31 Days of Halloween

‘A Creepshow Animated Special’ review: Two bloody tales of isolation

Step right up and listen, please.

October 27, 2020

Welcome to another installment of 31 Days of Halloween! This is our chance to set the mood for the spookiest and scariest month of the year as we focus our attention on horror and Halloween fun. For the month of October we’ll be sharing various pieces of underappreciated scary books, comics, movies, and television to help keep you terrified and entertained all the way up to Halloween.

A Creepshow Animated Special is the animated horror some have been craving. Not only is the show one of the most popular on Shudder, it is also one of the most iconic movies in the history of horror. Along with being released just in time for Halloween, the special consists of two new stories from the legendary Stephen King and his son Joe Hill.

“Survivor Type” and “Twittering From the Circus of the Dead” may be two unrelated stories, but they share much in common. The most obvious thing both share is each story is narrated. In “Survivor Type” Kiefer Sutherland voices a man who is stranded on a deserted island. Joey King plays a teen whose family decides to go to a different type of circus in “Twittering”.

Both are tremendous in their roles. This is especially important since the two are carrying their respective segments. King in particular is great as a teenaged girl who spends the whole segment tweeting about her family’s failed vacation. Her inflections are perfect as she gets across the trauma of a teen having to spend hours on the road with her family. It is a performance that is amusing, charming, and attention grabbing.

Sutherland plays a less charming role, but one that is just as engaging. “Survivor Type” mixes in flashbacks with its modern setting. The backstory to his character is a simple one, but it is enough to let viewers know everything they need to know. The character does whatever he thinks is necessary to get what he wants.

This also showcases another similarity between the stories. Both deal with a form of isolation. In ‘Survivor Type’ Sutherland’s character constantly talks down what other people did while he was moving forward in life. In ‘Twittering’, King’s character is in constant communication with the outside world through Twitter. She is so shut off from her actual surroundings, that some think she is purposely ignoring them. Both characters have put up walls around themselves in order to interact with others as little as possible.

The plots for the two stories vary drastically. “Survivor Type” is less about building tension and more about escalating violence. The story is thin, but serves its purpose. It is fascinating to watch Sutherland talk highly about himself as he commits the most barbaric acts.

a creepshow animated special

“Twittering” has a much more fleshed out story. There is a gradual build to the inevitable ending. It is an especially dark tale that is filled with black comedy. The viewer is in on the Joke making the predictable pay off that much more enjoyable.

A Creepshow Animated Special is a wonderful Halloween treat. Both stories are tied together by themes of self isolation, loneliness, and the idea of self importance. Both also continue the Creepshow tradition of scary stories filled with diabolical humor.