Made in the heydays of Anthology films (see: Tales from the Darkside, Creepshow, Cat’s Eyes, Twilight Zone: the Movie), Creepshow 2 falls somewhere in the middle of the pack. For my money, Cat’s Eyes is the best. CS2 doesn’t hit the strides and fun that Cat’s Eyes does; it definitely favors the fun side of the horror anthology.
Three stories make up the film: Old Chief Wooden Head, The Raft, and The Hitchhiker
My favorite by far was The Raft. I wonder if Scott Smith had this short on his mind when he wrote his horror masterpiece, The Ruins. It feels like it, as all the beats are there. A group of college kids end up at a deserted lake, and something ecological begins to hunt them one at a time. The film manages to make these kids so unlikable that you’re rooting for the ecological terror to take them. It does… oh boy does it ever.
The next best was Old Chief Wooden Head. This is a showcase for three things: George Kennedy, Tom Savini, and Howard Berger’s practical effects work. Kennedy plays a kindly old storekeeper in the southwest. For all his niceness, he’s held up at gunpoint. What happens after the robbery is as much fun as the horror cliche/troupe they’re working with. Savini and Berger are as much the stars as Kennedy is. It’s always great to see Kennedy in a non-Naked Gun movie or a movie that’s not making him the joke. The short also forever clears up that Holt McCallany and Don Harvey are two separate people.
The Hitchhiker isn’t bad; it’s a lot of fun, but of the three, it’s the most tired and true. A fun cameo by Stephen King and some gross gore effects by Howard Berger make this nasty fun. The story is basic: a woman going home to her husband from a rendezvous with her lover runs over a hitchhiker. Part of the fun is seeing how far the film goes with its single small premise and turns it on its head to some ridiculously funny effect.
There’s wrap-around story is fun, but as to the reasons why it goes animated… I’m clueless, but it’s fun all the same. It’s a great fun time to be had. No real scares, but some definite fun times with horror and gore for fans of 80’s horror.
The Transfer
The all-new 4K restoration by Arrow Films from the original negative presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible) looks as sharp and colorful as the day it was released in 1987. There’s a clarity and a beautiful grain structure present that makes it feel like an archival 35mm film print. The Dolby Vision encoding gives everything a darker hue, but the details within the blacks are astounding. Arrow Video continues to give fans reasons to upgrade their Blu-ray editions to their superior 4K UHD upgrades.
The Extras
They include the following;
Audio commentary with director Michael Gornick
Screenplay for a Sequel, an interview with screenwriter George A. Romero
Tales from the Creep, an interview with actor and make-up artist Tom Savini
Poncho’s Last Ride, an interview with actor Daniel Beer
The Road to Dover, an interview with actor Tom Wright
Nightmares in Foam Rubber, an archive featurette on the special effects of Creepshow 2
My Friend Rick, Howard Berger on his special effects mentor Rick Baker
Behind-the-scenes footage
Image gallery
Trailers & TV spots
Original screenplay galleries
The archival audio commentary with director Michael Gornick and Perry Martin. The duo opens with a joke about the New World Logo before diving into their commentary track. Some of the details include how Martin was hired onto the film – including how Tales from the Darkside TV series was the primary reason for being hired; how this was originally a film that Tom Savini was supposed to direct; his history with Laurel Entertainment Romero’s production company; if Romero was ever going to direct the sequel and the King adaptation he was involved with at the time; a discussion of the animated segments that play throughout and who he collaborated with on these; the production schedule and the order in which they filmed the segments; the various locations in and around Prescott, Arizona they used to double for Maine (as these are Stephen King based tales – later it is discussed they did shoot in Maine) and why they chose this location; the issues that came up during the production and how his work in TV helped prepare him for these issues; Gornick’s use of two cinematographers and why this occurred; the unrealized ideas they had for the animated sequences; why New World took over distribution from Warner Brothers; a larger discussion about the VFX and Makeup FX and how they were accomplished; a larger discussion about working with the various actors from the production – anecdotes about people like George Kennedy, Dorothy Lamour, Holt MacCallany, Don Harvey, Paul Satterfield, Lois Chiles, Tom Wright, and Stephen King; and much more.
Screenplay for a Sequel, an interview with screenwriter George A. Romero (10:46) – in this archival interview with the screenwriter/producer of Creep Show 2 begins with where his childhood love of comics and specifically EC Comics bore the original Creep Show. Romero goes on to discuss how Creep Show was the only film to hit #1 at the box office; the discussions of the sequel and how it began as 5 tales but was cut back to 3; working with Stephen King – including the unrealized projects; the reasons why Michael Gornick was hired on as the director of the film; his thoughts on the sequel and what he felt was lacking; and more.
