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Creepshow 2 (Special Edition) [1987]


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Creepshow 2 does make you flesh creep but doesn't scare
Review date: 2007-12-22 Rating: 6 out of 10

I love Creepshow. The most scariest 15 rated horror movie by the makers George A. Romero and Stephen King with five tales of pure shocking horror. It's a shame that Creepshow 2 doesn't have that factor. This time George and Stephen wrote the script but the film wasn't directed by Romero and therefore doesn't retain the scares and shocks like the first one. There are so many thing wrong with this one.

One, you don't get five tales as you did in Creepshow, instead you just get three.

Two, the dark comic book stylings of the original are ditched and a more kid friendly comic book animation styling is placed instead. The creep isn't quite as convincing as he was during the first one when you just saw him on the comic book with speech bubbles instead of real speech as he is here.

Three, the atmospheric score of the first film is gone too. The theme that i loved so much and scared me as soon as the credits started was gone and some other music was used. They should have kept it as for me that was Creepshow's signature theme and summed up what you were about to see.

Four, Where were the scares? hardly any of it scared me. Where was the Creepshow scares and shocks that i loved so much?

Those faults aside it still is enjoyable to watch with great characterisations and the odd bit of gore but sadly thats it. The interweaving story of Billy and his beloved comic were interesting but hardly scary. The stories themselves are good and thats it. Some horror, some laughs, a bit of nudity and thats it. I did feel cheated after watching it as i was expecting horror like the original and it didn't deliver. What it did deliver though were three tales of just desserts which i guess was good to see the "evil" characters get what they deserved.

This could have been so much more with George behind the camera and the inclusion of two more stories, this would have been great but sadly its just passable. Great shame.

But if you love Creepshow and you haven't seen this then it's worth a look, just don't expect too much from it and you have a good time. You expect to be scared,sorry either stick with the original or choose tales from the crypt instead.

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Reviews


HALF WAY DECENT WITH SOME LARGE NAGGING PROBLEMS
Review date: 2007-10-26 Rating: 6 out of 10

Waiting to see the new Creepshow comic book, young Billy, (Domenick John) arrives when The Creep, (Tom Savini) drops them off and begins leafing through the book, reading three stories.

The Good Stor(ies): Old Chief Wood'nhead-Running a general store in a drying up town, Ray Spruce, (George Kennedy) and Martha Spruce, (Dorothy Lamour) are presented with a special gift for their services. Immediately afterward, Sam Whitemoon, (Holt McCallany) Fatso Gribbens, (David Holbrook) and Andy Cavanaugh, (Don Harvey) decide to rob the store, leaving the couple for dead. The Indian sculpture in front of their store, Old Chief Wood'nhead, comes to life and tracks them down one-by-one. This wasn't bad, and is overall pretty decent. The special effects for the statue are excellent, applying a "wooden" body-suit to make it move and act just like a wooden statue coming to life. It even creaks, too. It steals all the best scenes, especially the assault in the garage and inside the trailer park, which are both quite suspenseful due to it's presence. The kill scenes also show some verve, as we gets attacks by a volley of arrows, a swipe to the head with an axe, and a pretty nasty scalping. On the downside, the story is kinda predictable, which ruins the experience a little as you know exactly what's gonna happen. It's basically a routine slasher film with the statue as the killer, and it plays out exactly as it would be expected.

The Raft-Heading out to an abandoned lake, Randy, (Daniel Beer) Deke, (Paul Scatterfield) Laverne, (Jeremy Green) and Rachel, (Page Hannah) swim out to a raft floating in the middle for some relaxation. When a floating mass nearby takes an interest in them, they have to find a way to get away before it kills them all. The blob in the lake is kinda cool. There is a lot of mystery surrounding it and you can't really tell how it's gonna end. As great as the mystery is, the creature just looks like a black tarpaulin floating in the water. The deaths are wildly over-the-top, as the blob eats through their flesh, leaving a mound of bloody bones and melted skin. It has a lot of great suspense, and the tension in the second half, where the creature begins to break through the holes in the wood is really creepy. The story moves along at a sharp pace, hardly ever slowing down and being really entertaining once it gets started. This is the segment that features the most satisfying ending and everyone gets their just desserts, featuring a twist that is the nearest the film ever gets to capturing any of the black humor that ran through the original. It's a really good story.

