Creepshow (TV series)
Creepshow is an American horror anthology web television series that was released on Shudder in 2019.[1] A continuation of the first two films in the Creepshow franchise (Creepshow and Creepshow 2), the series featured six episodes with two horror stories per episode.[1]
Creepshow | |
---|---|
Genre | |
Based on | Creepshow by Stephen King & George A. Romero |
Composer(s) | Christopher Drake |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language(s) | English |
No. of seasons | 1 |
No. of episodes | 6 |
Production | |
Production company(s) | Monster Agency Productions |
Release | |
Original network | Shudder |
Original release | September 26, 2019 – present |
The series premiered on September 26, 2019.[2]
On Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds an approval rating of 97% based on 29 reviews with an average rating of 7.7/10. The critical consensus reads: "Delightfully eerie, Creepshow captures the spirit of the original while forging its own spooky path."[3] On Metacritic, the series has a weighted average score of 64 out of 100, based on 5 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[4]
On October 30, 2019, the series was renewed for a second season.[5]
Premise
The Creep tells audience members darkly grim horror stories from the pages of the Creepshow comic book.
Production
Development
In July 2018, the Creepshow television series was announced, with Greg Nicotero listed as a producer and streaming service Shudder as the distributor.[6]
As in the original Creepshow, and in contrast to the sequel, The Creep is a puppet that delivers gags (mostly featured in the cold openings of each episode) through nonverbal cues or laughter.
Adaptations
On January 16, 2019, it was announced that one of the segments of the pilot episode will be based on Stephen King's short story, "Survivor Type" from his 1985 collection, Skeleton Crew; however, that story was ultimately not used for the first season.[7] As with the feature films, the series will draw from short story fiction. Subsequently, the following were also announced as the basis for stories:[1]
- Gray Matter by Stephen King
- By the Silver Water of Lake Champlain by Joe Hill
- The Companion by Joe R. Lansdale
- The House of the Head by Josh Malerman
- The Man in the Suitcase by Christopher Buehlman
- All Hallows Eve by Bruce Jones
- Times Is Tough in Musky Holler by John Skipp and Dori Miller
- The Finger by David J. Schow
Original stories announced include:[1]
- Lydia Layne’s Better Half by John Harrison and Greg Nicotero
- Skincrawlers written by Paul Dini and Stephen Langford
- Night of the Paw by John Esposito
- Bad Wolf Down by Rob Schrab
Casting
In April 2019, cast members announced included Adrienne Barbeau, Giancarlo Esposito, and Tobin Bell.[8] Subsequent announced cast members included David Arquette, Tricia Helfer, and Dana Gould.[1] On June 20, 2019, Jeffrey Combs, Bruce Davison, DJ Qualls, Big Boi, and Kid Cudi were announced as additional cast members.[9]
Directors
Unlike the film entries, the Creepshow series will feature several directors instead of one director. Announced segment directors include David Bruckner, Roxanne Benjamin, Rob Schrab, John Harrison, Greg Nicotero, and Tom Savini;[1] the latter three having worked on the first two Creepshow features.
Filming
Principal photography for the series began in February 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia.[10]
Episodes
No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date [11] | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | "Gray Matter" | Greg Nicotero | Story by : Stephen King Teleplay by : Byron Willinger and Philip de Blasi | September 26, 2019 | ||||||
"The House of the Head" | John Harrison | Josh Malerman | September 26, 2019 | |||||||
Gray Matter: A grieving father (Jesse C. Boyd) living with his son develops a drinking problem with severe consequences."[12] Also starring Adrienne Barbeau, Giancarlo Esposito, Christopher Nathan, and Tobin Bell The House of the Head: A young girl (Cailey Fleming) discovers a terrifying toy head in her newly acquired dollhouse.[12] Also starring Rachel Hendrix, David Shea, Guy Messenger, and Diane D. Carter. | ||||||||||
2 | "Bad Wolf Down" | Rob Schrab | Rob Schrab | October 3, 2019 | ||||||
"The Finger" | Greg Nicotero | David J. Schow | October 3, 2019 | |||||||
Bad Wolf: The survivors of a massacred platoon of American soldiers (David A. MacDonald, Nelson Bonilla, Callan Wilson, Kid Cudi) are trapped within an abandoned police station that’s only inhabitant is a werewolf prisoner (Kate Freund), surrounded by Nazis on all sides. Also starring Jeffrey Combs. The Finger: A lonely, resentful man (DJ Qualls) who collects strange objects discovers a mysterious severed finger. After spilling beer on the finger, it grows into a strange creature he dubs Bob. However, Bob begins killing anyone who angers its owner. Also starring Antwan Mills, Jake Garber, and Gino Crognale. | ||||||||||
3 | "All Hallows Eve" | John Harrison | Bruce Jones | October 10, 2019 | ||||||
"The Man in the Suitcase" | David Bruckner | Christopher Buehlman | October 10, 2019 | |||||||
