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Creepshow 2  (DVD)

3/10

Stars: George Kennedy, Dorothy Lamour, Lois Chiles, Page Hannah, Daniel Beer, Tom Savini, Tom Wright, Holt McCallany, Stephen King

Director: Michael Gornick

Only three stories for comic book horror fans - there were five in the original - in this second compendium of creepies from the mind of Stephen King, and all of them good for more chuckles than chills under the direction of Michael Gornick, who was well advised to stick to his career as a cinematographer after this.

The first two stories are distressingly dire, but fans should perhaps stick around. The third, concerning a hit-and-run victim who comes back to haunt his killer, has the best of George A Romero's dialogue and the best performance (from Lois Chiles) in the entire film, but still doesn't know how to round off its story with any ending other than the sickeningly conventional.

Gornick's direction has no real idea of how to shock and scare an audience other than with head-on or overt horror; it's almost as sad as the appearance of a much-aged Lamour in the first episode.

David Quinlan

USA 1987. UK Distributor: Arrow Films (originally Entertainment). Technicolor.
85 minutes. Not widescreen. UK certificate: 15.

Guidance ratings (out of 3): Sex/nudity 1, Violence/Horror 3, Drugs 1, Swearing 2.

Review date: 09 Jul 2020