The Hitchhiker-Running late from a tryst, Annie Lansing, (Lois Chiles) hits a hitchhiker, (Tom Wright) accidentally with her car, but fearing the repercussions, she takes off. As she struggles with herself for doing the deed, she encounters him repeatedly as she continues on. The most interesting thing here is how hard the woman fights against the hitchhiker. She runs him over with her car, runs over him and crushes him against trees continually. She does practically everything a human would really do in a similar situation, and it's quite fun to see them. The special effects in here did a very good job on the hitchhiker. Every time you see him, he's gradually got more and more mashed to pieces thanks to Louis Chiles repeatedly driving over him with her car until there is but a skeleton left. The longer it goes on, the more it becomes distorted and the more gruesome it becomes. However, the segment becomes so ludicrously overblown in the escalating wrecking of the car in attempts to dispose of the hitcher that it earns far more on the laugh scale than ever does for its scares. It might have been more interesting if they played up how the mangled hitchhiker could have been a figment of her imagination. That really could've been played up more rather than a few passing hints at it. It's biggest problem, though, is that it gets repetitive after a while and they could have cut this segment down to keep it fresh. It feels like it's doing the same thing over and over, and it could've been trimmed down.

The Bad Stor(ies): While all have their little problems, as a whole this one is decent enough. The biggest thing that these suffer from is an overall bored feeling. They aren't that original either, as there's been tons of stories out there with the same general plot as these and do it much better. Also quite hard to sit through is the wraparound segments, which are quite terrible, have nothing to do with the features being presented afterward, and have none of the style and wit of the previous entry. That also applies to the stories, but this one mainly suffers from the lack of creativity.

The Final Verdict: While suffering from creativity and the lack of style from the others, this is still a lot of fun and an overall decent enough film. It's not as great as the first one, but there's enough good stuff to give it a look if it appeals to you.

Creepshow 2 [1987]
Review date: 2007-10-15 Rating: 6 out of 10

Many critics are far too hard on this film. Ok, it's not as good as the original, granted. Romero is not in the directing chair this time, Michael Gornick now taking the helm. The stories are now sliced to just three instead of the five seen in 'Creepshow' [1982].

But lets not forget Stephen King here, who not only contributes the tales with the help of Romero [most notably the classic tale from his very own collection 'Nightshift', 'The Raft'] but also turns up in a small cameo [he also starred in the first movie]. Also we have the wraparound story - this time in full animation - featuring the darkly hilarious Creep.

The movie is both scary and fun, the tales featuring a simple twist at the end, as one expects from such shorts as 'Tales from the Crypt'. My personal favourite is 'The Hitchhiker', where a guy thumbing a lift becomes the victim of a hit-and-run ... he is run over and over and over ... just watch it, you'll see.

The weakest segment here is probably 'Ole Chief Woodenhead', but even this story is watchable. And special effect make-up guy, Tom Savini, once again puts in an appearance here, this time as the Creep.

Halfway perfect, I'm giving Creepshow 2 a three-star rating. It doesn't live up to the original; the creepy and cool effects managed in 'Creepshow' really made the 1950s E.C. Comics come alive. But what sequel ever hits the mark?



Crapshow
Review date: 2006-04-18 Rating: 2 out of 10

Dawn and Day of the Dead's Director of Photography Michael Gornick took the directorial duties for this follow up to George Romero's original, while Romero took screenplay duties.
Whereas Romero's Creepshow wasn't exactly a masterpiece, in comparison this sequel nudges it firmly into that position. As a screenplay it must have read better than when translated to screen.
As opposed to 5 tales for the first film, there are only 3 tales for this one.
Whereas the first film delivered the goods (scares, gore 'n' fun) in spades with each tale, this one leaves you hoping the next one will be better than the last.
The animation style used is a real let down, the stories are predictable and lacking in any real sense of dread, while the final pay off makes one feel like you've just seen a kiddies film.
Even FX meastro Tom Savini in a cameo as the Creep doesn't lighten the load for what should of essentially been left for the cable channel.
A real shame and most certainly not worth buying unless you are a rabid Romero fan.
Apparantly there are plans for a third volume. Oh dear......

Product Details/Specifications


Actor(s):
Tom Savini
Dorothy Lamour
George Kennedy
Lois Chiles
Paul Scatterfield

Creators:
Dorothy Lamour (Primary Contributor)
George Kennedy (Primary Contributor)

Director(s):

Recording label: Starz Home Entertainment
Manufacturer: Starz Home Entertainment
EAN: 5060020623936
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 1
Format: PAL, Widescreen,
Release date: 2005-02-21
Audience rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
Region code: 2
Running time: 92 minutes
Theatrical release date: 1987
Language: English (Original Language)

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