We’re now halfway through season two of Shudder’s Creepshow series, and episode three brings a nice contrast between new school and old school horror direction. The first segment, “The Right Stuff”, is directed by Joe Lynch, who has gained steam in the horror genre in recent years for his film Mayhem. Lynch is joined by writers Paul Dini (Batman: The Animated Series), Stephen Langford (Family Matters) and Greg Nicotero. This segment stars Ryan Kwanten (Trueblood) and Breckin Meyer (Road Trip, Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare). The second segment, “Sibling Rivalry” is directed by Rusty Cundieff (Tales from the Hood 1-3, Chappelle’s Show), written by Melanie Dale, and stars Maddie Nichols (The Outsider), Molly Ringwald (The Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles) and Andrew Brodeur (Tall Girl). As always, there are SPOILERS AHEAD in these recaps, so read on at your own risk!
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“The Right Snuff”
Directed by Joe Lynch
Written by Paul Dini, Stephen Langford, and Greg Nicotero
Astronauts Alex (Ryan Kwanten) and Ted (Breckin Meyer) have been tasked with piloting NASA’s Occula, a futuristic spacecraft outfitted with a ground-breaking piece of technology that specializes in gravity manipulation. Ted is the scientist that designed the device, where Alex is an experienced pilot seemingly just along for the ride, trying to make a name for himself and escape the shadow cast by his father, the first astronaut to walk on Mars.
After a near-miss collision with a debris field, the two astronauts are interviewed by an Earth reporter, who tends to boost Ted’s accolades, while only subtly referencing Alex’s heroics and bringing up his father. Alex takes this as a personal dig, and a little more backstory is given about the lack of “attaboys” and constant coldness between Alex and his father. As Alex’s frustration starts to boil, the astronauts are briefed with the real purpose of their mission, to become the first human contact with extra-terrestrial life. Predictably, Ted has been chosen to be the contact, and Alex has had enough.
NASA tells the Occula that they will lose contact with Earth during the meeting, as the spacecraft will be on the dark side of the moon. During a routine test, a power surge traps Ted in the gravity manipulation chamber. Rather than help Ted by opening the door, Alex, in a fit of madness, increases the gravity in the chamber to dangerous levels, brutally crushing Ted’s body with the pressure, and clearing the path to become Earth’s first human contact with aliens, finally making a name for himself. Alex is beamed to the alien ship, where he learns that Ted was an ambassador for the alien race, as they hoped he would be the bridge to convincing them that humans were worthy of their connection. After scanning Alex’s brain, they see his murderous plot, and explain to him that he certainly has made a name for himself, a shameful and short-lived one, as his misuse of the machine has sent the Moon spiraling toward Earth, causing the destruction of the human race.
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I have to really give it to Joe Lynch for expanding the feel of the Creepshow universe into a more sci-fi realm. The story felt like it belonged more in The Twilight Zone or The Outer Limits, but honestly that’s more because no segment has really been done like this. The horrific and gory moments, along with the moral messaging felt right at home for Creepshow.
Both Kwanten and Meyer played their roles brilliantly, almost polar opposite representations of how to handle societal pressures. As with a lot of Creepshow segments, there was an obvious social commentary. This one highlighted the dangers of toxicity passed down from parents to their children, that can have everlasting effects on their psyches. Alex was on a one-of-a-kind mission in space, and his name would be in the history books right along with Ted’s, but because of the pressures and unaccepting nature of his father, those accolades would never match up, and Alex’s internalized fear and darkness overtook the reality that he was part of something otherworldly. The dangers of measuring your success in comparison to others, especially those you love and want approval from, are extremely real. This segment really hit home emotionally, and I loved it. The camera work, technical aspects, and effects were entertaining, too, giving us a minimal Star Trek-esque ship design and setting, and an alien race that was equal parts silly and creepy.
“Sibling Rivalry”
Directed by Rusty Cundieff
Written by Melanie Dale
High-school teen Lola (Maddie Nichols) is sitting at the desk of her guidance counselor, Mrs. Porter (Molly Ringwald), and frantically explaining her suspicions that her brother Andrew (Andrew Brodeur) is trying to murder her. After a wacky roller coaster re-telling of the previous night’s events, and leading Mrs. Porter to believe everything from sexual assault to an incoming school shooting (Lola’s friend tried to kiss her in her sleep, and her brother was looking at medieval weapons online), she finally dismisses Lola’s chaotic story and tells suggests her to get some therapy.
After some awkward encounters with her brother, Lola returns home to notice the axe missing from the garage, and finally decides to confront Andrew over his actions, and threatens to tell their parents. Andrew explains she can’t tell her parents, because they are dead, but to her shock, he explains that she is the one that killed them. Lola is confused, but allows Andrew to recap the previous morning’s events, where Lola returned from her friend’s house, murdered her parents in cold blood, and drank their blood. Lola realizes that the attempted kiss from her friend was actually a vampire’s bite, and now the vampirism has been transferred to Lola.
Andrew knows he must kill Lola, but he can’t, and rather than be the sole living member of his family, he’s also turned into a vampire when Lola bites him. The segment ends when the siblings return to Mrs. Porter’s office to offer her a “more convincing” story.
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This segment felt a lot more linear than any of the other segments this season. There was some slight social commentary referenced when bringing up major issues in modern high schools, like sexual assault, school shootings, and the general emotional difficulty of being a teen while dealing with the challenges of high school. However, it was kind of odd that the commentary wasn’t really on-the-nose, as Rusty Cundieff has proven to be a master of putting it all out there for us to see with his films and shows.
I thought Maddie Nichols did a fantastic job, and her constant struggle to steer the ship in her story explanations was hilarious, and such a great representation of how teens tend to tell stories. I do feel like the intro for the episode ran long, but I can see how it would be funny and relative with a younger audience, which horror can have a hard time doing, as it seems to frequently fluctuate between trying to be more modern, while still trying to please classic fans. It was great to see Molly Ringwald again, too, especially back in the high school setting of an obvious goody-two-shoes that grew up to become the school counselor.
The effects were a hybrid of practical and CG, but were used tastefully, and weren’t distracting in the least. The mouth effects were reminiscent of vampires from The Strain or Pennywise from the new IT films. It didn’t look bad at all, and I’m usually a stickler for all-practical gore. The story itself just didn’t grab me like the other segments have. I’m not sure whether it was the teenage environment, or a plot twist I saw coming a mile away, but I never found myself fully invested in the story or it’s characters. Don’t get me wrong, they each had their charms, but I never felt much emotion or depth from them, which is already a difficult task in a 20-minute segment.
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