Review: Creepshow Season 1, Ep. 5

The fifth episode of Shudder's horror anthology Creepshow tackles a difficult task with ease; taking the classic story The Monkey's Paw by W.W. Jacobs and breathing new life into it.

Wonderfully directed by John Harrison, who at times makes this look like a comic book come to vivid life, and acted to perfection by the always reliable Bruce Davison, Night of the Paw re-invents Jacobs' tale while paying respect to the source material. We get the wishes, we get the horrible consequences of them, and we get the twists and turns we expect from a Creepshow story.

We also get the talented, and beautiful, Hannah Barefoot as a mysterious assassin. She plays a key role in how Night of the Paw plays out. Her back and forth with Davison is a big part of the story's success. We dig both these characters, and they play off each other well.

I also like how the majority of this episode's running time is dedicated to Night of the Paw, giving the story the duration it needs to be told well.

Times is Tough in Musky Hollow is a shorter vignette, and I can see why. This one takes place during a zombie apocalypse, and is largely told through comic-book panels and exposition. It's basically about a group of bad people who meet their just desserts. I can't really say much more than that, other than I finally got to see David Arquette get his face eaten off. I'm calling it a success on that level.

We've only got one episode of Creepshow left, and I look forward to it! This is another Good for the series from me.

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