Creepshow has taken on many classic horror themes this season. The fifth episode deals with a topic that has scared society since before cameras started rolling. A small cast from today teams with a larger cast from a few decades back to tackle virtual reality, obsession, love, and monsters. “Night of the Living Late Show” is about an inventor named Simon (Justin Long) who has invented a VR machine that enables him to enter movies. He soon becomes addicted to entering 1972’s Horror Express. Unfortunately, his wife (D’arcy Carden) is not as excited about his new hobby.
Most stories about the troubles with technology center around one idea: humanity’s increased dependency on computers. While Simon is certainly enamored with his invention, Creepshow is not so much about where advancements may take people. Instead, it is about a straightforward obsession. The machinery helps feed his lust, but it otherwise has nothing to do with it.
The story is a cookie cutter “be careful what you wish for” tale. Simon has loved Horror Express since he was a child and now that he has a way to be a part of it, he cannot stop going back. This includes lying to his wife who already had her concerns about their marriage. He gushes over seeing Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee and has the hots for Countess Patrovska.
The highlight of Creepshow is watching how Horror Express is integrated into the episode. The effects are well done and the interactions between Simon and the cast of the movie are really fun. “Night of the Living Late Show” comes dangerously close to being too much about the original movie, but it manages to focus on the modern story for the most part.
Still, aside from the fun of seeing an obscure 70s horror movie, the episode is the first misstep of season two. The segment takes up the entire episode and never connects quite as well as it should. This makes sense as the premise needs more time than the one segment on Creepshow would allow. Unfortunately, giving it the whole episode does not quite work either.
Creepshow airs on Shudder
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