Creepshow 2 (1987) New World/Horror-Comedy RT: 89 minutes Rated R (violence and gore, language, brief nudity, sexual content, drug use) Director: Michael Gornick Screenplay: George A. Romero (stories by Stephen King) Music: Les Reed and Rick Wakeman Cinematography: Richard Hart and Tom Hurwitz Release date: May 1, 1987 (US) Cast: George Kennedy, Dorothy Lamour, Frank Salsedo, Holt McCallany, David Holbrook, Don Harvey, Dan Kamin, Paul Satterfield, Jeremy Green, Daniel Beer, Page Hannah, Lois Chiles, David Beecroft, Tom Wright, Richard Parks, Domenick John. Box Office: $14M (US)
Rating: ***
I didn’t like Creepshow 2 when it first came out. I loved the first movie so much; I couldn’t wait to see what was in store next. I went to see it opening day (5pm show, City Line Theater) hoping for some of the same magic. Even though he didn’t direct this time, George A. Romero (Night of the Living Dead) was still involved as was author Stephen King. One of the stories (“The Raft”) comes from his 1985 short story collection Skeleton Crew. However, once I saw that it was being released by New World Pictures, all hopes vanished. Creepshow 2 is a low-budget job all the way. There are three stories instead of five, strung together by cheaply-made animated segments about a small boy being terrorized by neighborhood bullies. I left the theater feeling let down and a little bit angry.
I’ve since developed something of an affection for Creepshow 2. It’s not in the same league as the original. Hell, it’s not even in the same ballpark. It barely skirts the edges. It’s not the least bit scary and is only mildly amusing at best. It’s a bad movie alright, but it’s strangely appealing too. Its appeal lies in its badness. It makes the movie kind of fun.
The movies opens with “The Creep” (played by makeup maestro Tom Savini) delivering the latest issue of Creepshow to a newsstand where young Billy (John) eagerly waits to tear into it. This small section is live-action. It switches over to animation for the remainder of this wraparound story.
In the first (and best) tale “Old Chief Wood’nhead”, a wooden Indian comes to life to avenge the murders of an elderly shopkeeper (Kennedy, The Delta Force) and his wife (Lamour, the “Road to…” movies) by a trio of dirtbags. The next one “The Raft” tells the story of four teens trapped on a raft in the middle of a secluded lake by a flesh-consuming black blob. The final tale of terror “The Hitchhiker” deals with a wealthy adulteress (Chiles, Moonraker) being terrorized by a hitchhiker (Wright, Marked for Death) she hit with her car and left for dead by the side of the road. He keeps appearing to her while she races to get home before her husband does.
“Old Chief Wood’nhead” has a couple of decent gory moments. One creep gets shot by arrows, another dies by tomahawk. It’s not shown (bummer!) but the Indian scalps the lead scumbag. It’s nice seeing a couple of screen vets at work even if the movie is garbage. It’s kind of sad that Creepshow 2 is Lamour’s final role, but it’s cool that it puts her in the same boat as Veronica Lake and Joan Crawford whose final screen appearances were Flesh Feast and Trog respectively. “The Raft” is pretty lame. The monster looks like a really big Hefty bag with gobs of black goo on it. The only notable actor in this segment is Page Hannah (Daryl’s little sis) and she can’t act at all. Then again, neither can the other three young actors. “The Hitchhiker” is okay. It’s fairly predictable right down to the punchline. King cameos as a truck driver at the scene of the hit-and-run.
While Creepshow 2 is sort-of, somewhat enjoyable, it’s not as much fun as the first movie. It’s an uneasy mix of horror and comedy. In fact, it leans more towards the former than the latter. It’s directed by Michael Gornick, the original movie’s cinematographer. It’s his first (and only) feature film. Prior to this, he directed a few episodes of the Tales from the Darkside TV series. He doesn’t have the deft sense of balance of his predecessor. The pacing is also off. The animation is chintzy as are some of the makeup effects. “The Creep” is clearly a guy wearing a Halloween mask. The acting is mostly bad. The stories aren’t as cool as the ones in the 1982 flick. At least it retains the feel of an EC horror comic book from the 50s. I like how it works in those Venus flytrap plants kids would send away for.
Like I said, Creepshow 2 is a bad movie but not a detestable one. There’s some fun to be had from it. 30 years has passed since it first came out and it looks much better in hindsight. Me, I love 80s horror and I love New World so of course I’m going to give it a favorable review even though it doesn’t really deserve it. It’s more watchable than a majority of the watered-down PG-13 horror movies that get released these days. Just be sure to set your expectations low. I’m talking very, VERY low. Like lower than the basement low. Do that and you might get a kick out of Creepshow 2.
