Creepshow 2 (1987)

Director:

Michael Gornick

Writers:

Stephen King (stories)
George A. Romero (screenplay)
(more)

Release Date:

1 May 1987 (USA)

Genre:

Fantasy | Horror | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

When The Curtain Goes Up, The Terror Begins!

Plot:

George Romero and Stephen King return to bring three stories that include a vengeful wooden Native American, a monstrous blob in a lake, and a hitchhiker who wants revenge...and will not die!

Plot Keywords:

Hitchhiker | Blob | Lake | Raft | Hit And Run

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Domenick John	...	Billy (prologue)
Tom Savini	...	The Creep (prologue)
George Kennedy	...	Ray Spruce (segment "Old Chief Wood'nhead")
Philip Dore	...	Curly (segment "Old Chief Wood'nhead")
Kaltey Napoleon	...	Indian #1 (segment "Old Chief Wood'nhead")
Maltby Napoleon	...	Indian #1 (segment "Old Chief Wood'nhead")
Tyrone Tonto	...	Indian #2 (segment "Old Chief Wood'nhead")
Dorothy Lamour	...	Martha Spruce (segment "Old Chief Wood'nhead")
Frank Salsedo	...	Ben Whitemoon (segment "Old Chief Wood'nhead")
Holt McCallany	...	Sam Whitemoon (segment "Old Chief Wood'nhead")
David Holbrook	...	Fatso Gribbens (segment "Old Chief Wood'nhead")
Don Harvey	...	Andy Cavanaugh (segment "Old Chief Wood'nhead")
Dan Kamin	...	Old Chief Wood'nhead (segment "Old Chief Wood'nhead")
Dean Smith	...	Mr. Cavanaugh (segment "Old Chief Wood'nhead")
Shirley Sonderegger	...	Mrs. Cavanaugh (segment "Old Chief Wood'nhead")
Paul Satterfield	...	Deke (segment "The Raft")
Jeremy Green	...	Laverne (segment "The Raft")
Daniel Beer	...	Randy (segment "The Raft")
Page Hannah	...	Rachel (segment "The Raft")
Lois Chiles	...	Annie Lansing (segment "The Hitchhiker")
David Beecroft	...	Annie's lover (segment "The Hitchhiker")
Tom Wright	...	The Hitchhiker (segment "The Hitchhiker")
Richard Parks	...	George Lansing (segment "The Hitchhiker")
Stephen King	...	Truck Driver (segment "The Hitchhiker")
Cheré Bryson	...	Woman at accident (segment "The Hitchhiker")
Joe Silver	...	The Creep (voice)

Directed by
Michael Gornick

Writing credits
Stephen King		(stories)
George A. Romero		(screenplay)
Lucille Fletcher		uncredited

Produced by
David Ball	....	producer: Laurel Entertainment
Mitchell Galin	....	associate producer: Laurel Entertainment
Richard P. Rubinstein	....	executive producer: Laurel Entertainment

Original Music by
Les Reed

Cinematography by
Richard Hart
Tom Hurwitz

Film Editing by
Peter Weatherley

Casting by
Leonard Finger

Production Design by
Bruce Alan Miller

Set Decoration by
Andrew Bernard		(uncredited)

Costume Design by
Eileen Sieff Stroup		(as Eileen Mae Sieff)

Makeup Department
Everett Burrell	....	makeup effects
Ed French	....	special makeup effects artist
Gregory Nicotero	....	makeup effects
Angela Nogaro	....	makeup assistant (as Angela Nogarro)
Joanna Robinson	....	makeup artist
Mike Trcic	....	makeup effects

Production Management
Charles S. Carroll	....	production manager
Ginger McGuire	....	production executive
Debra Tanklow	....	assistant production manager
Diane Vilagi	....	production executive

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Grace Prinzi	....	second assistant director
Gina Randazzo	....	second assistant director
Joseph Winogradoff	....	first assistant director (as Joe Winogradoff)
Katarina Wittich	....	first assistant director

Art Department
Steve Arnold	....	assistant production designer
Lynn Berkshire	....	head carpenter
Andrew Bernard	....	set dresser (as Andy Bernard)
Lori Chontos	....	ink and paint
Nigel Clinker	....	set dresser
James C. Feng	....	property master
Ed Fountain	....	construction coordinator
Ron Frenz	....	comic art
Eileen Garrigan	....	charge scenic
Eileen Garrigan	....	head scenic
Carlene Hirsch	....	set dresser
Gary Kosko	....	head carpenter
Beth Kuhn	....	assistant production designer
Phil Wilson	....	backgrounds
Tal Schneider	....	set dresser/assistant props (uncredited)

