Creepshow 2 (1987)

May 6, 2024 8:59 AM

[TRAILER] This second horror anthology presents more eerie tales based on Stephen King stories. One episode finds a cigar-store Native American statue coming to life to avenge the death of the shop owner (George Kennedy) and his wife (Dorothy Lamour). Another features a group of teens menaced by a blob-like creature. The final installment follows a wealthy and callous woman (Lois Chiles) who hits a hitchhiker with her car and decides to flee the scene, but the victim isn't inclined to remain dead.

The first film in the series featured a script in which Stephen King combined adaptations of some of his short stories with original content for a film directed by George A. Romero, with cinematography by Michael Gornick. In this sequel, Romero adapts three King short stories for a script that is then directed by Gornick.

Directed by Michael Gornick. Screenplay by George A. Romero. Based on short stories by Stephen King. Produced by David Ball for Laurel Entertainment. Cinematography by Richard Hart, Tom Hurwitz. Edited by Peter Weatherley. Music by Les Reed, Rick Wakeman.

29% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.

Currently streaming in the US on Hoopla, Tubi, and Plex. JustWatch listing.

posted by DirtyOldTown (6 comments total)

While it is hard to argue seriously that this is a better film than the first installment, "The Raft" segment is flipping terrifying and the best part of the entire series. The other two segments, I don't have much affection for (and "cigar store Indian"? whoa boy, that aged poorly.)

But "The Raft" is terrifying.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 9:00 AM on May 6 [4 favorites]

The Raft haunted my adolesence. Swimming in lakes can go do one.
posted by Kitteh at 9:05 AM on May 6 [3 favorites]

The Raft is great. Old Woodenhead is awful, just awful. Even if it was somehow not racist, it's not particularly interesting or scary. I still can't decide if "Thank for ride, lady!" is supposed to be campy or not, but I find it hilarious. Regardless of intent, it has one note and keeps playing it, far longer than it should, and it pushes into comedy for me.

Fun personal story: We took a family vacation in high school, my parents, my mom's parents, my brother and I. At one of the motels, my brother shared a room with our grandparents, and I bunked with my parents. We had nothing else to do, so we watched TV and Creepshow 2 was playing. My parents, for whatever reason, decided that, yeah, sure, we could just watch this horror movie they had no interest in. I was entertained and they were flat out baffled for the entire runtime.

Thanks for the ride, lady!
posted by mrphancy at 9:54 AM on May 6 [3 favorites]

“The Raft” forever. So good!
posted by cupcakeninja at 4:05 PM on May 6 [1 favorite]

The opening animation and the Old Woodenhead part are so hideously terrible that I turned it off before The Raft came on. I'm familiar with the Raft story, missed the short film.

But seriously, George Kennedy and the Old Woodenhead story is so terrible in every way possible. It looks like a cheap made for TV movie. It's boring, drawn out and not in the least scary, or funny, or anything.
posted by SoberHighland at 5:00 PM on May 6

"The Raft" has kind of an interesting story behind it; it was originally written and published as "The Float", and even though King got paid for it, he forgot to keep a copy of the story for himself, and wasn't in the habit of buying the men's magazines that published his work before he wrote and sold Carrie, so he ended up rewriting the story from memory, and that's what got published and used for this movie.

Agreed about "Old Chief Wood'nhead". Heckuva thing to be Dorothy Lamour's last movie part. I don't remember the hitchhiker one.
posted by Halloween Jack at 5:33 AM on May 8