The two segments in the fourth episode of Shudder’s Creepshow season 3 couldn’t be further from one another in substance and style. The first segment, “Stranger Sings,” is directed by Axelle Carolyn (Tales of Halloween), written by Jordana Arkin (Saved by the Bell: The New Class), and stars Suehyla El-Attar (Ant-Man and the Wasp), Kadianne Whyte (Greenleaf), and Chris Mayers (Ozark).
The second segment, titled “Meter Reader,” is directed by Joe Lynch (Mayhem), written by John Esposito (The Walking Dead), and stars Johnathan Schaech (2008’s Prom Night), Abigail Dolan (American Animals), and Cynthia Evans (Stargirl).
“Stranger Sings”
Directed by Axele Carolyn
Written by Jordana Arkin
In the opening segment of episode four, we follow the nervous and recently divorced Barry (Mayers), who works up the courage to speak to Sara (El-Attar), a woman he’s seen hanging around the local coffee shop. Barry walks Sara home, who then invites him in for some wine. When Barry declines, a voice from within her house hypnotizes him into wanting to enter.
Upon entering and using the restroom, Barry finds a dead body in Sara’s bathroom, and it is revealed that Sara lives with Miranda, a flesh-eating Siren who lures men into their home to feast upon. This time, their goal is to have Barry, who is a gynecologist, do surgery to remove Miranda’s vocal cords and switch them with Sara’s. Miranda no longer wants to live the immortal life of a siren, and Sara wants to use the power to get any man she wants.
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After having his life threatened, Barry reluctantly agrees to do the surgery. Mere hours later, Sara uses her new Siren powers to lure Barry into the bedroom for her first feast. During the attack, Miranda murders Sara with a ceremonial dagger to put a stop to the carnage and save Barry’s life. The two laugh together and decide to go on a date.
Well…it had to happen sometime. This was my least favorite segment of the entire series. The writing felt incredibly sloppy. Why would a gynecologist ever know how to do vocal cord surgery? They even bring that up in the segment, then totally ignore it.
The story is riddled with absurd concepts and unpolished dialogue, which is truly unfortunate, considering the makeup and suit for Miranda’s siren costume was probably the best-looking practical effect of this season. This age-old siren tale didn’t engage me at all.
“Meter Reader”
Directed by Joe Lynch
Written by John Esposito
“Meter Reader” depicts a dystopian United States, where a pandemic of demonic proportions has infected many people, causing them to murder their loved ones. Dalton (Schaech), just a regular Joe and referred to as a “Meter Reader,” is thought to be immune and goes out into the world to help detect and eradicate those who have been possessed by the damned.
Dalton arrives at the Jones family home to detect the demon within Mrs. Jones’ daughter. He then finds out it was the Jones mother who is possessed and must be killed, not the daughter.
After dealing with the demon, Dalton is late getting home, far after he tells his family he will arrive. Suspicion arises within his daughter Theresa (Dolan), who won’t let him in the house but is outvoted by Dalton’s wife and son, who allow Dalton to come in under the agreement that he stays in the basement until a doctor can test him.
Similar to the misdirection in Dalton’s previous case, it isn’t Dalton who is possessed, but Theresa’s mother and brother. Theresa then slaughters her family, becoming the next Meter Reader.
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This segment was also not one of my favorites. Though there were some extremely cool camera shots (and shout-outs to The Exorcist), the world and story Lynch was trying to build here was way too big for a 20-minute segment. This felt more like the last 20 minutes of a series pilot from The CW.
This segment didn’t really offer much in the way of a conclusive story or ending, and most of the effects and gore were cut away from, aside from some severed heads in an obvious reference to Monty Python and the Holy Grail’s “Bring out your dead!” There just wasn’t much here that was drawing me in.
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