Creepshow series was made with love, is full of Easter eggs

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

Special effects artist Greg Nicotero didn't really need to tell us that the Creepshow series he is supervising and executive producing for Shudder was a labor of love, because it was clear in the decisions he made for the show – bringing in legendary effects artist Tom Savini (who worked on the original CREEPSHOW) to direct a segment; having the original film's composer John Harrison, who has also directed such projects as the 2000 Dune mini-series, direct a segment; basing segments on stories by Stephen King, who wrote the screenplay for the first CREEPSHOW and provided the stories for CREEPSHOW 2, and King's son Joe Hill, who had an acting role in the first CREEPSHOW.

But Nicotero, who worked in the FX department on CREEPSHOW 2, did come right out and say the show is a labor of love during its panel at the San Diego Comic-Con. 

I needed all these amazingly talented people because they’re part of the essence of what Creepshow is. I like the idea that you can watch the first Creepshow [movie], and the comic book closes at the end… and then you could watch episode one of our show, and it’s like opening a new comic book.

It’s not a reboot, it’s not a retelling. George [Romero] and Steve [King] were so ahead of their time, because of their love for EC Comics. The shit that I love, it’s the same stuff that we all love. It’s Jaws, and Dawn of the Dead, and Salem’s Lot. The stuff that I could watch or read a hundred times. And now we have Creepshow — it comes, for me, from a place of love. I love this stuff so much. We’re all here for the same reason, and I’m grateful for the fans that support this."

Nicotero said the show will be packed with Easter egg references to the original film – and that the ashtray that was featured in every segment of the movie will also be featured in every episode of the show.

He also mentioned that being able to visit the set of the first film and seeing Savini and director George A. Romero at work changed his life, because up until that point he had been planning to be a doctor.

I was going to be taking out real intestines and livers… now I just do the fake shit. It’s much easier, and there’s much less trauma involved."

Being on the set of CREEPSHOW was also a life-changing event for Joe Hill, who was on the panel with Nicotero. Hill said he was left in the care of Savini and 

I spent a whole week in his trailer, watching him artistically disfigure movie stars and invent these fabulous creatures. He was my first rock star, and by the time I left the Creepshow set, I felt I had discovered what I wanted to do — which was I also wanted to kill people in interesting and memorable ways, and create memorable monsters, which is sort of what I wound up doing."

Another person involved with the Creepshow series who was around for the first CREEPSHOW is actress Adrienne Barbeau, who will appear on the show in a segment based on King's short story Gray Matter. Barbeau was on the panel with fellow series cast members Giancarlo Esposito, Tricia Helfer, and DJ Qualls, and revealed that she was originally going to turn down the offer to be in CREEPSHOW because the script was too violent and scary. Her then-husband John Carpenter and friend Tom Atkins had to talk her into working on the film, and she found that the comic book style Romero crafted for it made the subject matter easier to deal with.

The first season of the Creepshow series will consist of six episodes, each of them split into two segments. The full list of segments: 

“All Hallows Eve”  
Written by: Bruce Jones
Directed by: John Harrison
Even then they’re a little too old, this group of friends still want to trick-or-treat but getting candy isn’t all they are looking for.
 
“Bad Wolf Down” 
Written by: Rob Schrab
Directed by: Rob Schrab
A group of American soldiers, trapped behind enemy lines during World War II, finds an unconventional way to even the odds. 

“By the Silver Water of Lake Champlain” 
Story by: Joe Hill, adapted by Jason Ciaramella
Directed by: Tom Savini
Her dad died looking for the monster living at the bottom of Lake Champlain, and now, will she?
 
“The Companion” 
Story by: Joe R. Lansdale, Kasey Lansdale & Keith Lansdale, adapted by Matt Venne
Directed by: Dave Bruckner 
A young boy, bullied by his older brother, sneaks into an abandoned farm that is protected by a supernatural force. 

“Gray Matter” 
Story by: Stephen King, adapted by Byron Willinger and Philip de Blasi
Directed by: Greg Nicotero
Doc and Chief, two old-timers in a small, dying town, brave a storm to check on Richie, an alcoholic single father, after encountering his terrified son at the local convenience store. The story, first published in 1973, is part of King’s best-selling 1978 collection, Night Shift. 
 
“The House of the Head”  
Written by: Josh Malerman 
Directed by: John Harrison
Evie discovers her new dollhouse might be haunted. 
 
“Lydia Layne’s Better Half”  
Story by: John Harrison & Greg Nicotero, adapted by John Harrison
Directed by: Roxanne Benjamin 
A powerful woman denies a promotion to her protégée and lover but fails to anticipate the fallout. 
 
“The Man in the Suitcase”  
Written by: Christopher Buehlman
Directed by: Dave Bruckner 
A college student brings the wrong bag home from the airport only to find a pretzeled man trapped inside, afflicted by a strange condition that turns his pain into gold.
 
“Night of the Paw” 
Written by: John Esposito
Directed by: John Harrison
A lonely mortician finds company in the ultimate  ‘be careful what you wish for’ story. 
 
“Skincrawlers”
Written by: Paul Dini & Stephen Langford
Directed by: Roxanne Benjamin 
A man considers a miraculous new treatment for weight loss that turns out to have unexpected complications.
 
“Times is Tough in Musky Holler” 
Written by: John Skipp and Dori Miller, based on their short story
Directed by: John Harrison
Leaders who once controlled a town through fear and intimidation get a taste of their own medicine.

“The Finger”
Written by: David J. Schow
Directed by: Greg Nicotero
An unhappy man discovers a severed, inhuman appendage on the street and brings it home, where it grows into a loyal companion with some deadly quirks.

In addition to the actors mentioned above, other cast members include Jeffrey Combs, Kid Cudi, Big Boi, Bruce Davison, Tobin Bell, Dana Gould, and David Arquette.

Shudder's Creepshow is produced by the Cartel with Monster Agency Productions, Taurus Entertainment, and Striker Entertainment. Stan Spry, Jeff Holland, and Eric Woods are executive producers for the Cartel; Greg Nicotero and Brian Witten are executive producers for Monster Agency Productions; Robert Dudelson, James Dudelson and Jordan Kizwani are executive producers for Taurus Entertainment; Russell Binder is executive producer and Marc Mostman co-executive producer for Striker Entertainment. 

The show will have its premiere on Shudder on September 26th.