Synopsis
A man determined to stay alive alone on a deserted island no matter the cost, and a teen whose road trip includes a visit to the gravest show on earth.
Director: Greg Nicotero
Writers: Greg Nicotero, Melanie Dale, Stephen King (“Survivor Type” short story), Joe Hill (“Twittering from the Circus of the Dead” short story)
Cast: Kiefer Sutherland, Joey King
A Creepshow Animated Special is now streaming on Shudder.
As fans await the second season of Shudder’s Creepshow revival, the team has made the most of the COVID era and produced an animated special. There are two stories here—one based on a Stephen King short story, the other on a Joe Hill short. Both are fairly grim and perfect for the Halloween season, directed by Creepshow showrunner Greg Nicotero.
“Survivor Type”
Your first story, based on the Stephen King short of the same name, is adapted by Greg Nicotero and stars Kiefer Sutherland (24, Designated Survivor) as a surgeon stranded on an island, doing what he must to survive. This means killing seagulls with his bare hands and eating their raw insides. It’s a tale about how far you’ll go to survive—including knowing when a broken foot is doing more harm attached to your body than if it were removed.
The animation lets this story get away with some truly gruesome moments that might be too much in live action. We open with the man sawing off his own foot, and it only gets bloodier from there. Sutherland is a great choice—told entirely via voice-over, his gruff delivery sells the character’s slow slide into madness.
“Twittering from the Circus of the Dead”
The second story, adapted by Melanie Dale from Joe Hill’s short, stars Joey King (The Kissing Booth, The Act) as a teen who’s glued to Twitter and won’t stop posting updates during a family holiday. It’s again told through voice-over as she fires off tweets and snarky asides about her family’s embarrassing behaviour on their road trip. Early on, her mum says social media is all fluff and “no one ever tweets their own death”—dark foreshadowing for where this goes. When the family arrives at a circus boasting live zombies, things get a little too real.
Again, the animation fits the material—you feel like you’re watching a comic book come to life. King nails the somewhat-annoying-teen energy, but she also sells the details that make the live-tweeting conceit work.
Octopie Animation Studio does a fantastic job giving both stories a comic-book feel without leaning on cheesy pop-ups. The second story in particular made me think how cool a Walking Dead animated series could be.
My only big gripe: both stories can feel very passive. Because they’re narrated tales, they come off a little similar in structure. It doesn’t ruin them, but it may turn some viewers off.
If you like King’s or Hill’s stories, this is a must-watch. If you’re a die-hard Creepshow fan awaiting the next season, this is a solid way to ease the pain.
A Creepshow Animated Special is now streaming on Shudder.
(Screener provided for review)
