Stephen King's Creepshow Inspired A Webseries That Basically Vanished

George A. Romero's 1982 anthology horror flick "Creepshow," scripted by Stephen King, was an homage to the roundly gruesome EC horror comics of the 1950s. EC was overseen by William M. Gaines, and he published titles like "Tales from the Crypt," "The Vault of Horror," and "Shock SuspenStories." They also oversaw sci-fi books like "Weird Science," war comics like "Two-Fisted Tales," and parody comics like "MAD." For those who think media of the 1950s was square and tame, reading a single issue of "Tales from the Crypt" will prove how sick and depraved writers could get.

Stephen King was a reader of EC Comics, and "Creepshow" was his attempt to bring their twisted, violent sensibilities into the Reagan era. Although there had been "Tales from the Crypt" movies prior to "Creepshow," the 1982 film was the biggest yet, boasting an all-star cast and salacious, energetic direction. It made $21 million on an $8 million budget, and starred Ted Danson, Leslie Nielsen, Hal Holbrook, Adrienne Barbeau, Ed Harris, and E.G. Marshall. 

The attempts to follow "Creepshow" with TV shows and sequels, however, became a bit tricky. An anthology TV series was planned, but because Warner Bros. owned the rights to the name, and didn't want to share it, the series became "Tales from the Darkside." In 1987, New World put out a sequel, "Creepshow 2," which was based on King stories, but written by Romero. That film was a more modest success. Then, in 2006, the owners of the original "Creepshow" — Taurus Entertainment — put out "Creepshow 3," made without the involvement of King or Romero and abandoning the comic book-inspired premise. It only played in one theater in Rhode Island. /Film hated it. 

In 2009, Taurus also tried to revive the "Creepshow" brand with a web series that they were going to call "Creepshow: RAW." This series only ever had a pilot episode, however, and is all but forgotten today. 

No. No one remembers "Creepshow: RAW." Keep in mind that web series were still a novelty in 2008 when it was being made, and few notable brands and entertainment companies had thought to enter the relatively new medium. YouTube had only launched the year before, and online video content was still seen, for the most part, as the realm of amateurs and youths; it was the time of NewGrounds, Homestar Runner, and "Ask a Ninja" (which was recent enough that /Film even covered episodes).  

"Creepshow: RAW" was to be an anthology wherein a series of single 8-minute episodes would drop online exclusively. The medium was conducive to anthology horror, and the decision to movie "Creepshow" online made perfect sense. Taurus hired the studio HD Films to shoot a pilot, and it aired on the IGN website on October 30, 2009. It's still there, and you can still watch it. The pilot episode, called "Insomnia," was directed by Wilmer Valderrama, and starred Michael Madsen as an abusive stepfather, lording his drunken whims over his terrified stepson (Sam Elliot Hafermalz). The stepson was also visited in the night by a tooth-faced closet monster (E. Quincy Sloan) with whom he must do battle. Wendi McLendon-Covey played the boy's mother. 

An article on the Halloween Love website noted that "Creepshow: RAW" sported hand-drawn comic art panels (fading from live-action frames, like in the first two "Creepshow" movies) by celebrated monster artist Alex Pardee. It seems that 10 episodes were initially planned for "Creepshow: RAW," but that Taurus changed their mind after making only one. One can only speculate if online ratings were low, or if the studio simply lost interest. As soon as "RAW" was posted, all news about the series ceased. It pretty much got swallowed up by the internet. 

"Creepshow: RAW" is ... okay. The pilot episode was directed with a lot of energy, and the actors are all great, although the monster does look pretty silly. One can tell that it's a guy in a Halloween mask. Unlike "Creepshow 3," however, the vibe was right with "RAW." It had the wicked twist ending, the requisite gore (some intestines get spilled), and a fun soundtrack. Although low-budget, one can see some effort went into it. It would have been nice if the Creep host segments had been included, as they were in the 1982 and 1987 movies. 

No one knows for sure why the project didn't move forward. Perhaps a web series was too ahead of its time in 2009. Regardless, it was gone as soon as it appeared. "Creepshow: RAW" is now an obscure horror curio, only barely remembered by a handful of college students who were paying attention to web series during the Obama administration. 

After languishing for a decade, "Creepshow" finally returned in TV form in 2018, this time as a high-violence show on Shudder. The new series was developed by Greg Nicotero (the prolific special effects makeup master, and one of the main directors of "The Walking Dead"), and it resurrected the Creep host, inviting viewers into the new tales of terror. Some of the stories were based on Stephen King short stories, while others were adapted from other horror authors. The new "Creepshow" series was a hit, and lasted 23 episodes over four seasons. Each episode contained two stories. 

The new series ended in 2023, but it more or less made sure "Creepshow" remained in the public's consciousness. /Film ranked its stories. Indeed, it was popular enough to make people forget about the already-not-well-remembered "Creepshow: RAW." Luckily, thanks to IGN, we can jolt it back to life anytime we want.