‘Creepshow’ Rewatch: Loose Ends

Written by John Edward Betancourt

THIS IS THE EMERGENCY SPOILER ALERT SYSTEM. YOU ARE ADVISED TO READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.

How ‘Skinwalkers’ and ‘By the Silver Water of Lake Champlain’ Explore Splatter Horror and the Fantastical

‘You’re not putting that thing on me!’
- Henry Quayle

​Over the course of the past five weeks, we’ve enjoyed a wonderful journey through the best parts of the horror genre, courtesy of the fantastic vignettes that Creepshow has sent our way. For they’ve helped us to be reminded of what makes horror great in the first place, and where it’s been history wise and how it connects to the human condition by way of our fears and our beliefs. Which covers a great deal of what this genre stands for, leaving one to wonder… what’s left? What else from the genre could there possibly be, that this brilliant series can take the time to explore in unique and fascinating fashion? Well as it turns out, there are two key elements the series had yet to noodle upon, and it saved those final two notions for its season one finale. 
 
For ‘Skinwalkers’ takes the time to remind us that sometimes, horror loves to keep things messy by way of glorious gore. Something that has brought the genre great criticism since there was a time where so many associated splatter with unwholesomeness and poor moral values. But as we all know, the times have changed and gore is now commonplace, with some restrictions in place. Which made it nice to see this story harken back to the wild west era of horror, where blood and guts consistently flowed freely from the bodies of unfortunate victims. Since this tale features buckets of blood and chunks of everything in between, when those fat eating eels breed during a solar eclipse, and it was just lovely to be reminded of the fact that sometimes gore and blood can make for a fun experience, when paired with the proper story.
 
As for ‘By the Silver Water of Lake Champlain’, well this particular tale decided to offer up a classic feel, one that reminded us of the early days of horror. Where seeing the impossible come to life left us in awe, and where the characters and their plight had to take precedence over budgetary constraints and that made for quite the intimate affair. One that featured a powerful story about a grieving family, one that was desperate to keep the memory of their father alive, by proving that he was right all along about the monster that lives in the nearby lake. And seeing Champy and its child on the screen harkens back to the wonder of seeing the Wolf Man or Dracula for the first time on the silver screen and thanks to Tom Savini’s fine direction and Joe Hill’s source material, this story comes together in a moving and beautiful fashion. 
 
But we would be remiss to not point out the fact that both of these vignettes were filled to the brim with social commentary as well. For ‘Skinwalkers’ dives deep into how vain Modern America is at the moment since everyone in this tale is obsessed with image and their weight, and of course it also explores the dangers that come with following every fad diet or treatment, because who knows? The next one we chase could fill us to the brim with killer eels. And as for ‘By the Silver Water of Lake Champlain’, well that particular tale focuses heavily on the true definition of monsters. Because sometimes the creatures we think are dangerous, are instead as gentle as they come, as evidenced by the tender moment Rose and Thomas spend with Champy as she grieves. If anything, the point this one wanted to hammer home is that man is and will forever be the true monster in the world and no matter often that pops up in storytelling, it still has gravity and depth.
 
But all commentary aside, this really was a wonderful way to wrap up season one of this magnificent series. Because it bookends the series premiere nicely by once again examining some classic elements that have been part of the genre for ages. Plus, you can never go wrong with some serious splatter and some character driven storytelling and really, if there is any complaint to be had about this finale, it would be that… we’ve reached the end. Because this series is so good and so fun that you simply want more. But while year one has come to a close, the good news is that season two is on the way. Which means it won’t be long before the Creep returns to offer up new tales of terror, ones filled to the brim with depth and eerie moments and while we wait, we can explore these stories over and over again, and relish in the wonder, of the return of anthology horror. Until next year, kiddies.    

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