‘Creepshow’ (2019) Recap: ‘Gray Matter’ & ‘The House of the Head’

Written by John Edward Betancourt 

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While the original Creepshow is well regarded as a magnificent and groundbreaking horror film, thanks to its unique style and delightfully original scares, I honestly don’t think people talk enough about its long-standing legacy within the genre. Because it was in many ways a groundbreaking motion picture, one that transformed the landscape of the horror genre for decades to come. For prior to the arrival of this movie, anthology horror really wasn’t a thing. I mean, sure, there were creepy stories to be found within the framework of anthology style storytelling, and a few shows like Night Gallery tried their hand at bringing short vignettes filled with chills to the small screen. But after this movie hit theaters back in 1982, everything changed for this relatively underused subgenre.      
 
Because just like that, horror anthology was everywhere. Suddenly Tales from the Darkside was the hot new thing on television, and films in this vein popped up in theaters and on home video constantly in the 80s and 90s and the movie’s overall inspiration even received its own adaptation when Tales from the Crypt arrived on HBO in 1989. So, why then don’t we discuss the lasting influence of this movie more often? I would venture to say that’s due in large part to the fact that there really isn’t a cohesive franchise present for this saga. Granted there’s two sequels that followed the original, but they never recaptured the magic of the source material and that leaves Creepshow on a unique and isolated island.
 
But with horror enjoying an all-time high popularity wise with audiences, the time seems right to see if this franchise can not only find new life, but cement a proper legacy when it comes to everything its done for genre and the only way to accomplish that particular feat is to resurrect the Creep and let him tell his jolting tales of horror once again, and thanks to Shudder and horror legend Greg Nictotero, that particular feat has come to fruition. For yesterday saw the premiere of the brand new Creepshow television series on the aforementioned Shudder and at this point, I am fairly certain that you’re all wondering as to whether or not this latest chapter in the saga holds a flame to its predecessor.
 
As it turns out, it most certainly does. In fact, this feels like an organic extension of the original, and I think that’s due in large part to the overall design of the series. Because the wraparound segments that feature the Creep, maintain the look and feel of the first film thanks to the return of a Creep that is grounded in practical effects, and that combined with the familiar color aesthetic from part one, allows for the viewer to instantly return to this world and feel comfortable in doing so. But what truly makes this series so special in its own right is that it has grown up so to speak, since the storytelling is taken to a whole new level in this premiere.

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​For this time around, the campy nature of the original has completely disappeared, instead the dark humor has been replaced with feelings of dread since the stories present here; ‘Gray Matter’ and ‘The House of the Head’ deal with their respective storylines in straight forward and unsettling fashion, and well, both of these stories feel akin to a waking nightmare. For their jarring visuals and organic and flowing scripts suck you into the story and fill your soul with fear as you watch one bad thing after another begin to unfold and on several occasions, I found myself squirming in my seat thanks to what played out on screen and really how these two stories accomplish this particular feat is what truly impressed me about this particular premiere.
 
Because ‘Gray Matter’, preys upon our most instinctual fears, such as isolation and helplessness. Something compounded by the fact that our main characters are on their own in this tale since they’re cut off from the rest of the world by the hurricane that is about to make landfall. Plus it also toys with our fears of the dark and the unknown when the Sheriff and Doc arrive at Timmy’s place to uncover the truth as to what’s happening to his father, and all of these elements leave you uncomfortable since nothing seems quite right in this world and that allows for the surprises at the end of the story to shock you for certain.  
 
But while that particular tale is more primal in nature, ‘The House of the Head’ is a tad more philosophical in its exploration of fear. For this tale truly dives into the randomness of the universe and how sometimes bad things enter our lives out of the blue and there is little that we can do to stop them, and it also explores how despite our best efforts to understand why this bad thing happened, we never quite get the answers we seek. Yet what makes this tale stand out even further is that it handles this particular examination in the most unique manner possible, by allowing for our main character, Evie, to play the role of observer when it comes to the little problem she’s encountering with her dollhouse.
 
Yet while that summary doesn’t quite engender a sense of terror, I can assure you, it’s one disturbing tale and that’s really the best part about Creepshow, it’s damn scary. In fact, I am hard pressed to think of the last time I found myself this unsettled by a horror show, but this one pulled it off no problem. Because it got my heart racing, it made me squirm and it made me wince and that’s because once it gets going it feels like a brilliantly colored, technicolor hell from which there is no escape and that’s just brilliant to say the least. In the end, this is a series you need to see, period. Because it is inherently clear this is going to be a bold series that isn’t afraid to try new things and that means we can expect the unexpected and that’s both refreshing and horrifying all at once. Either way, I’m not ashamed to admit I’m hooked on this one, because not only is it going to do right by the original, it’s going to take the franchise to bold new heights after all, and I’ll be anxiously awaiting another terrifying treat from the Creep’s vault of nightmares. Until next time, kiddies. 

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