Sound Department
Jim Allan	....	sound reader
John Stuart Bick	....	assistant sound editor (as John Bick)
Felipe Borrero	....	sound recordist
Glenn Freemantle	....	sound effects editor
Tommy Louie	....	boom operator
Jim Shields	....	sound editor
Otto Snel	....	sound re-recording mixer
Scott Brose	....	sound re-recording mixer (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Howard Berger	....	special effects
Dan Frye	....	lab technician
Gregory Nicotero	....	special effects
Tom Savini	....	makeup effects consultant
Chip Craig	....	special effects technician (uncredited)
Larry Odien	....	opticals (uncredited)

Stunts
Cheré Bryson	....	stunts (as Chere Bryson)
Jery Hewitt	....	stunts
Taso N. Stavrakis	....	stunt coordinator
Patricia Tallman	....	stunts

Camera and Electrical Department
Eric Anderson	....	camera operator
Peter Beal	....	electrician
Peter Caslin	....	generator operator
Tom Colston	....	generator operator
Michael Connor	....	assistant camera
Doug Cragoe	....	best boy electric
Ted Eachus	....	electrician
Tom Feldman	....	gaffer
Mike Frederickson	....	grip
Bernie Glavin	....	generator operator
Richard D. Greene	....	still photographer
Michael Klimchak	....	assistant camera
David R. Kohn	....	electrician
David R. Kohn	....	lighting technician
Todd Liebler	....	assistant camera
Henry Lynk	....	camera operator
Nicholas Mastandrea	....	key grip
Stan Obcamp	....	still photographer
Frank Perl	....	assistant camera
Ethan Phillips	....	electrician
Scott Ramsey	....	gaffer
Paul Reuter	....	electrician
Kurt Rimmel	....	dolly grip
Eric Swanek	....	first assistant camera
James B. Walsh	....	grip
Peter Wiehl	....	best boy
Brian Q. Kelley	....	cinematography support (uncredited)

Animation Department
Rick Catizone	....	animator
Greg Hartle	....	animator
Phil Wilson	....	animator

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Nancy A. Palmatier	....	wardrobe supervisor

Editorial Department
Peter Culverwell	....	assistant editor
Cynthia Rogers	....	assistant editor
Jeremiah O'Driscoll	....	apprentice editor (uncredited)

Music Department
John Harrison	....	composer: original theme
Rick Wakeman	....	composer: additional music "The Raft"

Transportation Department
P.D. Levy	....	transportation captain

Other crew
Rosemary Badgett	....	production assistant
Kurt Cardello	....	production assistant
Gordon Connell	....	additional voice
Edward O. Darling	....	supplier: BMW
Jane Davis	....	production assistant
Marc Stephan Delgatto	....	additional voice
Priscilla Dougherty	....	assistant auditor
George Dreisch	....	mechanic
Janet Elsasser	....	production assistant
David Greenham	....	production assistant
Gary Greer	....	production assistant
Gretta Grotton	....	production assistant
Sandi Kaufman	....	production assistant
William Kosko	....	production assistant
Jane Krive	....	assistant to executive producer
Jason Late	....	additional voice
Ken Marker	....	production assistant
Alex Matcham	....	production accountant
Rebecca Mayo	....	production secretary
P.J. Morrison	....	additional voice
Elizabeth J. Nevin	....	production secretary
Edith Nevison	....	production assistant
Henry Nevison	....	location manager
Ebby Nilsson	....	production assistant
Brian Noody	....	additional voice
William Paine	....	production assistant (as Wm. 'Bud' Paine)
Rachel Rodriguez	....	production assistant
Clark Ross	....	coordinator
Andy Sands	....	production assistant
Bruce Schonfelder	....	production assistant
Loring Snyder	....	production assistant
Franz Spiegel	....	production assistant
Tom Spruce	....	production assistant
Sherry Sullivan	....	production assistant
Jeanne Talbot	....	script supervisor
Christine Trcic	....	production assistant
Clark Utterback	....	additional voice
Joe Violante	....	dailies
Mary Ann Volvonas	....	assistant to producer
Rusty Warren	....	production accountant
Donna Weir	....	production assistant
Dean Wiseman	....	production assistant
Charles Miller	....	location manager (uncredited)

