‘Creepshow’ Recap: ‘Night of the Living Late Show’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for the season two finale of ‘Creepshow’.
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It is definitely safe to say that each and every one of us out there, have fantasied at some point or another, about venturing inside the world of our favorite story franchise. Because it would just be the absolute coolest to serve aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise or help the Avengers save the day in some capacity or… if you’re a horror fan… to take your shot at Freddy Krueger and/or fight the living dead to a kickass muzak soundtrack beneath the fluorescent lights of the Monroeville Mall. And for the longest time, we all knew deep down that such a reality wasn't possible in the slightest, it was just fun to get lost in the dream. But it would now seem, that such wild fantasies, might become a reality after all. Thanks to the wonder of virtual reality, and in a way, we’re closer than ever before.

Because Augmented Reality and other VR systems out there, are starting to toy with bringing our favorite stories to life and the technology is likely closer than ever to replicating these sprawling fictional worlds to haunting perfection. However, while that will indeed be quite the amazing experience once it rolls out to the masses since so many will find joy within it, there will be a downside to come along with it. For some will choose to shun the regular world for the fantasy one and wreak havoc on their everyday lives in the process, and it just so happens that the dangers that could come about from this type of recreational technology, served as the focus of the season two finale of Creepshow.

For ‘Night of the Living Late Show’ introduces us to an inventor named Simon who has made quite the incredible breakthrough. In that, he’s figured out how to perfectly blend camera technologies and virtual reality and sensory data to immerse any fan into their favorite movie by way of a device called The Immersopod. Which is a device that should revolutionize AR/VR like never before and make Simon and his wife Renee, rich beyond their wildest dreams. But there is just one problem, in that… Simon is more interested in the personal benefits of the device, so he can finally immerse himself in his favorite horror film, Horror Express. And it doesn’t take long for the story to show us how easy it is to lose ourselves in fantasy since Simon has no problem shoving aside his marriage and anything he dislikes about the real world, to instead surround himself with a fictional world that he knows backwards and forward.

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But while that makes for some for clean and poignant commentary, just sticking with that would be the easy way out for horror’s finest television series. Which is why it was wonderful that this episode took the story a step further, by directly examining the impact of such behavior on those we love and that led to some genuine dramatic depth in this episode, as we watched Renee’s heart shatter in real time. Making it clear that choosing a fantasy world over people that care about us, devastates them completely, to the point where they are left destitute and broken. Which in turn allowed for that classic Creepshow ending to come into play, when Renee decided, the time had come to show Simon how much her hurt her and how poor of a job he did in installing safety measures into the Immersopod, by plunging Simon into the finale of Night of the Living Dead and taking away his only means of escape.
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Which is a bleak and powerful way to end this episode for certain… making it seem as though this is the darkest episode of Creepshow to date. But we would be foolish to not point out that this episode found a way to add the show’s trademark humor into the mix, since it put the wonder of being inside the world of our favorite movies on full display. And let’s be honest, it accurately depicted how quickly and how hard we would all geek out if we were in Simon’s shoes and were standing face to face with Jason Voorhees or Pennywise himself and any sequence aboard the train in Horror Express really was quite delightful. Thanks in large part to Justin Long’s stellar comedic performance in this tale since he knew exactly how to make things perfectly awkward, and the wonder of this story doesn’t end with its grand homage to that classic film and our fantasies. Because that George Romero themed VR ending was simply amazing and it was nice to see Director Greg Nicotero sneak in an epic homage to close out the season. 

If anything, this really was a perfect season finale through and through. Because not only was it a supersized, epic story, but it was also filled to the brim with magnificent commentary on the human condition. Thanks largely to Dana Gould’s brilliant screenplay and the wonderful performances extended beyond Justlin Long as well since D’Arcy Carden killed it as Renee, since she made every painful moment for that unfortunate character about as believable as possible. And of course… Greg Nicotero once again impressed in the director’s chair by assembling a smooth and compelling tale and while we should we feel saddened by the fact that season two of this magnificent series has come to a close, there’s oddly a sense of satisfaction that hangs over this tale and this year’s vignettes. Simply because it’s obvious now that Creepshow has found its groove storytelling wise, and a third season is on the way. Meaning all we have to do now is wait patiently for more quality tales of terror, and they will indeed be top-notch since this series continues to up its game and this reviewer cannot wait to see what kind of ghoulish delights the Creep is planning to bring to the graveyard in season three. Until next time, kiddies.
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‘Creepshow’ is streaming now, exclusively on Shudder.

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