Shudder’s Creepshow is back! The popular horror anthology series inspired by the 1982 film from George A. Romero and Stephen King has returned with season three. This season kicks off with “Mums,” a segment directed by returning filmmaker Rusty Cundieff (Tales from the Hood), written for the screen by David J. Schow (The Crow, Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre III) and based on a short story by Joe Hill.
“Mums” stars Ethan Embry (The Devil’s Candy, Late Phases), Brayden Benson (Tag), and Erin Beute (The Vampire Diaries). The second segment, “Queen Bee,” is directed by showrunner Greg Nicotero, written by Erik Sandoval and Michael Rousselet (Creepshow season 2), and stars Kaelynn Harris (Lovecraft Country), Olivia Hawthorne, Hannah Kepple (Cobra Kai), and Nico Gomez.
“Mums”
Directed by Rusty Cundieff
Written for the screen by David J. Schow and based on the short story by Joe Hill
“Mums” follows Jack (Benson) and his mother, Bloom (Beute), as they wait for Jack’s abusive father, Hank (Embry), to leave the house, giving them a chance at a quick escape to Bloom’s family up north. Sensing their plan ahead of time, Hank surprises them at the door, and having planted bottles of pills and alcohol in Bloom’s bag, Hank grabs her and throws her in his truck, telling Jack he is taking her to rehab.
Hank and his friend murder Bloom and bury her in the backyard garden, telling Jack his mother would be in rehab for good this time. One of Jack’s favorite hobbies was gardening with his mother, so he planted Mum’s seeds in the garden right where his mother was buried, cutting his hand and bleeding into her grave during the process.
When Jack hears the suffering of a piglet, he realizes that his mother is not only buried in the garden but has transformed into a plant-like monster, hanging onto her love for Jack but also craving blood and flesh. Jack then tricks Hank and his white supremacist friends into checking out the garden before knocking them out with a shovel and feeding them to his mom. When all is said and done, Jack takes a solo trip to Bloom’s family, taking a pot of his special Mums.
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This segment was pretty cut and dry, following the “abusive parent gets just deserts” formula that has appeared multiple times in the Creepshow universe and Cundieff’s Tales from the Hood. The acting was fine, though all the characters felt underdeveloped on screen in such a short time.
It was interesting to see Embry in a villain role, though I wish more focus was put on building hatred for his character to give him a satisfying death. Choosing to kill Hank off first and a guy we could care less about last took away from any climactic feelings building throughout the segment.
Most of my enjoyment came from the creative and original creature and kill effects, which held some excellent gross-out moments. These sections carried the segment over the middle line of the generic story I’ve seen many times, even in this series.
“Queen Bee”
Directed by Greg Nicotero
Written by Erik Sandoval & Michael Rousselet
“Queen Bee” focuses on Trenice (Hawthorne), Debra (Kepple), and Carlos (Gomez), three friends having a sleepover and obsessing over the next big pop star, Regina (Harris). With her mom working at the local hospital, Trenice has inside information that Regina is going into labor and will be delivering her baby at the hospital that night.
The trio sneaks in, hoping to snap the first picture of Regina’s baby, but is horrified when they film Regina transforms into a hideous insect monster, using soundwaves to control doctors into delivering her spawn. Upon noticing the teens, the creature kills Carlos and controls the doctors into chasing the other two.
Before escaping, Trenice explains to Debra that they must go to the police. Debra responds that turning Regina in will cancel her tour and end her music career. Debra then turns on Trenice, allowing the creature to capture her, and Trenice wakes up among egg sacks, destined to be the hatchlings’ first meal.
“Queen Bee” was perfect Creepshow material. It was creative, had a clear message, and had monsters and fun, goopy practical effects. This story required little to no character explanation or development because the story was driven by the moral message of not becoming obsessed with pop culture in a toxic way.
The segment was basically a miniature monster movie, and that worked well. CG effects were used as blending tools to highlight a giant, slimy, practical insect monster. The design was awesome.
My only issue with “Queen Bee” was the constant ringing sound from the creature throughout almost the entire episode, which absolutely destroyed my brain. It was worth it, though, because the segment was a blast.
New episodes of Creepshow release Thursdays on Shudder!
