Creepshow's little brother

I think what I'll do is just judge the individual stories as a means of reviewing this movie. There wasn't anything particular that stood out from the film in a way that really bears noting specifically but each of the narratives were interesting in and of themselves. The first was a James Woods-centric story about a man trying to quit smoking. In the 80's we still lived in a world of smoking sections in restaurants and even with surgeon general warnings stamped on the side of the packs, puffing away on cigarettes was also quite socially acceptable. But in the 80's we did have a push towards more healthy living so the idea of quitting smoking was an uphill but worthwhile battle. Woods get a bit more than he bargained for by employing an agency that is run by the mafia to help him in his cessation efforts. It's not simply a pamphlet or a patch. There aren't meetings to attend or tapes to watch. It's really just 4 simple escalating consequences. Three of them are wildly detrimental to his loved ones and if smoking habitually persists beyond those, then step four is termination of the contract. And I think you know why I employed that particular wording. I think the truly ominous part of this story is the persistent presence of the Quitters organization in Woods' life. it only takes one instance of being caught to really set him on the straight and narrow but the threat of is is very real and incredibly creepy. Even the anxious little twist they leave you with at the conclusion of the story is a wicked reminder of how dire things could still be.

The second story features Striker from Airplane! He's one of those actors I see so infrequently that my reaction is always "Hey, it's Striker!", which I literally said out loud as I watched the movie today. The second tale takes us to Atlantic City to employ a more gambling heavy theme. Ties in nicely under the guise of vices. But the conundrum Striker finds himself in is having engaged in an affair with a powerful crime boss's wife. Ultimately, under threat of being blackmailed and sent to prison, Striker has to traverse the outside edge of the penthouse in a wager for his life. Go to jail or circumnavigate the building. Reluctantly he chooses the latter and the remainder of the story we are really just enduring the labor of this task. The crime boss jokingly utilizes several goofy devices to try and cause Striker to fall of the ledge only for him to successfully complete the task. Exasperated at the ordeal, he comes to collect his prize only to find out the elusive wording of the deal has created a horrific loophole. Overcome with rage, Striker subdues the armed guard and shoots him and then turns the tables on the crime boss into taking on his own fateful challenge. I could try and twist the ending for this one, but I bet you wouldn't fall for it...

The final story follows our feline protagonist all the way to the version of Drew Barrymore we've been waiting to interact with. She's been present in some form in the first two tales but it's finally time for her to shine. This one is definitively the most supernatural but also most appealing I think. Little Drew comes upon our cover art cat and names him General. Her mother is reluctant and tries to maintain an "outside cat" deal but this cat is on a mission. He's not simply there for free tuna and a warm bed. He's there to protect young Drew against a little troll that's been sneaking into her room. Apparently this menace is bent on stealing her breath, which is a thing, I guess. Conflict arises when Drew's mom believes General to be a menace and deposits him at a kill shelter. Fortunately, our four legged protagonist is crafty and arrives home just in time to save Drew from whatever the stealing of the breath action is and keeps her alive. An epic battle ensues and the troll is sent flying into a box fan where he's chopped into tiny little bits. What is a fun, fortunate twist is the remnant are discovered by mom and dad so the tiny supernatural terrorist attempting to kill their daughter isn't simply a figment of her imagination. At the conclusion, we get a happy ending, solidifying the PG-13 rating in the best way possible.

This flick was a lot of fun. There was the perfect amount of 80's nostalgia mixed with that eerie kind of scare that anthology tales present. By tempering the tone enough to elude the R rating, there's a special kind of containment that the spookiness depends on leaving you with that creepy lasting effect. Something just unexpected enough to widen your eyes as the story ends. I love that. It does remind me of the conclusion of a great many Goosebumps adventures and AYAOTD plot lines. I did also really enjoy the Stephen King Easter Eggs as well. They weren't subtle by any means but that didn't stop them from being fun regardless. From Cujo chasing our cat friend at the beginning of the movie to mom reading Pet Sematary in bed in the final story. All the little allusions to his body of work were that perfect kind of addition that highlighted how overall pleasing this film is to enjoy. It's not too dark. It's not too anything. It was the perfect Friday feature with my boys to finish out the week with an appropriate dose of fearful endeavor. I'd give it a solid B. I think it rests there rather perfectly. It wasn't just ok. It was firmly enjoyable. But it wasn't bordering great or slightly disappointing. It feels just right in that grade. So that's what I'm going with. And that closes out this Friday with a fun little fright. I'll take it. I think this weekend I may try to get to the theater one more time. We'll see. Either way, I'm satisfied with day 23 as it stands. Going into the last weekend before Halloween we're entering that home stretch and I'm happy with 2026 once more. We'll have to wait and see what Saturday holds for us. Until then, I'll catch you on the flip side.