Review of Creepshow 2 (1987) by Robert P — 21 Jan 2011

Anthology films are notoriously hard to do well, particularly when there is no narrative connecting the various stories in the anthology. This is due to the fact that you are effectively creating a number of short films, all of which need to be good in order for the anthology to truly work. Unfortunately in the case of Creepshow 2, we are treated to one terrible entry, one very good entry and one mediocre entry resulting in very much a mixed bag.

The first entry tells the story of a general store owner in a dilapidated and down on its luck American Town. The store owner owns a life-size wooden statue of an Indian which is his pride and joy. After a bunch of hoodlums break into the shop, steal a number of items and kill the shop owner and his wife, the statue comes alive to kill those responsible. Entirely devoid of horror, extremely predictable and downright boring, it's a poor effort and very bad start to the film.

The second entry is by far the best; four teenagers head off on a swimming trip to an isolated lake as they know it has a raft in the middle to swim to. Unfortunately for then there seems to be some sort of organism floating on top of the water that is intend on eating the teenagers by slowly devouring them. After one of them is caught, the other three are caught on the raft and must try to escape. It's a great 50's sci-fi plot with some nice gore and plenty of tension. It's a great throwback to films of the past and by far the most entertaining segment.

The third segment is distinctly average; a woman is on her way home after spending the night with a male prostitute when she accidently knocks down a hitchhiker and speeds off. Turns out the hitchhiker has the ability to come back from the dead and attacks her while she tries to get home in an ever increasingly grotesque form. The story is nothing new but there is some nice gore effects and horror action to provide some entertainment but it's all distinctly average.

In the end Creepshow 2 is a much inferior sequel, you're better off skipping the first segment altogether and enjoying the last two which will provide you with some nice entertainment.