Overview: Titans of terror George A. Romero and Stephen King deliver yet another selection of blood-curdling tales in Creepshow 2, the follow-up to the 1982 horror classic.

In Old Chief Wood’nhead, a group of young hoodlums face retribution from an unlikely source after looting a local hardware store. Meanwhile, The Raft sees a group of horny teens wishing they’d read the warning signs first before taking a dip in a remote lake. Finally, an uptight businesswoman finds herself with some unwanted company following a hit-and-run incident in The Hitch-hiker.

Retaining the same EC Comics flavor that made the original such a hit, Creepshow 2 - this time directed by long-time Romero collaborator Michael Gornick - is a standout horror anthology from the minds of two of the genre’s master craftsmen.

4K Blu-ray Verdict: Three stories are featured this time, two down from the original which might have been one too long. A cheap animated wraparound surrounds the stories and is a far cry from the original. Old Chief Wood’nhead has an elderly couple (Kennedy and Dorothy Lamour) running a small town grocery store that is nearly bankrupt like the town. Outside the store is a life-size wooden Indian statue that comes to life to seek revenge on a gang of idiots who kill the old couple!

The second story is The Raft that tells of four teenagers who swim out to a barge in the middle of a lake and get trapped on it because of a black ooze floating in the water. The ooze graphically swallows and devors the group one by one.

The final story is The Hitchhiker which features cheating wife Anne Lansing (Chiles) returning home one night where she runs over a derelict (Wright) in the road killing him. She panics and leaves the scene battling with her conscience. Soon the dead hitchhiker begins appearing on the road and then everywhere she looks. This terror filled ride home has the hitchhiker attempting revenge on Anne until the very end.

The stories are from Stephen King again and George A. Romero wrote the screenplays but directing chores went to Michael Gornick Romero’s cinematographer on the original and other Romero films. Gornick does a decent job but the stories just aren’t as good this time around, in my humble opinion.

Where the original could have lost a story, this one could have added one. The three stories seem one shy of a full load. The cheap wraparound animation and simple sets make you wonder if there were budget issues because the production is surly lacking a big feel. The gore is decent and the stories are certainly watchable but I was hoping for an upgrade on the stories from the first set. Anyway, as an anthology movie, Creepshow 2 can hold its own, that is for sure and for me one of the stories does rise above the others. [L.M.]

4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAY LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS:
Brand new 4K restoration by Arrow Films from the original negative
4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
Original lossless mono, stereo and 5.1 DTS-HD MA surround audio options
Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
Audio commentary with director Michael Gornick
Screenplay for a Sequel, an interview with screenwriter George A. Romero
Tales from the Creep, an interview with actor and make-up artist Tom Savini
Poncho’s Last Ride, an interview with actor Daniel Beer
The Road to Dover, an interview with actor Tom Wright
Nightmares in Foam Rubber, an archive featurette on the special effects of Creepshow 2, including interviews with FX artists Howard Berger and Greg Nicotero
My Friend Rick, Howard Berger on his special effects mentor Rick Baker
Behind-the-scenes footage
Image gallery
Trailers & TV spots
Original screenplay galleries
Creepshow 2: Pinfall, a Limited Edition booklet featuring the comic adaptation of the unfilmed Creepshow 2 segment “Pinfall” by artist Jason Mayoh
Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring writing on the film by festival programmer Michael Blyth
Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Mike Saputo

Official Purchase Link

www.arrowvideo.com