IR TV Review: A CREEPSHOW HOLIDAY SPECIAL [Shudder]
The on-off texture of "Creepshow" does apply and work in facets of these per-se holiday specials. The animated special for Halloween was very well done and, of course, able to be done during quarantine as a two-step with two 30-minuute stories. For “A Creepshow Holiday Special" it is one story and it is uncertain whether or not it was shot during the pandemic but it is possible. The interesting thing with these short subjects as a greater whole is that they try to keep the budget down when cutting through large scale effects scenes with pages from the comic book. That said when it comes down to it they don't skimp but do it as practical as they can. The piece here revolves around a therapy group for a certain kind of monster per se. Two would-be recent sitcom outlays from film in the form of Adam Pally and Anna Camp (of "Pitch Perfect") are an interesting pairing but again because of the one-off element it plays into their schedule. While the comedy is tried to be played up, it comes off a little stilted with both actors seeming to try a bit hard but that might be the direction. After the set up with the story and what the ancillary characters do when it kicks in, is when the episode more hits its stride. The ending goes a bit bonkers like "Evil Dead 2" taking into Creepshow's blend of practical and extremes and yet an embracing of mythology and folklore. It creates a nice balance with a couple misfires but is mostly consistently entertaining. B+
By Tim Wassberg
