Creepshow season 3, episode 2 recap: Skeletons in the Closet/Familiar

In episode 302 of Shudder’s Creepshow, we meet a horror film prop enthusiast, Lampini (Victor Rivera), whose museum, “Skeletons in the Closet,” is planning a grand re-opening. The museum has plenty of exciting relics of movie history including the “sentinel spheres” from Don Coscarelli’s Phantasm, the chalice from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, a Freddy glove, and a skeleton that’s ostensibly Norman Bates‘ mother.

To celebrate this landmark occasion, Lampini gives a golden ticket to two customers, despite them being too handsy with the merchandise. Obviously, this is Lampini trying to not instantly damage his reputation, so he is conciliatory to even obnoxious customers.

In addition to Lampini’s girlfriend, Danielle (Valerie LeBlanc) we meet Bateman (James Remar), an old competitor to Lampini’s dad, who outbid Lampini for David Warner’s decapitated head prop from The Omen. It turns out that’s not the only problem with Bateman, however.

Bateman also competed with Lampini’s dad for his mom’s affection, which makes it not only business but personal. Still, Bateman initially plays it cool and casual, admiring a Nosferatu prop, as well as a chainsaw from Evil Dead 2.

Bateman does attempt to assert dominance, though, by bragging he has the original chainsaw from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, which he acquired from the Tobe Hooper estate.

On Creepshow, things escalate…and why wouldn’t they?

Things weren’t going to stay calm forever. Bateman reveals that he visited their place to blackmail them, revealing his knowledge that a skeleton movie prop was stolen from an actual grave. Not one to handle such matters delicately, Danielle reacts to the escalating tension by slashing Bateman’s throat with a handy-dandy shoe knife.

Then, after getting out some meathooks and a Breaking Bad box cutter, they make him into just another skeleton for their exhibit (horror stories often provide fun arts and crafts projects!). The story delves into some vague details about how the controversial skeleton prop was dug up, something that was stipulated in Lampini’s father’s will, but that’s just there for some actual story.

What matters is that some dark magical violence happens. Bateman returns in the haunted skeleton for revenge, and a guy named Burke (Lucas Godfrey) gets killed by a sentinel sphere thrown by Bateman. Moments later, Danielle gets stabbed in the shower, Psycho-style.

As another homage, Bateman’s skeleton has a “Here’s Johnny” (The Shining) moment, but Lampini fends off the attack with a toilet tank cover. Fittingly, Lampini is ultimately saved by his own father’s skeleton.

The story ends with Lampini making out with Danielle’s skeleton, grossing people out. It’s certainly an odd story, even if not the oddest thing Creepshow has given us.

Personally, I assume Lampini could have a successful business catering to creepy skeleton fetishists. Then again, that follow-up Creepshow episode might be a little too much for some people.

Familiar

The next Creepshow story deals with a familiar. If you’re unfamiliar with a familiar, just know that it’s a magical spirit said to possess a variety of forms, typically acting almost like a witch’s pet.

The story centers on a man named Jackson (Andrew Bachelor) and his love interest, Fawn (Hannah Fierman). Seemingly on a lark, the couple goes to a place called “Boone’s Third Eye,” where a fortune-teller named Boone (Keith Arthur Bolden) works his craft immediately, saying things like “wrinkles are our lifelines that keep us tethered as we age.”

However, as one might expect in a Creepshow story, Boone does not seem like a con artist. Boone knows Fawn is an artist, which is impressive.

However, things ramp up when he hands Jackson a note saying “something bad” is following him. The message seems to follow Jackson when he gets home, as he’s spooked by a door creaking, and, yes, he believes he sees a demon-like entity that night.

The question is, is Jackson’s imagination just getting the better of him?

Tricks and shadows

While Jackson is at work, his office furniture freakily gets stacked up, as in the film Poltergeist. Fearing for his life, Jackson ends up hiding in a bathroom stall.

We see demon hands in shadows, and he hears growling behind him. Later, after sensing Jackson’s panic, Fawn suggests they revisit Boone’s, but Jackson refuses.

Poor guy! Fawn makes Jackson a little lamb sculpture, but it’s not enough to ease Jackson’s nerves.

So, on the following night, Jackson visits Boone alone. He is encouraged to read through a magic book and learns that “Familiars” sometimes inhabit the bodies of loved ones.

Boone gives Jackson a necklace, tells him to put the “innocence bait” necklace in a sacred circle, as a means to trap the spirit haunting him.

Innocence bait?

Back at his place, Jackson has his crate suspended above the baited trap, intending to trap and drown it in water. It actually seems successful at one point, but the innocence bait is gone and so is The Familiar.

To make this episode even weirder, Jackson sets the gifted lamb in the circle as innocence bait. The question is, is it The Familiar, or is it Fawn’s corpse that ends up in the back of the pickup truck?

While this is not the greatest Creepshow story, it is nevertheless pretty well done, and it certainly has a paranoid atmosphere.

What are your thoughts on this episode of Creepshow? Let us know in the comments!