Tales from the Creep, an interview with actor and make-up artist Tom Savini (7:54) – in this archival interview, Savini discusses how the first film allowed him to create monsters rather than just do gore FX, which was, until Creepshow,the only thing he had done. Savini goes on to discuss having to be in the makeup chair for the Creep (which he hates doing); the other work he did on Creepshow 2; his familiarity with director Michael Gornick; and his advice on contracts; and much more.
Poncho’s Last Ride, an interview with actor Daniel Beer (14:45) – in this archival interview with Beer discusses how he got cast in the film. Beer goes on to discuss working with director Michael Gornick; a great anecdote about actress Page Hannah; just how rough the production was for him; and much more.
The Road to Dover, an interview with actor Tom Wright (13:51) – this archival interview with Tom Wright begins with how he began acting, going from Broadway to eventually booking Creepshow 2 because of his experience with stunt work. Wright goes on to discuss how he approached the role with seriousness and levity; working with Lois Chiles; working with director Michael Gornick; the difficulties of the shoot, including the stunts he did; and much more.
Nightmares in Foam Rubber, an archive featurette on the special effects of Creepshow 2 (32:04) – this archival interview with FX artists Howard Berger and Greg Nicotero begins with a discussion of how early in their career the film was and just how much was “improvised”. The featurette goes on to detail how both became interested in makeup FX work and monster movies of the ‘50s and ‘60s; how each got into FX work respectively in Los Angeles and Pittsburgh; how the duo got Creepshow 2; the troubles with production and the other FX; how they handled each of the sections of the show and the specific challenges they each faced and who did what; and much more. There is a wealth of b-roll footage edited into the featurette that Makeup FX fans will want to see.
My Friend Rick, Howard Berger on his special effects mentor Rick Baker (2:44) – Berger tells a great story of meeting Rick Baker for the first time and how that turned into a friendship that eventually turned into a professional relationship.
Behind-the-scenes footage (5:51) – this collection of behind-the-scenes footage is taken from Tom Savini’s personal collection. It consists of Savini being made up as the Creep and a look at his scenes in the film.
Trailers & TV spot – broken down into multiple submenus.
Theatrical Trailer #1 (1:39)
Theatrical Trailer #2 (1:13)
TV Spot (0:35)
Image Galleries – broken down into multiple submenus.
Image gallery (3:35) – the gallery consists of over 42 images that range form behind-the-scenes stills and production photos. The gallery plays automatically with the score playing in the background.
Screenplay (Second Draft, 1984) – the second draft, written by George Romero, is approximately 113 pages. The scan is beautifully done, allowing anyone to read the text.
Screenplay (Final Draft, 1986) – the final draft, also written by Romero, is approximately 102 pages. The scan is beautifully done as well, allowing anyone to read the text.
The Final Thought
Arrow Video has given Creepshow 2 a new 4K UHD coat of paint. Recommended!!!
Creepshow 2 gets a 4K UHD upgrade from Arrow Video
The Film
Made in the heydays of Anthology films (see: Tales from the Darkside, Creepshow, Cat’s Eyes, Twilight Zone: the Movie), Creepshow 2 falls somewhere in the middle of the pack. For my money, Cat’s Eyes is the best. CS2 doesn’t hit the strides and fun that Cat’s Eyes does; it definitely favors the fun side of the horror anthology.
Three stories make up the film: Old Chief Wooden Head, The Raft, and The Hitchhiker
My favorite by far was The Raft. I wonder if Scott Smith had this short on his mind when he wrote his horror masterpiece, The Ruins. It feels like it, as all the beats are there. A group of college kids end up at a deserted lake, and something ecological begins to hunt them one at a time. The film manages to make these kids so unlikable that you’re rooting for the ecological terror to take them. It does… oh boy does it ever.
The next best was Old Chief Wooden Head. This is a showcase for three things: George Kennedy, Tom Savini, and Howard Berger’s practical effects work. Kennedy plays a kindly old storekeeper in the southwest. For all his niceness, he’s held up at gunpoint. What happens after the robbery is as much fun as the horror cliche/troupe they’re working with. Savini and Berger are as much the stars as Kennedy is. It’s always great to see Kennedy in a non-Naked Gun movie or a movie that’s not making him the joke. The short also forever clears up that Holt McCallany and Don Harvey are two separate people.
The Hitchhiker isn’t bad; it’s a lot of fun, but of the three, it’s the most tired and true. A fun cameo by Stephen King and some gross gore effects by Howard Berger make this nasty fun. The story is basic: a woman going home to her husband from a rendezvous with her lover runs over a hitchhiker. Part of the fun is seeing how far the film goes with its single small premise and turns it on its head to some ridiculously funny effect.
