‘A Creepshow Animated Special’ Recap: ‘Survivor Type’ & ‘Twittering from the Circus of the Dead’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

'Twittering from the Circus of the Dead'

At this point, it is outright safe to say, that the Shudder series Creepshow, had an utterly brilliant inaugural season. For not only did this delightful show encapsulate the spirit and the wonder of the original 1982 film of the same name, it also found a way to properly pay tribute to the horror genre as a whole. Since every single story that season one brought to life, took the time to examine the classic themes and monsters that permeate the genre. Which made those particular tales quite satisfying to watch to say the least. Since they offered up something for every horror fan out there.
​
As an added bonus, these stories were also quite cerebral. For every episode made sure to work in a little commentary about the human condition, the kind that would definitely give the audience pause since everything these stories had to say about who we are was poignant and powerful and well… when a series does that great of job of realizing its potential and establishing what it stands for in year one, seasons that follow have some big shoes to fill. Because not only do the already high standards need to be maintained, but the show has to find a way to grow and enhance what it established in year one. A notion that left fans quite curious as to how the show is going to handle this unspoken rule of television in season two. But if A Creepshow Animated Special is any indicator of what we can expect from year two of this already iconic series, then we are in for one terrifying treat. 

Because this particular special makes it clear that the show is eager to explore bigger and more horrifying concepts, the kind that prey upon our most primal fears and a fine example of this, is the opening tale featured in this special; ‘Survivor Type’. For this particular story, introduces us to a man named Richard who is in quite the conundrum. Because he’s stranded on an island without any food or any hope of rescue and well, that means that Richard has to figure out how to survive. And it is the exploration surrounding our survival instincts that allows for this particular vignette to shine. For it asks us how far we are willing to go in order to see another day and in Richard’s case… well, let’s just say his decision speaks to the primal nature that resides within all of us. The kind that forces us to break the rules we normally embrace in modern society, in the most disturbing way imaginable.

---

'Survivor Type'

But while that story alone could have carried this tale, there are more unsettling moments to be had in ‘Twittering from the Circus of the Dead’, a quaint little story that lulls us into a false sense of security. For this particular tale puts us in the back of a minivan with a young woman named Blake, who is on an arduous road trip with her family and has decided that chronicling her adventures on Twitter would be a delightful escape. Which in a way makes this vignette seem as though it is going to focus upon the raw horror of taking a road trip with one’s family. But once the fam arrives at a creepy looking circus in the middle of the desert, this particular tale takes quite the turn. For Blake’s family is clueless to the fact the the big act at this sideshow is quite dangerous and well, what makes this story stand out is that it does a phenomenal job of exploring how our ignorance can be quite dangerous to our health and it preys upon our fears of being isolated when trouble arises and that leads to one ugly ending.
​
But while these two vignettes (based on stories from Stephen King and Joe Hill and adapted by Greg Nicotero and Melanie Dale, respectively) offer up some wonderful depth for certain and some delightfully gory moments, what matters most, is that they are utterly disturbing. Because both of these stories are about as bleak as they come and they each do a phenomenal job of building tension and a sense of outright doom and you definitely walk away from this episode in a dark and unsettled place and that’s a huge win for certain. Because it truly informs us that this series is going to hold nothing back going forward and that it is going to do its best to scare the hell out of us and make us uncomfortable and for horror fans everywhere, that’s a welcome feeling in an era of gimmicks and jump scares and musical stings. 

However, we would be remiss to not discuss the fact that the animation in this special, aids the storytelling in every way imaginable. Because it adds a surreal vibe to the storytelling, the kind that makes these vignettes feel akin to a waking nightmare that we cannot escape from. Plus, it also allows for some seriously disgusting gore to play out and of course… it feels akin to the comics that influenced this franchise in the first place. For there is a real E.C. Comics/Tales from the Crypt vibe to it all and that means Octopie, the studio that handled the animation, deserves some serious credit for their fine work here. In the end however, this really is quite the Halloween treat when all is said and done. Simply because this really is a top notch special, one that offers plenty of gore and guts and scares to satisfy the heartiest of horror fans out there and the best news of all, is that it is available to stream on Shudder right now and we certainly hope you watch it as soon as possible. Because A Creepshow Animated Special is horror at its finest. Until next time, kiddies.

---