[Review] Creepshow Episode 204 – A Terrifying Twosome Of Greatness

Shudder’s Creepshow is in the midst of it’s second season. We’ve seen some absolutely fantastic horror anthology this time around. Last week we had the marvelous “The Right Snuff/Sibling Rivalry“, you can check out the review at that link. This time around we have a double dose of classic sci-fi and horror actresses coming back and some truly awesome horror. Let’s start with “Pipe Dreams”

Joe Lynch And Co. Thrill And Fright Us Again!

If you didn’t read last week’s review, he also directed last week’s section “The Right Snuff”. I consider that to be among the best of any Horror anthology. This week’s effort doesn’t quite reach that height, but it’s a damn good piece of television nonetheless. “Pipe Dreams” stars Eric Edelstein, Barbara Crampton, and Selena Anduze. Daniel Kraus wrote the screenplay and of course Joe Lynch directed the section.

Imagine if that clog in your drain came to life. That’s a very simple premise that guides this entire episode. It’s very much like Creepshow or classic Twilight Zone in the way that it’s a story that’s somewhat believable, that is simple to understand. Edelstein shines as the plumber, Linus, called in by the most wicked landlord in the world, Victoria. If you wanted to condense down to one role the “everyman” character, it’s Edelstein in this role. He’s taking over a business from his deceased brother and just trying to fix the image of it. Crampton’s evil landlord is taking advantage of some “not so kind” reviews and basically forcing him to do the work on her building.

The main tenant that Edelstein interacts with is Selena Anduze. She has the main clog in her pipes. What ends up happening is part physical comedy and part Alien facehugger. it’s a sight to behold when you actually see the little monster.

A Satisfying And Cute Ending

Barbara Crampton might be known for her horror roles where she plays the hero (Re-Animator, From Beyond), but she eats up the screen as the over-the-top real life monster. That’s really the beauty of this episode, everyone can handle a clog in the drain. But this monster holding a dark cloud over the tenants heads is the true monster of the episode. It’s satisfying to see her get what she deserves, and it’s great work and casting to put Crampton in this role.

The monster work is once again, top notch, which should be no surprise after all the great effects work this season. The twist at the end is a cute one that makes you feel for the little clog monster, even after it tried to eat the Linus the Plumber’s hand and face.

Overall, this one is your classic episode with a satisfying ending. It seems like each episode of this season has those two alternating goals. You have one episode that ends on a happy note, and one that ends on a dark note. So now we get to the dark note.

“Within The Walls Of Madness” Tells You Half The Thing, Half Stargate

If you’re looking for a feel-good story about humanity, you’re in the wrong place. Where “Pipe Dreams” leaves you feeling good, “Within The Walls Of Madness” is the complete opposite. It stars Drew Matthews, Denise Crosby, Nicholas Logan, Brooke Butler, Brittany Smith, and Leonard Butler. The story comes from Greg Nicotero and John Esposito, with Esposito writing the screenplay. The section follows Drew Matthews as Zeller, he’s in a prison cell talking to his lawyer. His story is that he murdered someone out of defense, and no one believes him.

What follows is a pretty stock story like The Thing with a group of people stuck in a far-off facility. After all of this, you get an ancient race of monsters and Denise Crosby chewing up scenery like it’s nothing. Out of all the characters, she’s the real highlight of this section. The effects and story are pretty solid as well. Especially the ones at the end of the section. Like always, you get some practical effects, and in this section some CG. The CG isn’t horrible and isn’t completely distracting, so it gets a commendation for that.

Overall, Not As Strong As The First Section, But Together, It’s Great

The overall strength of this episode are the performances. From Barbara Crampton to the terrifying turn that Denise Crosby gives, this is a true highlight of season two of Creepshow. The combined sections don’t quite rival the greatest of the episodes of the show, but they take their place among the upper echelon.

Joe Lynch should be applauded for his two episodes this season, they’ve both stepped up the game, big-time. Overall, this fourth episode is a high point for the series and one that you definitely should watch. Check it out when it comes out on Shudder, tomorrow, Thursday, April 22nd, at 9:00pm.

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