[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Creepshow 2 (1987)

Again based on three short stories by Stephen King, Creepshow 2 might not be as good as it's 1982 predecessor but it certainly has it's moments.

The first story Old Chief Wood'nhead is about the owners of a backwater general store (George Kennedy and Dorothy Lamour in her final film role) whose outer decor includes a cigar store Indian named "Old Chief Wood'nhead". When the couple are terrorised and murdered by three local youths the wooden figure exacts revenge in it's own way.

It's not a bad story at all and it's lovely seeing Kennedy and especially Lamour - who was a genuine old time Hollywood star in the 1940's starring alongside Bob Hope and Bing Crosby in their hugely successful 'Road to...' movies - in what is essentially a comic book genre movie.

Second story The Raft is comfortably my favourite. It concerns four young people who become stranded on a raft in the middle of a lake when some sort of creature resembling an oil slick decides on eating them for lunch.

There's some lovely gooey special effects work from Tom Savini in this and despite the creature at times resembling a bin liner in the water it remains a reasonably gripping tale of terror.

The final story The Hitch-hiker stars former Bond girl Lois Chiles as an adulterous businesswoman who accidentally kills a hitch-hiker late one night in a hit and run. However the hiker isn't quite dead (Or is he?) and soon appears in front of her car again.

Despite this having the most memorable line in pretty much any horror anthology film "Thanks for the ride, lady!" The Hitch-Hiker is far too long at 35 mins for it's slender story. Chiles in what is basically a one woman performance manages to maintain interest but the actual premise is so slender it could have done with several minutes shaving off.

Meanwhile the wrap around story done in animation about a boy named Billy reading the Creepshow comic whilst arsing about on his bike is just crap and a waste of time.

Creepshow 2 isn't brilliant but definitely one i always want in my collection.

Arrow's Blu-ray looks very nice and has some decent interviews with screenwriter George A. Romero and actor / FX artist Tom Savini among others.