7.2 | / 10 |
Users | 4.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
The fictional Creepshow comic books come to life in this anthology series of terrifying tales hosted by the silent Creepshow ghoul.
Director: Greg Nicotero, David Bruckner, Roxanne Benjamin, Rob Schrab, John Harrison (I)Horror | 100% |
Comedy | Insignificant |
Fantasy | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.78:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH, French, Spanish
Blu-ray Disc
Three-disc set (3 BDs)
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (locked)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 5.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Can something properly be termed a “franchise” if it consists of only two movies and a nascent television series? Nomenclature aside, those who have had a fondness for either Creepshow or Creepshow 2 will probably know pretty much exactly what they’re going to get with regard to Creepshow: Season 1, the relatively newly minted television anthology that has been airing on the Shudder network. There seems to be a lot of love for both Creepshow and Creepshow 2, as evidenced not just by this series itself (which one assumes would never have been greenlit without a sense that there would be sufficient interest on the part of fans), but perhaps even more so by some of the almost gushing accolades given to the films that some of the various commentaries on this set offer from a variety of crew members, including producer Greg Nicotero. With that much awareness of “legacy”, this Creepshow , while perhaps geared toward that very aforementioned fanbase, may well appeal to horror fans in general as well, though the television series is lacking some of the films’ sometimes cheeky sense of humor. Creepshow: Season 1 also features a veritable grab bag of references and in fact even “easter eggs” (as some of the commentaries get into) which may in fact only be discernable to diehard fans.
Creepshow: Season 1 is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of RLJ Entertainment with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. The IMDb doesn't have much technical data on the series, but the many making of featurettes included (see below) offer clear views of some kind of digital cameras, though model names and numbers aren't always clear. This is by and large a very crisp and well detailed looking series, though horror tropes like very dim lighting can occasionally affect fine detail levels. There are some very slight instances of image instability on some of the comic panels, where in things like lateral pans line detail can get a little "twitchy", and there is also minor but noticeable banding that shows up. Some of the practical effects work, including some at times pretty gruesome looking make-up, is quite effective, if stomach churning.
Creepshow: Season 1 features a nicely immersive DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 that makes the most of creepy if sometimes hokey sound effects, some of which are at least occasionally employed to evoke startle reactions. With a glut of both outdoor material as well as "supernatural" phenomena abounding (in the forms of monsters and the like), there is regular employment of both the surround channels and the subwoofer. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout the series.
As mentioned above, each episode in the first season of Creepshow is comprised of two separate tales, and so the commentaries below
feature two sets of discussions per episode. Episode 5 offers more than one set of two commentaries (are you keeping up
with all of this? -- if not, you might need tutoring from the math teacher played by Adrienne Barbeau in the first episode's Gray Matter).
Disc One
- Episode 1
- Gray Matter with Greg Nicotero and Philip de Blasi
- The House of the Head with John Harrison hosted by Michael Felsher
- Episode 2
- Bad Wolf Down with Rob Schraub hosted by Michael Felsher
- The Finger with Greg Nicotero and David J. Schow.
- Episode 3
- All Hallow's Eve with John Harrison hosted by Michael Felsher
- The Man in the Suitcase with David Bruckner hosted by Michael Felsher
- Episode 4
- The Companion with David Bruckner and Matt Venne
- Lydia Layne's Better Half with Greg Nicoteri and Roxanne Benjamin
- Episode 5 #1
- Night of the Paw with John Harrison hosted by Michael Felsher
- Times Is Tough in Musky Holler with John Harrison hosted by Michael Felsher
- Episode 5 #2
- Night of the Paw with John Esposito hosted by Michael Felsher
- Times Is Tough in Musky Holler with John Skipp hosted by Michael Felsher
- Episode 6
- Skincrawlers with Greg Nicotero, Roxanne Benjamin and Dana Gould
- By the Silver Water of Lake Champlain with Tom Savini hosted by Michael Felsher
- Episode 1: Gray/Matter / The House of the Head (1080p; 43:27)
- Episode 2: Bad Wolf Down / The Finger (1080p; 21:43)
- Episode 3: All Hallow's Eve / The Man in the Suitcase (1080p; 16:57)
- Episode 4: The Companion / Lydia Layne's Better Half (1080p; 21:27)
- Episode 5: Night of the Paw / Times is Tough in Musky Holler (1080p; 10:33)
- Episode 6: Skincrawlers / By the Silver Waters of Lake Champlain (1080p; 17:14)
It becomes pretty obvious in wending your way through the copious supplements on this release how much the creative staff involved in this first season of Creepshow loved the movies, and that love definitely shows in both the general approach here as well as some of the "hidden treasures" some of the episodes offer. I wish this show had been just a little bit funnier at times, but the first season has some overall excellent writing and above average special effects. Technical merits are generally solid and the supplementary package excellent. Recommended.
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WolfCop II
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