CREEPSHOW 2

RELEASED OUT NOW!

1987 | 18 | Blu-ray/ VOD

Director Michael Gornick

Cast Lois Chiles, George Kennedy, Dorothy Lamour, Daniel Beer

Anthology fans may feel short-changed by this follow-up to the George Romero/Stephen King team-up. That had five stories; this has three, and the linking material, animated to save even more money, is weak.

Based on King’s ideas and scripted by Romero, the aim once again is to evoke EC Comics. All three segments are simplistic but diverting enough, with “The Raft”, which sees four teens out swimming menaced by a flesh-absorbing blob, the stand-out thanks to its grotesque slimings. A moment where the hero exposes a sleeping woman’s breasts may prompt a sudden intake of breath, mind. Come to that, so may casting Holt McCallany as a preening young Navajo robber who suffers the wrath of a carved wooden chief.

Extras This is the UK debut of the Arrow Video edition; it combines extras that were on 88 Films’ Blu-ray with others from prior releases. Highlights? An interview with actor Daniel Beer describes the nightmare he had, getting pneumonia in a freezing lake (14 minutes). A 2004 piece with Greg Nicotero and Howard Berger detailing their effects work (32 minutes) has neat snatches of behind-thescenes video. A commentary reveals honey-voiced director Michael Gornick’s struggles. Plus: two more interviews; behind-the-scenes footage; a booklet with a comic of a never-shot segment; gallery; trailers. Ian Berriman