A drain clog turns out to be more than just a little matted hair and soap scum, and a top secret government compound is evacuated as the last few scientists in the building fight to contain the creature they’ve been studying.

Two very different tales in this week’s duo of horror comics from Shudder. Pipe Dreams affords genre favourite Barbara Crampton (Re-Animator and so much more) the opportunity to go the full Cruella de Vil as an evil property owner who despises her tenants, knowingly letting them live in dangerous conditions. The pipes of her property are blocked with sludge, and she calls in a bargain basement plumber to solve the problem. She’s not concerned that the pipes are lead and potentially poisoning the residents – this ‘Karen’ just wants a quick fix so that she can return to her Chardonnay.

Eric Edelstein (Green Room) is Linus the plumber, who discovers that the blockage is organic and has a taste for human skin. Suffice to say, because this is Creepshow, the bad get their comeuppance in a suitably gory manner, and it can’t be a spoiler to say that Crampton’s deliciously evil landlord won’t be exploiting her vulnerable tenants any more.

Less humorous is Within the Walls of Madness, influenced by H.P. Lovecraft’s At the Mountains of Madness. We begin at a US detention centre 72 hours after a containment breach at a military facility in the Transantarctic mountains. Drew Matthews is Zeller, the survivor of an attack by a demon discovered in the ice, which now released, can make its way through walls. The party was led by Professor Trollenberg (Denise Crosby, Pet Sematary), who unleashes one of the uncanny ‘Old Ones’.

There’s not a twist as such, rather the expected outcome of this sort of tale. It’s a heady mix of Stuart Gordon-style Lovecraftian trappings and popular horror tropes, anchored by a strong performance by the always-welcome Crosby.

Verdict: The winning formula of strong genre female leads and a throwback to late 20th Century horror films continues to hit the nostalgia button while also thrilling with contemporary TV sensibilities. 9/10

Nick Joy