After an incredibly shaky season three thus far, Shudder’s original Creepshow series finally hit a home run with episode five. The first of the two segments, “Time Out,” is directed by Jeffrey F. January (The Walking Dead), written by Barrington Smith-Seetachitt and Paul V. Seetachitt, and stars Matthew Barnes (Atlanta), Jibre Hordges (The Resident), and Devon Hales (Stan Against Evil).
The second segment, “The Things in Oakwood’s Past,” is an animated short directed by Dave Newberg and Greg Nictotero, written by Daniel Kraus and Nicotero, and animated by Enol Junquera and Luis Junquera. It stars Danielle Harris (Hatchet series, Halloween 4 & 5), Mark Hamill, and Ron Livingston (The Conjuring, Office Space).
“Time Out”
Directed by Jeffrey F. January
Written by Barrington Smith-Seetachitt & Paul V. Seetachitt
“Time Out” follows college-aged Tim (Barnes), a law student who can’t seem to find enough time for his studies. After the death of his grandfather, he inherits a strange wardrobe that his grandfather took possession of during his World War II days. The wardrobe came with the simple rules of never going in without the key and never abusing its power. After partying too hard with his college crush Lauren (Hales), Tim realizes he will miss his law exam. Before leaving, he checks out his newly gifted wardrobe and steps inside to figure out that time moves incredibly rapidly inside but not outside. Taking advantage of his new gift, he uses the wardrobe to prepare for his test properly but shows donning a fresh new beard.
Tim continues to use the wardrobe to accelerate his life successes, including graduating top of his class, wooing his girlfriend into becoming his wife and moving up the ranks in one of the hottest local law firms. As Tim increasingly uses the wardrobe, his body starts noticeably breaking down, as if he’s getting older faster. Tim tries to balance his home life with his work life, but after his boss gives him continuous grief and threatens his job, Tim chooses his job over his family by getting in the wardrobe again. This time, Tim notices the key has fallen out of a hole in his pocket, and the rapid time in the wardrobe ages Tim until he turns to dust. The segment ends with Tim’s son entering the wardrobe without the key and shutting the door. Bummer.
It was no surprise that Jeffrey F. January, who directed this season’s best Creepshow segment, “The Last Tsuburaya,” also directed this one. The story was a fresh new take on the classic “Monkey’s Paw,” and the acting was well done, even without veteran actors. I loved how relatable the episode was, as time is the one thing that humans crave more than anything else and the one thing they can’t cheat. It’s hard for me to believe anyone wouldn’t abuse the wardrobe, making their capitalistic challenges go smoother in order to enjoy the more intrinsic parts of human life that we’re all promised but rarely achieve with the American dream. Who wouldn’t want less time working and more time with their spouse or kids? This was an excellent segment and one of my favorites from the season.
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“The Things in Oakwood’s Past”
Directed by Dave Newberg & Greg Nicotero
Written by Daniel Kraus & Greg Nicotero
Animated by Enol Junquera & Luis Junquera
The town of Oakwood is set to celebrate the unearthing of a 200-year-old artifact crate on the historic anniversary of when every single resident of Oakwood disappeared without a trace (think the Roanoke Colony). When local librarian and historian Marnie (Harris) warns her mayor father (Hamill) and local television reporter (Livingston) that the crate could be part of a local Native American curse, she’s brushed aside, and the ceremony proceeds. Marnie researches the glyphs on the crate and figures out that evil will be released onto Oakwood as part of a Lovecraftian-esque curse upon its opening.
At the ceremony, Marnie warns her father again, but it is too late when the mayor opens the door and unleashes many demonic monsters upon Oakwood. The entire town is completely eviscerated by beasts in gory fashion, as Marnie barely escapes by crossing the town limits at the last moment.
Finally, we’re given some well-known veteran actors in a Creepshow segment, even if it’s voice work. Danielle Harris has made a name for herself in the horror genre and does a fantastic job in this Velma-type role in a darker, gorier, Scooby-Doo-style mystery. As always, Hamill is brilliant as the mayor, ignoring the problem and proceeding with what I like to call “mayor syndrome,” a trope that goes back to Jaw. There were tons of references to Romero and Stephen King in this segment, including “Flagg’s Park,” “MicMac Tribe,” and, of course, “The Crate” from the original Creepshow film.
My only issue was with the inconsistency of the animation. Some of it, especially when getting to all the different creatures and intensely gory moments, was stunning and reminded me of animation along the lines of Heavy Metal. Other scenes mostly focused on character dialogue and interaction and looked unpolished and rigid. None of it was bad, but the inconsistency was distracting and a bit disappointing when going from scene to scene. The story was incredibly fun and made me want more. I wish the segment were longer, but the 15 minutes or so worked out just fine.
