An animated special of Shudder’s horror anthology show featuring stories by Stephen King and Joe Hill.

In the absence of a new season this Halloween (although details have just been released of some of upcoming Season Two’s guest stars) Shudder offer Something to Tide You Over with these two gory stories, directed by Creepshow showrunner Greg Nicotero.

Keifer Sutherland goes from Designated Survivor to Survivor Type in the first tale, based on the 1982 short story of  the same name, included in Stephen King’s 1985 collection Skeleton Crew. It’s adapted by Greg Nicotero and follows what happens to a man determined to stay alive alone on a deserted island, no matter what the cost. With a significant supply of Class A drugs at his disposal, he has to cut off his foot following an injury, and then develops a taste for his own flesh.

The other story is Twittering from the Circus of the Dead, based on the 2013 novella by Joe Hill, included in last year’s Full Throttle collection and adapted by Melanie Dale. It stars Joey King (Independence Day: Resurgence, The Conjuring) as teen Blake whose family road trip includes a visit to the gravest show on earth. Part of a crass, dysfunctional family in complete denial of their predicament, Blake provides a running commentary of her life on Twitter, which takes a turn for the worst as  zombie circus proves to the family’s final destination.

The animation is fairly basic, mimicking the static panels of a comic book. While not the same as a live action episode, this is an admirable alternative when regularly filming is still such a challenge.

Verdict: Gruesome and gory, with a wicked sense of humour – just the ticket for Halloween. 8/10

Nick Joy