Creepshow season 4 premiere recap: “Twenty Minutes with Cassandra/Smile”

In one of the latest spine-tingling episodes of the AMC and Shudder series Creepshow (season 4, episode 1), viewers were treated to not one, but two eerie tales that had us on the edge of our seats. From a mysterious pizza delivery to a family’s chilling discovery, this episode had it all (well, at least for those who like it).

Creepshow showrunner Greg Nicotero is keeping the ball rolling!

Creepshow “Twenty Minutes with Cassandra”

The episode kicks off with a woman named Lorna Snell (Samantha Sloyan) who orders a simple pizza. However, her night takes a bizarre turn when Cassandra (Ruth Codd), a mysterious woman, knocks on her door in a state of panic.

Cassandra’s actions grow increasingly strange when she throws Lorna’s cell phone away and explains that there is a monstrous threat outside that is poised to kill her. She insists that Lorna’s last moments should be meaningful, and to set the tone, she abruptly turns off the record player.

A sudden, ominous banging at the door grabs their attention, revealing a deliveryman (Nick Heffelfinger) who meets a gruesome fate as his arm is ripped off and his neck is slashed open. Lorna’s only hope lies in her own courage as she opens the window to confront the massive monster (Carey Jones) outside, stabbing it repeatedly to temporarily ward it off.

As the tension builds, the two women discuss Lorna’s intriguing career as a video game journalist, adding layers to the story. Lorna’s desperation to protect herself leads to her duct-taping knives to a bat, all the while worrying about the fate of the next pizza delivery guy, who we learn is named Okwe (Franckie Francois).

Creepshow season 4, episode 1 recap: A weird ‘Creepshow’ twist

In a shocking and bizarre twist, Cassandra explains that the monster is a manifestation of a mouse she left suffering in a mouse trap. However, Lorna dismisses the story as mundane.

Just as things seem bleak, the Pizza Beats delivery guy named Okwe arrives with pizza in hand. Lorna urges him to keep the pizza for himself and escape the house, explaining that the last delivery guy met a gruesome end.

Unfortunately, Okwe doesn’t make it very far before meeting a similarly horrifying fate, leaving Lorna alone to confront the monster. She has a private conversation with it, discovering that it is, in fact, “Cassie’s monster.”

Lorna sets the creature on fire and makes her escape. She recalls seeing Cassie earlier in a coffee shop, deepening the mystery of why Cassie is targeting her.

As the episode comes to a close, Cassie casually sits with the monster after Lorna departs, leaving us with lingering questions about the relationship between the two and the true nature of the monsters. Lorna also unveils a surprising secret – she keeps a monster of her own, a cat-like creature that the mouse monster wants to battle.

The episode concludes with a discussion about the finer points of what defines a kaiju, and the exhausted monster admits he’s really, really tired, to which Lorna compassionately pats him on the shoulder.

“Smile”

The second tale in this Creepshow episode introduces us to Sarah (Lucie Guest), a caring mother who checks in on her son, Max (Max Archibald). James (Matthew James Dowden), Sarah’s husband, has received an honor (though notably not an award), and is having a special dinner with his wife.

However, the evening takes a disturbing turn when a mysterious man takes a Polaroid photograph and promptly vanishes. The photograph’s peculiarity becomes evident as it seems to be further away than it should be.

This sparks a journey of investigation as they approach a sign reading, “San Miguel.” The intrigue deepens as they discover another photo that reads, “I see you.”

It’s revealed that James had taken photos during a war in San Miguel, capturing a moment where he opted to take a photo instead of helping a drowning man and child. They find themselves in an area marked with a plaque bearing the words, “And I heard his voice call out from the banks of the river.”

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Things take a chilling turn when they find a photo of Max with the caption, “Pray.” Their sense of urgency heightens as they return home and frantically search for Max.

The tension reaches a breaking point when they find him at the bottom of the swimming pool. A photo is taken, and in a shocking twist, it appears that Max is face-down in the water.

The man they saw drowning is not who he seems to be. In this eerie and enigmatic episode, “Smile” reminds us that the boundaries between reality and the supernatural are never quite as clear-cut as we might think. With these two gripping stories, the series continues to showcase its mastery of suspense and horror.

Oh, and they are also going to have a video game!

What did you think of Creepshow season 4 episode 1? Let us know in the comments below.

You can watch Creepshow season 4 on AMC.