Creepshow 2

Directed by Michael Gornick, Creepshow 2 collects a trio of horror-themed short films and ties them together via a wraparound story involving a young boy and the four bullies pursuing him. The movie, much like its predecessor, suffers from an exceedingly hit-and-miss quality that ultimately does hinder its overall impact, which is a shame, certainly, given that the second story, “The Raft,” is a strong contender for the most effective and creepy segment within the entire series. And although the tale that kicks the proceedings off, “Old Chief Wood’nhead,” is decent enough, Gornick, working from a script by George A. Romero, dulls its impact by infusing it with a needlessly deliberate pace and distinctly padded-out feel. (It’s obvious from the start where this is all going, after all, so it’s impossible not to wish that Gornick would just get on with it already.) “The Raft,” however, goes a long way towards resuscitating the viewer’s dwindling interest, however, as it boasts a palpable sense of creeping dread and a couple of almost impressively gruesome kills that prove impossible to resist – yet it’s equally clear that “The Hitch-hiker,” which closes the proceedings, is about as tedious and endless as one could possibly envision and its mostly worthless atmosphere does, as a result, ensure that Creepshow 2 concludes on a seriously (and woefully) anticlimactic note.

** out of ****

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