In 1982, the iconic horror anthology, Creepshow, was released. The anthology was written by Stephen King and directed by George A. Romero, who are both horror icons. The film spawned a sequel in 1987. Now, Creepshow is back in an exciting new way.

The horror streaming service, Shudder, is bringing back everyone’s favorite creep with his chest of comics and all new stories. Creepshow is getting a new life in the form of a weekly series. Every Thursday night Shudder subscribers can tune in to watch the latest episode live and the episode will also become available ondemand. Each episode will tell two different stories and each week fans will get to see work from some of their favorite actors, writers, and directors while also being introduced to some exciting new talent. The lovely folks over at Shudder were kind enough to give me an early look at the first episode. In this episode viewers will see two thrilling tales, “Gray Matter” and “The House of the Head.”

“Gray Matter,” based on a short story by legendary author Stephen King and adapted for the screen by Byron Willinger (The Commuter) and Philip de Blasi (The Commuter), starts off the episode with a bang. Directed by Greg Nicotero (The Walking Dead), the segment tells the tale of a father and son. After losing his wife, the father turns to alcohol to ease his pain with horrifying consequences. The story takes place on one dark and stormy night as most of the town has either left to avoid the storm or boarded everything up. This generates a claustrophobic feeling of being trapped as things gradually go from bad to worse.

This short was a great way to kick off the first episode. It is a frightening story that all culminates in fantastic practical effects that you have to see to believe. “Gray Matter” also includes a couple of fan favorite horror actors including Adrienne Barbeau (The Fog, Escape From New York) and Tobin Bell (Saw, Belzebuth). This segment also stars relative newcomer, Christopher Nathan (Barely Lethal, The Spectacular Now) as Timmy. Nathan delivers a compelling performance as he struggles between doing the right thing and his love for his father.

The second segment, “The House of the Head,” takes creepy dolls to a whole new level. This story follows young Evie as she plays with her doll family in their beautiful dollhouse. When a mysterious toy head appears in the house the lives of the doll family are threatened. “The House of the Head” is written by Josh Malerman, who also wrote the Bird Box novel, and directed by John Harrison (Tales From the Darkside: The Movie, Book of Blood).

This story is particularly frightening. The viewer sees the lives of the dolls through the eyes of young Evie. This is a highly effective storytelling tool because there is really no major action, we don’t ever even see the dolls move. It is Evie’s love of her dolls and childish point of view that allows the sense of danger to the dolls to come through the screen. Evie is played by the very talented Cailey Flemming (The Walking Dead, Peppermint). Flemming really makes the plot work. If it wasn’t for her love of the dolls and her ability to treat them as if they were real people, then the viewer wouldn’t care about the dolls and feel the peril they are in.

Shudder and the entire team behind the new Creepshow series got the show off to a strong start with “Grey Matter” and “The House of the Head.” Both stories boast strong performances, beloved horror actors, favorite horror writers and directors, stunning practical effects, and chilling tales that are sure to give you goose bumps. Even more appealing is how both segments do what I always want to see from short films: they tell a complete story, but leave enough mystery to make you want more. It makes me excited to see what the future episodes will hold. I also love that Shudder is only releasing one episode a week, allowing for the collective live viewing experience that has been lost with many streaming services. With the success of the weekly episodes of The Last Drive-In with Joe Bob Briggs, I can only imagine how many Shudder subscribers will watch live and tweet along with the show.

The first episode of Creepshow will air on Thursday, September 26th at 9pm EST/6pm PST. If you aren’t a Shudder subscriber yet, be sure to sign up so you can be part of this fantastic weekly horror event.