Creepshow is one of the greatest horror anthologies of all time and depending on who you ask, maybe the greatest. Following a film like that up is risky business, but in 1987 Stephen King, George A. Romero and Tom Savini all returned to do just that and did so with great success with Creepshow 2! This go-around only provides 3 stories as opposed to 5 like the original, two had to be cut due to budget issues, but they’re 3 very solid and fun little tales of horror.

The film opens with a small boy eagerly awaiting for a delivery truck outside a small newsstand. When the truck pulls up the backdoor opens to reveal the Creepshow Creep, a character played by Savini and voiced by Joe Silver. The Creep tosses a bundle of books out and Billy quickly snatches one up and begins to read it. Billy and the Creep provide the wrap around segments of the film, moving us from story to story.

Old Chief Wood’nhead

The first story stars George Kennedy and Dorothy Lamour as Ray and Martha Spruce, an elderly couple that run a general store in a small southwestern town. Benjamin Whitemoon (Frank Salsedo), a Native American from a nearby tribe, stops by the store to provide collateral for debt his tribe has incurred recently. Everyone in the town is struggling to get by because the town is run-down and there isn’t much money to go around. Whitemoon offers sacred turquoise jewelry to Ray, who initially refuses, but Whitemoon insists.  As Whitemoon is leaving the store he looks up at Old Chief Wood’nhead, a large wooden stature located on the front porch, who appears to nod his head.

That night three young punks rob the general store with shotgun in hand. The leader of the punks is a kid named Sam (Holt McCallany), the nephew of Whitemoon. After trashing the store he demands Ray and Martha turnover the turquoise, but Ray refuses. Sam gest upset and kills the couple and grabs the jewelry. After leaving the store we learn that Sam’s plan is to sell the jewelry and use the cash to move to Hollywood and become a big movie star. Old Chief Wood’nhead doesn’t approve of any of this and comes to life to track down the ruthless thugs.

This is a mostly fun opening story but it’s quite silly, especially the stuff with Sam. I mean he wants to be an actor because of his hair, which is long and glorious, but that seems to be his only basis for wanting to act. I’m no actor, but it seems like you need a little more than that. As silly as that seems though, it does play an important part in the story. And though I’m certainly no expert, I believe long hair does have some cultural significance in the Native American community.

The best part of the story, aside from the amazingness of Kennedy, is Old Chief Wood’nhead. That’s a really terrific effect. He looks like he’s made out of wood, but he moves fluidly. Not sure how this was done, but it was very effective.

The Raft

This is my favorite story on the film for a number of reasons. One, it was filmed in Arizona and I’m from Arizona and thus I’m biased towards Arizona. A movie filmed in Arizona will always score bonus points with me. Second, this story scared the crap out of me when I was a kid.

Four college students head out to a lake in the middle of nowhere and decide to go swimming. While they’re out in the water having fun they notice a giant black blob that sort of looks like an oil slick coming at them. They spot a wooden raft floating in the middle of the lake and swim to it for safety. Their plan is to hang out there until the blob leaves, but unfortunately not only does the blob not leave it’s actually able to seep up through the raft. The only way to safety is to out swim the blob to shore.

The blob really doesn’t look great. It’s sort of like this giant plastic trash bag floating along the water. The film more than makes up for that with the special effects used once the blob gets someone. Once the blob gets you your skin is pulled off and the end result is this goopy mixture of a tar like substance, blood and human flesh. This pretty much turned me off of all lakes when I was kid. I don’t want my skin being ripped off, no thank you!

The Hitch-Hiker

A wealthy businesswoman named Annie Lansing (Lois Chiles) is having an affair and after sleeping around she realizes she needs to rush home quickly to get there before her husband arrives. In a mad panic she gets in her car and rushes home, speeding along the dark roads. In her haste she hits a hitch-hiker (Tom Wright), killing him. Once Annie realizes no one witnessed the accident she decides to take off and continue to head home.

As Annie nears her home she can’t help but keep thinking about the man she hit. That’s when things take an ever crazier turn as the hitch-hiker appears outside her window and says, “Thanks for the ride, lady.” Annie continues to speed off, now completely freaked out. All along the way the hitch-hiker continues to reappear, each time repeating “Thanks for the ride, lady.” Annie eventually loses control and wrecks her car into a tree, knocking herself out. When she awakes she assumes it was all a dream and heads home. When she gets home and steps out of her car she sees the hitch-hiker one more time.

I’m not sure if The Hitch-Hiker is a play on Edgar Allan Poe’s ‘The Tell-Tale Heart,’ but it certainly toys around with the same ideas. You’re never quite sure if the hitch-hiker is actually coming after Annie or if it’s her conscience getting the best of her. When the story ends it does so with hints that point to both possibilities, leaving it up the viewer to decide. While The Raft is my personal favorite segment, I believe The Hitch-Hiker to be the best and those most Creepshow-like.

SPECIAL FEATURES:
•Screenplay For A Sequel – An Interview with Screenwriter George A. Romero
•Tales From The Creep – An Interview with Actor Tom Savini
•Behind-The-Scenes Footage with Tom Savini as “The Creep”
•Theatrical Trailers
•TV Spot
•Still Gallery
•88 Films Trailer Reel

Not a ton of special features here but some good ones. I think I’ve mentioned before that I’m a sucker for old TV spots so I was glad to have these included. I don’t know why I’m fascinated with them so much. They’re always poor quality but there’s something about them I love. Maybe it’s simply a nostalgia thing. Whatever the case may be, I like them and this Blu-ray has them so I approve. There’s also two interviews, one with Savini and one with Romero. Both short interviews but interesting. Romero talks a little bit about how the plan was to originally have 5 stories but they had to cut it down to three for budget purposes.

All in all this is another good Blu-ray from 88 Films. While it may not be as good as it’s predecessor, Creepshow 2 more than holds its own in the world of horror anthologies.

Creepshow 2 is now available on region B Blu-ray from 88 Films.