Creepshow - All Hallow's Eve

For me, “All Hallow’s Eve” feels the most complete of the Creepshow tales for the Shudder series that I have watched thus far, with a heartbreaking conclusion that many might predict. Nonetheless, I felt it does a good enough job telegraphing the end, sort of questioning whether or not the Golden Dragons gang are actually terrorizing parents for kicks, when in fact the accusations of “taking their kids” has a clear rationale. There are good scenes where they visit their old clubhouse, remnants on a burnt tree of the past, sharing dialogue about feeling nostalgic, and this Halloween night being the final “trick or treat” before it is “all over”. Lots of hints are included that lead to the twist. With the parents either grief-stricken, shell-shocked, numb, or packing a shotgun, they all seem powerless to stop the Golden Dragons, appearing at their doorstep, making themselves at home, expecting certain reactions, and yet the gang seem to be justified in their behavior. When Eddie, the final teenager, is requested by them towards a mother who seems powerless to stop the inevitable capture of her son, the full scope of why the Golden Dragons stop at each specific house in the neighborhood is eventually brought to light: a B&W flashback details a certain gang in skeleton paint and costume on Halloween night, choosing a clubhouse to set on fire. The final member, the ringleader, Eddie, answers for his participation in a tragedy he could have prevented. I think the Halloween presence and aesthetic of the tale, the iconography and seasonal décor of the holiday, assists in the storytelling as the gang, just an innocent group of teenagers who played board games up in their treehouse, seem to return each year to take another member of Eddie’s brood as penance for what befell them. It’s concise, features just a bit of the 80s “Stand by Me”/”The Goonies” vibe, never feels abrupt or missing something in its story, gives us enough personality for each of the Golden Dragons (you can tell the teenagers in the devil costume and skeleton hoodie were always poking and prodding each other while the “hitchhiker” and “witch” would have been a romantic item; and the brothers hugging and saying goodbye was poignant and touching, really punching home how tragic their end really was and preventable) so that we get to know them, sympathizing with them, truly grasping the gravity of their loss. 3.5/5