CREEPSHOW 2

US, 1987, 92 minutes, Colour.
Tom Savini, George Kennedy, Dorothy Lamour.
Directed by Michael Gornick.

Creepshow 2 has good credentials: stories by Stephen King (following Creepshow) screenplay by George Romero,(Night of the Living Dead, Martin and Creepshow ), direction by Michael Gornick, the photographer of Creepshow and several other of Romero's films. In the first story there is a surprising short comeback with Dorothy Lamour as George Kennedy's wife.

However, the stories are more exploitative than enjoyable, touches of the amazing and the violent - with linking sequences showing the Creep from the Creepshow comics and Boy Billy and his being persecuted by his peers: and his revenge.

1. Popularity of Creepshow? The popularity of the sequel? Enjoyable horror stories? Amazing stories?

2. The atmosphere of each story, locations, special effects? Horror?

3. The linking of the stories: Elmville, Billy and the Creepshow comics, The Creep coming out of the pages and introducing the stories? The animation? The connecting sequences and Billy getting his mail-order Venus flytrap plant; the bullies attacking, his running, the final trapping of the bullies on the wasteland, the Venus flytrap patch, the plants devouring the bullies and The Creep laughing?

4. Old Chief Woodenhead: George Kennedy and Dorothy Lamour, the old store in Dedd River, the Indians offering the proprietor the jewellery and their debt? Ben Whiteman? Sam and his accomplices robbing the store? The confrontation with Ray and Martha and their being killed? Shooting the wooden Indian chief? The Chief coming to life, killing one man with the arrow, the other with the tomahawk, the scaring of Sam?

5. Ben arriving and seeing the chief holding the jewellery and his son's scalp? A story of violence.

6. The raft: the presentation of the college kids, the '80s presentation of youth, the sun, outing, the lake? The ominous black oil slick? In the water, going to the floating raft? The slick taking over each of the kids? Randy and his trying to swim for it? Reaching the shore? The slick overwhelming him? Atmosphere? Sympathetic or unsympathetic college kids? Behaviour? Their deaths add the horror?

7. The hitch-hiker: Annie and her spending the evening with the young man, her decision to get home before her husband? Her speeding? Hitting the hitch-hiker? Panicking? Driving off? The hitch-hiker and his reappearances: in front of the car, on the roof? Annie and her desperation; shooting him, trying to get rid of him? Her arrival at home? And the hitch-hiker still present? The hitch-hiker with his continued deterioration through shots and wounds? A haunting story - and Annie and her responsibility, guilt, being punished? The moralising tale?

8. Enjoyable amazing stories? Or stories emphasising the ugliness of violence and horror?