‘Creepshow’ Recap: ‘Twenty Minutes with Cassandra’ / ‘Smile’

10/15/2023

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Ruth Codd as Cassandra in Episode 401 of ‘Creepshow’ – ‘Twenty Minutes with Cassandra’. (Photo Courtesy of Shudder. A Shudder Release.)

Caution: This article contains spoilers for the Season Four Premiere of ‘Creepshow’. To revisit the Season Three Finale, 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.

If there is one particular piece of advice our family, friends and other people close to us offer when we are dealing with something that upsets us in this life, something that is sticking with us and eating at us… it would be that we need to move on. Which isn’t the worst advice out there. After all, we are obsessive creatures at times, who love to pour over every moment and every possibility as to what went wrong and how we might have fixed it. So, letting go and moving on isn’t a bad thing by any means. Not to mention… sometimes what we think is problematic and worth worry, is in fact, something that can easily be moved on from. So, we should, for our own mental peace.

But the only real issue with this advice, is that we treat it as the blanket solution to all of our problems. As though it can indeed serve as cure-all for our emotional ailments, and that is where we go wrong with this advice. For so many will see their traumas and their grief and other such emotional issues, as something they can easily move on from and they attempt to do so, with ugly results. For the fact of the matter is, we cannot just ‘move on’ from death or stunning moments in our lives. We have to deal with them and confront them and resolve them. Otherwise, what we tried to move on from will come back to haunt us and impact our lives in ways we never thought possible, as evidenced by the stories featured in the season four premiere of the Shudder series, Creepshow.

For instance, ‘Twenty Minutes with Cassandra’, showcases… how our traumas and our past transgressions can in fact be toxic to others, especially when we do our best to project them onto others or lash out with our pain in a desperate attempt to relieve the pressure building up within us. While ‘Smile’ outright explores how trying to hide from our past and our sour transgressions that result in trauma, can and will come back to haunt us and damage what we’ve built, and oddly enough… that commentary is found via stories that seemingly have nothing to do with such topics. Since ‘Cassandra’ revolves around a woman named Lorna, battling a monster that a woman named Cassandra brings to Lorna’s doorstep while Lorna is trying to enjoy a nice evening at home. Whereas ‘Smile’ introduces us to a loving couple composed of James and Sarah Harris, who find themselves dealing with a twisted stalker on a night when James is honored for his photographic work.

Matthew James Dowden as James Harris in Episode 401 of ‘Creepshow’ – ‘Smile’. (Photo Courtesy of Shudder. A Shudder Release.)

But there is indeed deeper meaning in both of these stories. For as Lorna begins to deal with the horror that did indeed follow Dear Cassie to her doorstep, does she come to learn… that IT, is the personification of Cassie’s traumas and guilt over past transgressions, and it has grown so large and so overpowering that Cassie can no longer connect with people. She can simply greet them, express that evil and let it destroy the new friend/relationship and that… is indeed a powerful way in which to hammer home the central theme of this tale, in a manner that reflects how the work to put our past to bed pays off, and how exhausting it is to let it persist. Since it perfectly showcases how all of those sour emotional elements manifest and grow into something so awful, we cannot control it. Which makes for quite the thoughtful and powerful tale, one that is wonderfully complimented by the deeper message found in ‘Smile’.

For that story, which appears to be nothing more than a revenge tale, turns out to be so much more. For the audience comes to learn that James did something awful in the name of getting that award winning photo. In that, he let a man and a child drown, and they could have been saved if he put down the camera. But rather than own up to how the photo came to be, or use a different one, he chose the one with the most emotional impact and profited deeply upon their passing, and that stayed with him and created incredible guilt and darkness within him. To the point where such matters begin to haunt him and prompt him to do horrible things to give his own soul peace. Hammering home, the central theme in a powerful and devastating manner, and all of this gives rise to one incredibly intelligent and thoughtful series premiere to one top-tier horror series.

Because this is… everything we expect from world class horror. Since it features stories that are dark and twisted and demented, that reflect the worst parts of us, so we can learn from them in a safe and secure manner. And of course… this story featured so many other incredible staples of the genre that we adore. Such as incredible tension, courtesy of ‘Smile’, since the darkness following James and his family put us on the edge of our seats, and the monster in ‘Cassandra’ was simply top-notch, as was the gore present in that tale. Plus, there were even moments that feature the dark humor this series is known for. But above all, the commentary on the human condition is indeed what stands out the most. Because it is raw, and pertinent, and it does leave one to wonder if season four of Creepshow is going to spend more time reflecting on us. Simply because, now would be the perfect time, since we are emerging from a period in time when we all had to look in the mirror and deeply reflect upon what we saw in our own eyes, and it will be fascinating to see how the relevancy of the world and recent events continues to influence this brilliant horror show as season four continues along. Until next time, kiddies.

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