surname of the actor playing them) try to go swimming but have to contend with a black blob that wants to kill them all. Again - this is an incredibly simple tale told well. I'd say it's the highlight of the film, but the more I write about these, the more I remember how much I truly enjoy this movie.Finally, The Hitchhiker concerns a businesswoman who is trying to get home from a tryst with her lover before her husband notices. Along the way, she hits a man who keeps coming back. And coming back. And coming back. Again, simple idea, but told really well. Ironically, the hitchhiker is played by Tom Wright, who played the civil rights activist who comes back from the head in Tales from the Hood. It's an amazingly similar role! Even stranger is that Barbara Eden was to play the woman before her mother's illness caused her to drop out.Ed French was the original effects guy for this, but got upset when director Gornick asked Howard Berger for advice, as he wasn't happy with the look of the creature in The Raft. Greg Nicotero and Berger ended up finishing the movie and they enlisted Tom Savini to play The Creep.Creepshow 2 doesn't have the gloss of the original. That doesn't make it a horrible movie. But the original sets a bar that's incredibly high.

This is one of the best horror movies of all time - and certianly THE best anthology ever. The tight three stories are all so different, but still so CREEPY that they tie in together for a true masterpiece. The Raft is my hands down favorite. A battle for the ages. What is that thing?? It's what we all fear: the unknown. It's a mythical piece of ooze, that represents everything awful - and possibly a precursor to pollution awareness. The hitchhiker is great too, and a subtle racial overtone too? The first Creepshow is obvi amazing, but this one takes the cake (no pun intended re: Father's Day in CS1).

I loved George Romero's CREEPSHOW. I was a fan from the first moment I laid eyes on the trailer. When it was released I was working as a theater manager showing the film and I would pop in to watch moments from the film when time provided. To this day I consider it a classic. Had it not been for the success of the film we might never have seen anthology shows like TALES FROM THE CRYPT, MONSTER or Romero's own TALES FROM THE DARKSIDE come about. When I heard back then that CREEPSHOW 2 was being made I was ecstatic. The end result left much to be desired though.Once more we're presented with tales to frighten straight from the comic book pages of Creepshow, a homage to the horror fueled comics of the fifties. A wrap around story involving a young boy who loves the comic and is tormented by bullies keeps the film moving. Add to that the Creep in the film, this time portrayed by effects artists Tom Savini rather than an animated dummy.The first story has us in a small town out west gasping its last dying breath. General store owners Ray and Martha Spruce (George Kennedy and Dorothy Lamour) provide a helping hand to those in need in the way of store credit even though they could easily retire and live comfortable on their own. When a criminal Indian from the nearby reservation and his gang rob the store killing the pair it seems justice will not be served. But then they never counted on the wooden Indian standing out front.The second story is perhaps the best here, based on Stephen King's novella THE RAFT. Two young couples are headed out to the local lake with the intent of swimming out one last time to the floating raft in the middle despite the chilly temps of the water. Fueled by beer and false bravado they swim out completely ignorant of the large patch of something floating on top of the water. That is until they see it engulf a bird floating on top. When one of the girls is taken from the raft and eaten by this glob a standoff follows. The only way to get help is for one of them to reach the shore. But how will they avoid the creature? The final story here is about a woman having an affair who plows down a hitch-hiker on her way home. If she reports it or takes the man to the hospital she'll have to explain why she was driving where the accident occurred. Rather than do so she drives off hoping someone else will find him. Except that he continues to pop up, more battered and bloody with each appearance, always saying "Thanks for the ride, lady." Will she ever be free of this damaged image? The film ends with an animated piece featuring the aforementioned story of the young boy pursued by bullies on his bicycle. So how does the film hold up? It doesn't come close to the original. That could be in large part because the film went from a high profile studio like Warner Brothers to the low budget line New Horizons, Roger Corman's company. It could be because Romero was no longer directing or that King and Romero weren't on set daily to discuss the script they had written. In any case while a decent movie it placed side by side with the original leaves it lacking.And yet there is a legion of fans out there who love this one as well. For them the news that the film was being released on blu-ray by Arrow Video was a Godsend. Now they could have it in a pristine format to enjoy over and over again. And, being an Arrow release, you knew that the extras would be better than most and that the version offered would indeed be the best ever found. The film is presented here in a 2k digital restoration with original stereo audio. Other extras include audio commentary from director Michael Gornick moderated by Perry Martin, a new interview with Daniel Beer, a new interview with Tom Wright, and interview with Romero, and interview with Savini, a featurette with make-up effects artists Howard Berger and Greg Nicotero, a featurette on Rick Baker, behind the scenes footage, trailers and TV spots and a reversible sleeve featuring newly commissioned artwork by Mike Saputo.Fans have already been buying this one up like crazy with special editions that include a collector's booklet fetching top dollar. I'm glad that this version now exists but I doubt I'll watch it over and over again. It is worth watching once and fans will delight that they can have this version on their shelves now.

STEPHEN KING – GEORGE ROMERO – CREEPSHOW 2 – 1987 The film was even funnier because they had mixed up the audios ON THE DVD and they have Castilian twice and French once but no English. At least I could not find it. So I watched it in Castilian with English subtitles. I must say the language then gives a density to the Monstrous Creep that is really striking in all meanings of the word. There is nothing new of course in these stories that we have read, probably several times. The three stories are definitely amazing. The first one, "Old Chief Wood'nhead" seems to imply there is among the older Indian generation some decency that the younger generation cannot understand, nor respect, but the ghosts of the dead can come back to bring justice, though a death for a death is not giving life back to the victims of the greed of the younger generation that is going to Hollywood as is well known. They have always dreamed of meeting John Wayne on one of his Indian killing spree. At least they had the intention to go.The second story, "the Raft," is once again about young people, two couples who decide to go wild on marijuana and on some forlorn and forgotten paths where signs are overgrown with shrubs and trees and are no longer visible. Vain they are and uninformed they remain and they dare do what is advised not to do on the sign they haven't seen. They end up eaten up by some aquatic monster. Yam! Yam! Says the monster. It only takes one overexcited young man to lead the four of them into the water and to their death. Young people have always been what they used to be and what they will be. Boys will be boys and girls the same.The third story, "The Hitchhiker," is a phenomenally funny story, more than frightening. A white rich lady on her way back from an afternoon with a gigolo (by the way rather cheap) gets berserk at the idea that she will be discovered by her husband because he said he was going to arrive home at 11.30 and she can't make it by that time. Find an explanation if you can. She thus has a problem with a black hitchhiker she turned into a ghost and the ghost haunts her all the way and at the end finally gets even with her. The details are absolutely appetizing. You will be ready for a second helping after licking your fingers clean of the blood of the dead man. Don't forget crime and horror are like pizza, the second slice is always better than the first.Enjoy your petits fours and canapés, and wash them down with some Bloody Mary.Dr. Jacques COULARDEAU