‘Creepshow’ Recap: ‘Meet the Belaskos’ / ‘Cheat Code’

11/4/2023

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Matthew Nelson-Mahood and Karis Cameron as Alex and Anna in Episode 404 of ‘Creepshow’ – ‘Meet the Belaskos’. (Photo Courtesy of Michael Courtney/Shudder.)

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 404 of ‘Creepshow’. To revisit the previous episode, click here. Also, this piece was written during the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike. Without the labor of the actors currently on strike, the series being covered here wouldn’t exist.

It is definitely safe to say that season four of the hit Shudder series, Creepshow, is the best season of the show to date. For not only are the stories perfectly written, and bizarre and engaging but they are supremely dark and filled with powerhouse social commentary. Since we’ve enjoyed ponderings upon what it means to resolve past trauma, how people struggle when they use shortcuts and other means to get ahead and of course… this season has explored the power of karma. If anything, this series is showing no signs of letting up with the brilliance it is putting on display this season. For its next set of episodes, opted to do something quite unique with its explorations in that, it wanted to also point out that sometimes, you can have in depth explorations about the human condition and still have a boatload of fun in the process.

For instance, ‘Meet the Belaskos’, was a story that featured a unique and quirky world where everyone knew that vampires were a thing, and most places weren’t cool with vampires being in their neighborhood. A problem for the Belaskos family, since they were pretty chill bloodsuckers that just wanted to find a permanent place to call home and earn a living for the rest of time. Which is indeed a pretty quirky tale that seems lighthearted in nature and seeing this family use blood products and talk about going to work and dealing with the mundane, was fun. As was the secondary subplot in this story. One that involved Anna, the daughter of the family, falling in love with Alex, the son of a staunchly anti-vampire individual. Which brought forth a cheeky love affair for the ages that made this more Romeo and Juliet than darkness.

But there was subtext to be found here, in that, this was in fact, a story about the horrors of prejudice and it's disgusting nature and how it brings about self-destruction. Which was made evident by the horrible things Alex’s dad said and did to the neighbors, and the various well… racist propaganda dispersed around town asking vampires to stay away and how ‘their kind’ weren’t welcome. Which is clearly commentary on our modern world, and our inability to understand we are all one race and that in fact… we will see more collateral damage in every sense imaginable until we finally understand that. But that’s not something that immediately stands out thanks to the lighthearted nature of the plot, that truly serves to remind us that yes, a fluffy story can make learning fun since the dark lesson here never felt overwhelming.

Connor Wong and Lochlyn Munro as Dave and Jeff in in Episode 404 of ‘Creepshow’ – ‘Cheat Code’. (Photo Courtesy of Michael Courtney/Shudder.)

As for the second vignette, ‘Cheat Code’, well that too seemed to be nothing more than a story grounded in the bizarre. Wherein we met Jeff and his son Dave, who clearly weren’t interacting all that much, seemingly because of the divide that teenagers and fathers share, so Jeff decided… to find common ground. Through video games no less, since Jeff was once a local champion on the joystick and that seemingly brought them closer. But alas, what Jeff didn’t know was that the game he chose to use as a bonding measure, carried with it something sinister. Specifically, the ability to pull its players into the game itself, and once they ran out of life in the game, they ran out of it in the real world as well. A move that proved terrifying since Dave was pulled into that digital world.

Yet how that twist ends, and the little things that came before it, speak to a deeper theme here. One that revolved around the fact that Jeff and Dave were actually divided through the power of loss. For mom grew ill and passed away and well… Jeff was desperate to find a way to connect with this son so he could heal, so they could heal. Which meant this was a story about grief and how it claims us and how we sometimes immerse ourselves in other things to heal from it. And how that isn’t a healthy thing in the slightest. Alongside a road map on how to save those we love from being lost to it. Which made for a beautiful yet quirky tale that taught us a lot, without us ever knowing really. Because the wacky nature of the game kept us engaged.

But make no mistake about it, both of these tales were hardcore, intelligent horrors stories, wrapped in a fun façade. One that really did allow for us to be entertained and to laugh aloud at some of the wild moments present here. Because horror really can be fun, and it truly can put a smile on our faces and make us hoot and holler regarding the ugly stuff when the story is right, as evidenced here. Because who didn’t cheer when the blood began to flow in the first story, or chortle when the game started to chomp down upon its human players, despite the danger. If anything, this set of stories just reinforces the brilliance of Creepshow, since this is the kind of versatility that only the best shows out there can display, and it will be interesting to see what storytelling surprises await us as season two of this magnificent series continues along. Until next time, kiddies.

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