Creepshow: Season Three, Episode One "Mums and Queen Bee" Review

Directors: Rusty Cundieff (Mums), Greg Nicotero (Queen Been)
Writers: Joe Hill (Mums, based on the short story by), Greg Nicotero (Mums), Erik Sandoval (Queen Bee), Michael Rousellet (Queen Bee)
Cast (Mums): Brayden Benson, Ethan Embry, Erin Beute, Lowrey Brown, Malone Thomas
Cast (Queen Bee): Kaelyn Gobert-Harris, Olivia Hawthorne, Nico Gomez, Hannah Kepple, Monica Louwerens
‘Mums’ and ‘Queen Bee’ Air Date: 24/09/2021

Creepshow: Season 3 is now streaming on Shudder.

Creepshow is back a third season which will feature 12 stories told across six episodes. If it feels like we just got an injection of Creepshow— we did! Season Two was back in April of this year. But as an anthology series, and one that can hit as easily as it can miss, more never hurts.

The premiere of Creepshow: Season 3 features the stories “Mums” and “Queen Bee.” With the former being a safe and generic opener and the latter bringing a fresh, original story.

“Mums” focuses on Jack, a young boy (Brayden Benson) dealing with an extremist and rough father (Ethan Embry) who’s planning something that sounds a lot like a targeted political attack. When his father catches his mother (Erin Beute) attempting to sneak away, he takes her away to get help for an apparent drug and alcohol problem, leaving Jack to await his mother’s return.

Unfortunately, “Mums” is a paint-by-numbers revenge story with one exciting aspect — the extremist father subplot — that’s left merrily in the scraps on the floor. As a season opener, I guess it works to set the tone, especially for newcomers. It’s based on a Joe Hill short, which I haven’t read, but I would have to hope it is a little braver and carries more subtext.

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The second story, “Queen Bee,” is a lot more interesting and feels fresh. It’s an original story by Erik Sandoval & Michael Rousellet and focuses on teens Debra (Hannah Kepple), Trenice (Olivia Hawthorne) and Carlos (Nico Gomez), who are obsessed with pop singer Regina (Kaelyn Gobert-Harris). When they find out she’s giving birth in a hospital Debra’s Mum works at, they swipe her key card and decide to break in to meet Regina, see her give birth and, as far as Carlos is concerned, sell pictures for big money. Of course, being Creepshow, when the three arrive, the hospital nurses have glowing green eyes, the ward is dark and empty, and Regina doesn’t look to be giving birth to a normal human baby.

There’s a prominent, interesting subtext in “Queen Bee” about our adoration with celebrities, the culture that breeds, and even the lack of privacy that celebrities are afforded with little to no regard from the people who claim to care for them the most. All three performances are great in this story, and when the weird and wacky starts to happen, there are some good practical and visual effects in use here. I weirdly thought this could be an M15+ rated Doctor Who story, but yeah, no Doctor comes to save these kids.

As a complete split between paint-by-numbers and uniquely engaging, the premiere of Creepshow: Season 3 is off to a good start. By nature, I understand these stories will always be hit or miss — they are on any anthology series, this one being no different.