All Hallows Eve: A group of teens (Connor Christie, Madison Thompson, Jason Jabbar Wardlaw Jr., and Andrew Eakle) terrorize the neighborhood on Halloween. Also starring Julia Denton, Scott Johnson, Tom Olson, and Erica Frene. The Man in the Suitcase: A traveler (Will Kidrachuck) returning from a trip finds a man (Ravi Naidu) squeezed into his suitcase when he gets back. His friends (Madison Bailey and Ian Gregg) exploit the suitcase man for his magical powers. Also starring Big Boi, Nasim Bowlus, and Carey Jones. | ||||||||||
4 | "The Companion" | David Bruckner | Story by : Joe R. Lansdale, Kasey Lansdale & Keith Lansdale Teleplay by : Matt Venne | October 17, 2019 | ||||||
"Lydia Layne's Better Half" | Roxanne Benjamin | Story by : John Harrison & Greg Nicotero Teleplay by : John Harrison | October 17, 2019 | |||||||
The Companion: A young boy (Logan Allan) fleeing from his brutal bullying brother (Voltaire Colin Council) hides in an abandoned farm, only to find the farm is inhabited by a territorial, living scarecrow (Carey Jones). Also starring Dylan Smitty, Afemo Omilami, and Addison Hershey. Lydia Lange's Better Half: Lydia Layne (Tricia Helfer) kills her lover (Danielle Lyn) and as she is trying to dispose of the body, the power goes out in the elevator. Also starring Michael Scialabba, Jordan Patrick, Dennis Bouldin, and David Wise. | ||||||||||
5 | "Night of the Paw" | John Harrison | John Esposito | October 24, 2019 | ||||||
"Times is Tough in Musky Holler" | John Harrison | Story by : John Skipp and Dori Miller Teleplay by : John Skipp and Dori Miller | October 24, 2019 | |||||||
Night of the Paw: A fugitive (Hannah Barefoot) hides in a funeral home for shelter, and finds that the local mortician (Bruce Davison) possesses a monkey's paw that grants wishes which backfire horrifically on the user. As the mortician tells her about how the paw ruined his life, it becomes clear that the fugitive’s arrival in the funeral home was not mere coincidence... Times is Tough in Musky Holler: A whole town turns on the mayor (Dane Rhodes) and his cronies (David Arquette, Karen Strassman, Tommy Kane, and Kermit Rolison) who have controlled the town for far too long in the midst of awakening zombies. | ||||||||||
6 | "Skincrawlers" | Roxanne Benjamin | Paul Dini & Stephen Langford | October 31, 2019 | ||||||
"By the Silver Water of Lake Champlain" | Tom Savini | Joe Hill | October 31, 2019 | |||||||
Skincrawlers: An overweight man (Dana Gould) learns about a miraculous new treatment for weight loss, where the fat from a person’s body is sucked out by a newly discovered and highly rare species of leech. Though initially reluctant, he is talked into taking the treatment on live television. However, on the day of the treatment, the supposed miracle cure turns out to have horrific side effects. Also starring Melissa Saint-Armand, Chad Michael Collins, Hina X. Khan, Beth Keener, Jason Graham, and Darin Toonder. By the Silver Waters of Lake Champlain: Rose (Sydney Wease) seeks to prove her late father’s claims of having seen Champ, a monster that allegedly lives on the bottom of Lake Champlain, were not the delusions of a madman. When she and her boyfriend (Connor Jones) discover what appears to be Champ’s corpse washed up on the shore, she seeks to provide this proof to the world, but first, she will have to defend herself from her abusive stepfather (James Devoti), who seeks to take the credit for the find, and the real Champ. Also starring David Alexander Kaplan and Gena Shaw. |
Halloween Horror Nights
On August 3, 2019, Universal Parks & Resorts announced that Creepshow would be coming to Halloween Horror Nights exclusively at its Universal Studios Hollywood theme park. The maze featured three segments from the 1982 film ("Father's Day", "The Crate", and "They're Creeping Up on You") as well as two others from the newly made web television version for Shudder ("Gray Matter" and "Bad Wolf Down").[13]
References
- "'Creepshow': David Arquette, Tricia Helfer & Dana Gould Join Shudder Series; Tom Savini To Direct". collider.com. May 30, 2019. Retrieved May 31, 2019.
- "Video: Shudder Releases First "Creepshow" Trailer at San Diego Comic Con, Announces September 26 Series Debut". The Futon Critic. July 19, 2019.
- "Creepshow: Season 1 (2019)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved May 21, 2020.
- "Creepshow: Season 1". Metacritic. Retrieved May 21, 2020.
- "Shudder Renews Hit Series "Creepshow" for Second Season". The Futon Critic. October 30, 2019.
- "Creepshow TV series stories confirmed". Den of Geek.
- Cavanaugh, Patrick (January 16, 2019). "First 'Creepshow' Series Details Emerge About 'The Walking Dead' Director's Entry". ComicBook. Retrieved March 12, 2019.
- Butler, Karen (April 6, 2019). "Giancarlo Esposito, Adrienne Barbeau booked for 'Creepshow' episode". UPI.com. Retrieved May 31, 2019.
- Squires, John (June 20, 2019). "Jeffrey Combs and More Join Cast of Shudder's "Creepshow"; Plus Every Episode Detailed!". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved June 21, 2019.
- Squires, John (February 9, 2019). "Production Has Begun On Shudder's "Creepshow"; Stories and Directors Announced!". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved May 31, 2019.
- "Creepshow – Listings". The Futon Critic. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
- "Creepshow Season 1 - Episode Guide, Recaps & Reviews". Culture Crypt. Ian Sedensky and Culture Crypt LLC. September 24, 2019. Retrieved September 24, 2019.
- Brittani Tuttle (August 3, 2019). "'Creepshow' announced for Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Hollywood". Attractions Magazine.