Thanks
Michael Berner	....	special thanks
Don Buffington	....	special thanks
Patrick Farrelly	....	special thanks
Jack Kamen	....	special thanks
Tabitha King	....	special thanks
Stephanie Leonard	....	special thanks
Kirby McCauley	....	special thanks
Larry Mehaney	....	special thanks
Art Rooney	....	special thanks
Irvin Shapiro	....	special thanks
Vincent D. Survinski	....	special thanks

Production Companies

• Laurel Entertainment Inc.
• Laurel-Show Inc.
• New World Pictures

Distributors

• New World Pictures (1987) (USA) (theatrical)
• New World Home Video (1987) (USA) (VHS)
• Vestron Video International (1988) (Belgium) (video)
• Future Film (2002) (Finland) (DVD)
• Anchor Bay Entertainment (USA) (DVD)
• Anchor Bay Entertainment (USA) (VHS)
• Image Entertainment (laserdisc)

Other Companies

• Redman Movies and Stories  grip and lighting equipment
• Sapex Scripts  post-production script services

Also Known As:

Creepshow II (International: English title) (alternative spelling)
Dead and Undead: Creepshow 2 (USA) (alternative title)

Runtime:

92 min | UK:85 min (UK video version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Sweden:(Banned) | Iceland:16 | UK:15 (video re-rating) | Finland:K-18 | Australia:M | France:U | Norway:18 (video premiere) | UK:18 | USA:R | West Germany:18

Filming Locations:

Arizona, USA

Company:

Laurel Entertainment Inc.

Trivia:

Deke and Randy call each other by the nicknames "Poncho" (Randy) and "Cisco" (Deke). These two character names are borrowed from "The Cisco Kid", the TV show playing in the background during the film's first story, "Old Chief Wood'nhead".

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: When Annie Lansing is looking out of the back of her car to see if the hitchhiker is still running behind her, he has disappeared but instead you can see a crewmember though the upper left corner of the car window.

Quotes:

Rhino: Catch him! I want his ass!

Movie Connections:

References Top Gun (1986)

A worthy but flawed sequel

Creepshow 2 was released in 1987 and was directed by George Romero's regular cinematographer Michael Gornick. Gornick, who was a late replacement for the original director FX maestro Tiom Savini, cut his directorial teeth on several episodes of Laurel's Tales From The Darkside and was a natural choice to make the film. He does a commendable job with what is clearly a modest budget and three stories that are not as engaging, gripping and frightening as those available to Romero in his original 1982 film.

Only one of the three stories has been previously published, the other two being originals devised for the film by Stephen King and scripted by Romero. The first story is called Old Chief Woodenhead and stars Hollywood veterans George Kennedy and Dorothy Lamour. It concerns a wooden storefront statue of an old Indian chief that comes to life to avenge the death of two elderly people by a gang of youths. It is the least impressive of the three tales but retains a certain ghoulish charm.

The second story is The Raft. Originally published in King's 1985 short story collection Skeleton Crew (with a slightly different ending). The segment is about four scantily-clad teenagers who arrive at a deserted lake, late one summer, for an afternoon swim but find that something thoroughly unpleasant is waiting for them. The special effects are well below par with King himself commenting that the monster in the lake looks something like "a dirty old man's raincoat". However, this episodes's grim punchline would make The Cryptkeeper himself chuckle with approval.

The third and probably best story is The Hitchhiker and stars Louis (Moonraker) Chiles as a bored, rich housewife who regularly enjoys the services of a handsome gigolo. On her way home from such an encounter she accidentally runs over a young Hitchhiker (played by stuntman Tom Wright) killing him instantly. Terrrified by the consequences of her actions she quickly leaves the scene of the accident. However, a few miles down the road she sees the Hitchhiker, bloodied and amazingly returned to life, limping towards her. To reveal any more would be to dampen this segment's sick delights but I will say that it features a neat cameo by King himself as a foul-mouthed truck driver.

A fourth story called Pinfall was planned for the movie but later dropped due to the faltering budget. It concerned an overweight band of beer-chugging bowlers that are murdered by a rival bowling team and come back from the dead for revenge in true EC style. Its a shame we will never get to see this story but it is very close in theme and structure to both Oldf Chief Woodenhead and The Hitchhiker.

All in all, Creepshow 2 is worth a look and remains a guilty pleasure of mine that I have enjoyed with alarming regularity over the years. It may not be up to the standards set by the first Creepshow but there are more painful ways to spend an evening. Ask The Hitchhiker...