There’s wrap-around story is fun, but as to the reasons why it goes animated… I’m clueless, but it’s fun all the same. It’s a great fun time to be had. No real scares, but some definite fun times with horror and gore for fans of 80’s horror.
The Transfer
The all-new 4K restoration by Arrow Films from the original negative presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible) looks as sharp and colorful as the day it was released in 1987. There’s a clarity and a beautiful grain structure present that makes it feel like an archival 35mm film print. The Dolby Vision encoding gives everything a darker hue, but the details within the blacks are astounding. Arrow Video continues to give fans reasons to upgrade their Blu-ray editions to their superior 4K UHD upgrades.
The Extras
They include the following;
The archival audio commentary with director Michael Gornick and Perry Martin. The duo opens with a joke about the New World Logo before diving into their commentary track. Some of the details include how Martin was hired onto the film – including how Tales from the Darkside TV series was the primary reason for being hired; how this was originally a film that Tom Savini was supposed to direct; his history with Laurel Entertainment Romero’s production company; if Romero was ever going to direct the sequel and the King adaptation he was involved with at the time; a discussion of the animated segments that play throughout and who he collaborated with on these; the production schedule and the order in which they filmed the segments; the various locations in and around Prescott, Arizona they used to double for Maine (as these are Stephen King based tales – later it is discussed they did shoot in Maine) and why they chose this location; the issues that came up during the production and how his work in TV helped prepare him for these issues; Gornick’s use of two cinematographers and why this occurred; the unrealized ideas they had for the animated sequences; why New World took over distribution from Warner Brothers; a larger discussion about the VFX and Makeup FX and how they were accomplished; a larger discussion about working with the various actors from the production – anecdotes about people like George Kennedy, Dorothy Lamour, Holt MacCallany, Don Harvey, Paul Satterfield, Lois Chiles, Tom Wright, and Stephen King; and much more.
Screenplay for a Sequel, an interview with screenwriter George A. Romero (10:46) – in this archival interview with the screenwriter/producer of Creep Show 2 begins with where his childhood love of comics and specifically EC Comics bore the original Creep Show. Romero goes on to discuss how Creep Show was the only film to hit #1 at the box office; the discussions of the sequel and how it began as 5 tales but was cut back to 3; working with Stephen King – including the unrealized projects; the reasons why Michael Gornick was hired on as the director of the film; his thoughts on the sequel and what he felt was lacking; and more.
Tales from the Creep, an interview with actor and make-up artist Tom Savini (7:54) – in this archival interview, Savini discusses how the first film allowed him to create monsters rather than just do gore FX, which was, until Creepshow,the only thing he had done. Savini goes on to discuss having to be in the makeup chair for the Creep (which he hates doing); the other work he did on Creepshow 2; his familiarity with director Michael Gornick; and his advice on contracts; and much more.
Poncho’s Last Ride, an interview with actor Daniel Beer (14:45) – in this archival interview with Beer discusses how he got cast in the film. Beer goes on to discuss working with director Michael Gornick; a great anecdote about actress Page Hannah; just how rough the production was for him; and much more.
The Road to Dover, an interview with actor Tom Wright (13:51) – this archival interview with Tom Wright begins with how he began acting, going from Broadway to eventually booking Creepshow 2 because of his experience with stunt work. Wright goes on to discuss how he approached the role with seriousness and levity; working with Lois Chiles; working with director Michael Gornick; the difficulties of the shoot, including the stunts he did; and much more.
Nightmares in Foam Rubber, an archive featurette on the special effects of Creepshow 2 (32:04) – this archival interview with FX artists Howard Berger and Greg Nicotero begins with a discussion of how early in their career the film was and just how much was “improvised”. The featurette goes on to detail how both became interested in makeup FX work and monster movies of the ‘50s and ‘60s; how each got into FX work respectively in Los Angeles and Pittsburgh; how the duo got Creepshow 2; the troubles with production and the other FX; how they handled each of the sections of the show and the specific challenges they each faced and who did what; and much more. There is a wealth of b-roll footage edited into the featurette that Makeup FX fans will want to see.
My Friend Rick, Howard Berger on his special effects mentor Rick Baker (2:44) – Berger tells a great story of meeting Rick Baker for the first time and how that turned into a friendship that eventually turned into a professional relationship.
Behind-the-scenes footage (5:51) – this collection of behind-the-scenes footage is taken from Tom Savini’s personal collection. It consists of Savini being made up as the Creep and a look at his scenes in the film.
Trailers & TV spot – broken down into multiple submenus.
Image Galleries – broken down into multiple submenus.
The Final Thought
Arrow Video has given Creepshow 2 a new 4K UHD coat of paint. Recommended!!!
Arrow Video’s 4K UHD Edition of Creepshow 2 is out now
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