Shudder, the AMC-owned streaming service dedicated to all things horror, is upping its original content game by resurrecting the ‘80s horror anthology Creepshow, with the help of showrunner Greg Nicotero. The special effects and makeup master is adding another series to his already heavy workload on AMC’s zombie franchise The Walking Dead, aiming to give audiences a true horror anthology series that’s in keeping with the scary, gross, and often funny stories that were cooked up by Stephen King and George Romero back in 1982.
The original film serves not only as inspiration for Shudder’s new ongoing, but also as a goal of sorts for Nicotero and the impressive list of writers, directors, and actors he’s assembled to bring the Creepshow franchise back. And while there’s a new streaming service being announced on an almost daily basis, and therefore no shortage of potential suitors for the series, Nicotero is convinced the home of horror is the right place for the Creep to come back to life.
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Nicotero discussed Shudder and his plans for rebooting Creepshow during a recent set visit opportunity participated in by Screen Rant. During the interview, the make-up, practical effects guru, director, and now showrunner spoke candidly about where Shudder fits in the escalating streaming wars, and how the service is able to stand out by virtue of it being marketed directly at horror fans. Read Nicotero’s comments below:
The new series is bound to be a big offering for the horror streamer, as it essentially allows Shudder to play the pre-existing IP game like Disney+, while continuing to stay true to its genre roots. Fans of the original Creepshow (and its sequels) can compare and contrast the new versus the old, while those unfamiliar with the franchise can get a sense of what made the anthology so popular in the first place.
“What I love about Shudder is that it’s dedicated strictly to horror and genre stuff. If you look at any of these other services, and listen, I’m absolutely guilty of this: if I go on iTunes or I go on another streaming service, if there’s not something specific that I want to watch, I find myself searching and I always end up in the horror category. I always end up in sci-fi or horror to see what’s new. What’s great about Shudder is, I feel like the stuff that I would want to watch is right there. I don’t feel like I need to dig through multiple genres and new releases. For those who love horror it’s kind of right there. The folks at Shudder are at film festivals and they’re watching all new stuff… and a lot of it is European and Asian. So, I really enjoy the fact that these guys are scouring the globe for the best in the genre and making it available for people to see. They’re not just playing back catalogs of stuff that they bought from some company; they’re really actively looking to expand the viewer’s horizons and open them up to different genres and different types of material from all over the world. I love that and I think with Creepshow, it’s their first original show, so I’m really excited about that and raising awareness for those of us that are horror fans that there’s a network out there that you can get that really caters to people like us that love horror.”
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Creepshow premieres on Thursday, September 26 @9:00pm ET/7:00pm PT, exclusively on Shudder.
