The
Frankenstein motif definitely warns against the hubris of playing god, but it
can often be boiled down to something even more fundamental: the monsters we
create are the ones most likely to get us. That is certainly true of a farmer
who is a little too handy with his hands and a celebrity CEO a little too prone
to woke posturing in this week’s episode of Creepshow,
which just premiered on Shudder.
Despite
its impressive genre lineage as a Joe R. Lansdale short story adaptation, with
David Bruckner helming, The Companion is
a pretty conventional and unremarkable episode opener. The atmosphere is
certainly creepy, but this yarn about a scarecrow that comes to murderous life
is a whole lot like any number of films we’ve already seen. Arguably, what most
distinguishes it is Afemo Omiliani’s tragically dignified performance as
Brenner, the farmer who originally creates the titular straw man during an
extended flashback. If you are in the mood for some rural horror, it will
probably take the edge off, but you still have to wonder why Brenner’s farm is
in the middle of a cemetery.
In
contrast, director Roxanne Benjamin (whose credits include contributions to XX and Southbound) serves up a wickedly funny pitch-black comedy with Lydia Layne’s Better Half. Layne is a
Ted-Talking feminist CEO who regularly accepts awards for empowering working
women. However, when she passes over her lover for a coveted promotion, in
favor of a nebbish bean-counting dude, it leads to all kinds of awkwardness.
Feeling betrayed, Celia becomes aggressive and starts making threats. Before
you know it, Layne has a bloody mess on her hands that she must covertly
clean-up.
Better Half is gleefully
macabre, diving head first into the one-darned-thing-after-another mayhem it
unleashes. Basically, it is like Louis Malle’s Escalator to the Gallows with a gallon of blood splattered over it.
For horror fans, it is good clean fun that perfectly represents the spirit of
the original 1982 Creepshow film and the
EC Comics that inspired it. As a bonus, it lands a few satiric potshots at the
preening progressive brand of corporate culture.
Tricia
Helfer vamps it up spectacularly as Layne. It is a brassy and bold performance,
yet it remains believably tethered to reality. Similarly, Danielle Lyn radiates
rage and resentment as the bitter Celia. When they play off each other, the
sparks really fly. This is largely a two-hander (or possibly one-hander), but
it never feels small or stagey.
Arguably,
out of all four Creepshow episodes
released so far, Better Half is the
story that best fits its comic book aesthetic. It is darkly clever and delivers
everything old school fans could desire. Highly recommended for Lydia Layne’s Better Half, Creepshow episode four is now available
on Shudder.
