Creepshow 2 (1987)

Preceeded by: Creepshow (1982)

Cast includes:
CHARACTER	ACTOR/ACTRESS	RATING
Old Chief Wood'nhead
Ray Spruce	George Kennedy
Martha Spruce	Dorothy Lamour	-
Ben Whitemoon	Frank Salsedo	-
The Raft
Deke	Paul Satterfield	½
Laverne	Jeremy Green
Randy	Daniel Beer	½
Rachel	Page Hannah
The Hitchhiker
Annie Lansing	Lois Chiles	½
The Hitchhiker	Tom Wright
Truck Driver	Stephen King	-

Review

Stephen King's stories have always seemed to be well suited for anthologies, and had already been adapted into such relatively successfully with Creepshow in 1982 and Cat's Eye in 1985. For the sequel Creepshow 2, George A. Romero moved from director to screenwriter, which seems to have been a good idea because his replacement Michael Gornick treats the material more seriously and explores the concept of fear much more effectively. The film consists of three segments, two of which are original stories, and one ("The Raft") that had been previously published. While some King adaptations tend to drag or become a little too caught up with their supernaturalness, the stories in Creepshow 2 leave their mark on you and move on. They have a sense of urgency about them. This is especially true for the film's two best segments, "The Raft" and "The Hitchhiker", which bamboozle you with their gruesomeness, dark humour and – despite their brevity – fully drawn characters. Tom Wright is as scary as any Stephen King antagonist as the hitchhiker. And the foursome of Deke, Laverne, Randy and Rachel who visit the raft on that secluded lake are a seductive mix of tight-knit and narcissistic, of well-adjusted and rebellious. It's a wickedly enjoyable segment, especially if you happen to catch the uncut version.