The horror anthology series based on the popular movies returns with two more comic book tales – a World War II Werewolf and a flesh-eating creature.

The joy of Shudder’s new show is that the stories can pretty much be set anywhere and in any time, and they can even be cliched and predictable, such is the premise of replicating old 50s EC Comics. The faux adverts for mail-away offers (masks and kits) are spot-on, even if the Creep puppet itself is a little static – I choose to believe it’s a design choice rather than poor execution.

Bad Wolf Down is written and directed by Rob Schrab (Monster House) and begins with a skirmish between Nazis and GIs in Limoges, France, in World War II. Holed up in an abandoned police station with eviscerated soldiers on the floor, our patrol discover a female werewolf in one of the cells. Surrounded and with no realistic escape from Jeffrey Combs’ (Re-Animator) boo-hiss SS Officer, they bite the bullet (not the silver variety) and become lycanthropes. Good, gory fun with effective creatures – a combination of The Howling and An American Werewolf in London – the soldiers soon respond with lethal force.

The Finger is a real change of pace, with D J Qualls (The Man in the High Castle) as Clark Wilson, an oddball who likes walking and finding objects. One day he picks up a finger, which grows into a fully formed toothsome creature – think Dogburster from Alien3 – which hunts down and attacks his enemies, while bringing back trophies like hearts and testicles. The beast, Bob, also likes popcorn and watching soap operas, and you can guess from that summary that this segment, penned by David S Schow (The Crow), is not to be taken too seriously. Bob is a fine mix of practical puppet and stop motion, while Qualls’ character, who frequently talks to camera, is an unreliable narrator.

Verdict: Gruesome, knowing fun that exists to entertain with a huge dose of 80s nostalgia. You feel like you’ve read these comics and seen these films before – and you probably have. 8/10

Nick Joy