‘Creepshow’ Season 4 Episode 2 Review – A Classic Tale Of Absurd Karmic Justice And A Viscerally Upsetting Piece Of Macabre Horror

Sachin Sahel as Richard in “Grieving Process” – Photo Credit: Michael Courtney/Shudder

This piece was written during the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike. Without the labor of the actors currently on strike, the series being covered here wouldn’t exist.

Creepshow‘s fourth season continues with a duo of stories that really run the tonal gambit. The first story follows a writer desperate to find a way around a bad case of writer’s block. It’s a deeply absurd riff on a familiar cautionary tale. The second story, on the other hand, offers the polar opposite. A darkly unique story that’s as viscerally upsetting as it is macabre and horrific. These are the kinds of stories only Creepshow can get away with telling. They’re not perfect, but their sheer audacity makes them worthwhile from start to finish.

“The Hat”

Written by Byron Willinger and Philip De Blasi and directed by Kailey Spear and Sam Spear, “The Hat” offers a classic take on a very valuable lesson: be careful what you wish for. Novelist Jay Stratton (Ryan Beil) would do anything to get rid of his writer’s block – including wearing his idol’s lucky hat. But perhaps there’s something more than luck possessing that old hat. Something far darker and malevolent. A force that compels its wearer to write and write and write, at the expense of everything else. Is Jay willing to pay the price of accomplishing his dreams, or is he destined for complete and utter ruin? Take a little bit of The Sandman‘s “Calliope” and a dash of pulpy sci-fi horror, and you’ve got “The Hat”. A darkly absurd cautionary tale in the best sense of the phrase.

Ryan Beil and Sara Canning are absolutely charming as Jay and his wife, Astrid. Their humor and chemistry help ground this absurd, horrific tale. But it’s really Beil who steals the show here. He’s all at once charming, obsessive, and over-the-top, and his performance somehow manages to be both too much and exactly perfect. Willinger and De Blasi’s script is tightly paced and wholly character-driven, never losing sight of its themes. Similarly, Kailey and Sam Spears’ direction is equally tight, luxuriating in both the comedy and the horror at the center of the story. “The Hat” doesn’t necessarily bring anything startlingly original to the table, but it offers a devilishly enjoyable riff on a familiar tale.

“The Hat” is a perfect example of Creepshow firing on all cylinders. Darkly comedic, viscerally horrific, and full of karmic justice.

“Grieving Process”

Written by Mike D. McCarty and John Esposito (based on McCarty’s short story) and directed by Kailey Spear and Sam Spear, “Grieving Process” is viscerally upsetting from start to finish. After his wife, April (Rachel Drance), gets attacked, Richard (Sachin Sahel) tries any and everything he can to nurse her back to health. But when nothing works, and he’s at his wit’s end, he finds the perfect cure. It’s just a real shame that his wife’s cure is the taste of human flesh. Needs must, however. And Richard always promised he’d be there in sickness and in health. All at once bone-achingly upsetting and darkly macabre, “Grieving Process” is as unique a Creepshow tale as we’ve seen in ages.

What’s particularly great about “Grieving Process” is the way McCarty, Esposito, and the Spears make you think the story’s going in one direction before abruptly pulling the rug out from underneath your feet and recontextualizing the entire narrative at the very end. For much of its runtime, “Grieving Process” feels like a borderline tasteless metaphor for dealing with PTSD – until it takes a sharp left turn at the last second. It’s darkly macabre in the way only Creepshow can get away with, pushing the envelope about as far as it can go. The less said about the story’s specifics, the better. But needless to say, it’s a barnstormer of a twist sold entirely on the strength of Sahel and Drance’s performances.

“Grieving Process” is a weird story to unpack. It’s both viscerally upsetting yet somehow comedic; darkly macabre and bone-chillingly horrific. It’s the kind of story only Creepshow can get away with telling. It may not work entirely, but its sheer audacity carries it a long way.

Final Thoughts

This week’s episode of Creepshow is about as strong as they come. Both stories are absolute barnstormers from start to finish. For as familiar as “The Hat” is, it relishes in its absurdity and pulpy horror. And for as unsettling as it is, “Grieving Process” nails its emotional center in the kind of way that makes it sure to stick with you long after the credits roll. You never know what you’re gonna get with Creepshow, but this week’s episode is as good as you could hope for. A collection of stories that perfectly shows exactly how varied and original the show can be. And for that alone, it’s well worth a watch – even if you’re not normally a Creepshow fanatic.

Season four of Creepshow is available now on Shudder and AMC+. New episodes air on Fridays at 10 p.m. on AMC.