31 Days, Day 4: Mondo vs. CREEPSHOW – Episode 2
I don’t want to jump the gun already, but episode 2 has me a little worried. This isn’t me saying that these episodes are bad, in fact, they are both enjoyable little vignettes. What I am saying is that there is a steep drop off in quality. Both short films feel much smaller in scope and budget than the first 2 films. That’s not to say that the first two are some big budget ordeals, but the rough edges are beginning to show in this episode. I don’t mind low budget fare (I usually prefer it), but it makes me ask the question… would less be more? who fucking knows and you probably don’t care.
Let’s get to the episode 2…
“Bad Wolf Down”
This tale is a fun little period piece that takes place during the US invasion of France in WWII. We follow a small band of US soldiers that are trying to make their way to a nearby base. They get held up by a group of crazed Nazis that they quickly kill, but (also) enrage a higher up when they kill his son. All of this is done with the purpose of introducing werewolves into the fold. Most of this short is pretty standard war movie stuff, but when the small battalion come across a cursed woman, things get fun. What we get next is a bunch of over-the-top werewolf action and all the gore you could ask for in twenty minutes. Heads are torn off, bowels are spilled and I couldn’t be any happier after seeing this. I was worried that the series may try to keep it classy, but I was glad to see them toss it all out and go for broke. It also made me happy to see Rob Shraub (Monster House) back where he should be, behind a camera.
“The Finger”
This is the episode where things get a little dicey for me. This is a narrated short starring DJ Qualls that just didn’t do anything for me. I hate when movies like this try to break the fourth wall in order to cram a bunch of info into a small amount of time. Qualls is great as the loser (and hoarder), but the script he has falls short of his ability. The unreliable narrator is a tricky thing to pull off and this film just did very little for me. There are a lot to enjoy, despite these complaints. The creature is a lot of fun and (once again) the gore is absolutely bananas. Out of the first four, this is definitely my least favorite, but its a far cry from even the best parts of Creepshow 3.
