Creepshow 2 Review

Just when you thought anthology horror couldn’t get any creepier out comes a few tales of horror from the masters of horror that will shake you a little. Creepshow was a movie that was first released to relatively low fan fare, but the sequel got me all sorts of excited as a kid. The giant poster of the creeper pointing towards the screen really got me, and when I finally rented it on vhs all those years ago, I was completely blown away. I recently revisited Creepshow 2, and wow, it’s still as good as I remember, although questions are raised during the second film that I can’t really get my head around.

The stories are interesting enough, so instead of trying to fill out a longwinded paragraph of things, I decided to simply review each story on its own.

Old Chief Wood’nhead

This story tells a tale of a poor town of Native Americans and local shop owners that are friendly to them. The two exchange a deal for debt, and we are treated to what seems like an ok tale of honor and respect. However, things go awry when a young Indian comes through the store guns blazing, and robs the place. On his way out though, he awakens the wooden chief that guards the store, and the chief goes on a rampage of revenge for the tribe and the shop owner! This scary tale really has major impact and is great for a short ride, not really a long-winded affair. Then again, it’s a short, so don’t worry, it hits hard then finishes itself nicely.

The Raft

The blob comes to life in this short, and it’s really scary to think that there are bogs and marshes out there that have these types of blobs full of dirt, oil, and much more. The sickening display of garbage here is alive and traps some vacationers within its gooey grasp. The weird part of this short is that there is an apparent attempted rape scene, which is just awkward and slow to watch. If you saw Cabin Fever, a similar thing happens near the beginning of the film, only this one has a full black blob to contend with.

The Hitchhiker

A cheating wife has to get home fast and ends up getting involved in a hit and run that would haunt her unto death. This story, I feel, has been told before, but I couldn’t really remember where I saw it. It’s nothing like the HBO series, but it still packs a good punch.

In between the films there are interludes of cartoon mayhem featuring the creeper and a comic book. A group of bullies have to deal with a flesh eating plant, but I won’t give too much away.

Creepshow 2 is a great piece of anthology horror. You’ll enjoy it for sure, and it really does flow well, even though it’s quite old. This one was released in 1987, so you can imagine that it hasn’t aged completely well, but it still has enough creep factor to be recommended. Check it out, especially if you like Stephen King and George A. Romero.