Shudder - Creepshow Holiday Special : Shapeshifters Anonymous , A great special episode

By Mulder, 14 december 2020

Christmas has often been an inspiration for many horror movies and it was only natural that the excellent Creepshow series broadcast in the United States on Shudder, an American subscription video-on-demand service offering a selection of horrific movies and series, would in turn take an original approach to this long-awaited day of the year.

Fearing he is a murderer, Robert Weston (Adam Pally) seeks answers to his dilemma from a support group for therianthrope creatures, consisting of a man (Pete Burris) who can transform into a were-turtle, a woman (Anna Camp) who can transform into a werewolf, a man (Frank Nicotero) who can transform into a wereboar, a man (Derek Russo) who is an enigma until his true nature appears, and a woman (Candy McLeilan) who aspires to be a werehippo. When Robert is discovered to be a werewolf, the group is soon attacked by Santa's followers who turn out to be on a mission to eliminate the therianthrope world.

With a running time of 46 minutes, this special episode is also one of the best episodes of this series as it manages to mix intelligently the horrific themes but also a good degree of humor perfectly brought. Co-written and directed by Gregory Nicotero, Creepshow Holiday Special: Shapeshifters Anonymous doesn't hesitate to transform Santa Claus into a real gigantic monster or to make fake Santas into henchmen ready to give their lives. We find here all the atmosphere of Creepshow, faithful to the first two films (forget about Creepshow 3 which is really very bad) and the first season which benefited from successful special effects, an attractive cast and an editing perfectly matching this very appreciated atmosphere.

While waiting for the second season which has been confirmed to our great pleasure and which will be broadcasted on April 1st on Shudder, this episode is an excellent surprise and shows us that this series is in perfect hands with Gregory Nicotero as showrunner. 

Synopsis :
An anxious man who is trying to figure out his disorder enlists into an organization called Shapeshifters Anonymous without realizing that Santa Clauses are after him.

Creepshow Holiday Special : Shapeshifters Anonymous
Directed by Gregory Nicotero
Written by J.A. Konrath, Greg Nicotero
Executive producers : Robert Franklin Dudelson, Eric Scott Woods, James Dudelson, Stan Spry, Geoff Silverman, Anthony Fankhauser, Russell Binder, Jordan Kizwani, Marc Mostman, Jeff Holland
Starring Anna Camp, Adam Pally, Pete Burris, Frank Nicotero, Derek Russo, Candy McLellan, Tom Glynn, Keith Flippen, Donnie Evans, Holly Stevenson, Kara Kimmer, Lil Yachty
Music by Christopher Drake
Cinematography : Robert Draper
Edited by Patrick Perry
Distributed by Shudder
Release date : December 18, 2021 ( USA)
Running time : 46 minutes

Rating : 4/5

Written by Boris Colletier