Bad Wolf Down/The Finger
- Episode aired Oct 3, 2019
- TV-MA
- 44m
IMDb RATING
6.8/10
1.6K
YOUR RATING
A platoon of desperate American soldiers turn to an unlikely solution when trapped by Nazis; A lonely man finds a strange finger that seems to be growing.A platoon of desperate American soldiers turn to an unlikely solution when trapped by Nazis; A lonely man finds a strange finger that seems to be growing.A platoon of desperate American soldiers turn to an unlikely solution when trapped by Nazis; A lonely man finds a strange finger that seems to be growing.
- Directors
- Writers
- Stars
David A MacDonald
- Captain Talby
- (segment "Bad Wolf Down")
- (as Dave MacDonald)
Callan Wilson
- Pvt. Rivers
- (segment "Bad Wolf Down")
Kid Cudi
- Doc Kessler
- (segment "Bad Wolf Down")
- (as Scott Mescudi)
Nelson Bonilla
- Sgt. Quist
- (segment "Bad Wolf Down")
Jeffrey Combs
- Reinhard
- (segment "Bad Wolf Down")
Kate Freund
- Woman in White
- (segment "Bad Wolf Down")
DJ Qualls
- Clark Wilson
- (segment "The Finger")
Antwan Mills
- Detective Moseley
- (segment "The Finger")
Jake Garber
- Truck Driver
- (segment "The Finger")
Gino Crognale
- Detective Walsh
- (segment "The Finger")
Nathan W. Collins
- German Soldier
- (uncredited)
Mistie Gibby
- Samantha
- (segment "The Finger")
- (uncredited)
Dwight Tolar
- German Soldier
- (segment "Bad Wolf Down")
- (uncredited)
- Directors
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
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Featured reviews
Rating is for "The Finger"
Bad Wolf Down is a juvenile mess. Bad plot, dab script, bad acting, bad sets. Forget Bad Wolf Down.
The 9 out of 10 is for The Finger and the theatrical rendition DJ Qualls gives, within the limits of the simple plot Creepshow gives us. It's funny, campy, cute, delves into the psyche of a self-described "loser" and how he finds an escape from the untenable situation he finds himself in after his wife leaves him. Makes you think at the end whether or not his (spoilers) was just in his mind after all.
The Tales from the Crypt tv show from the nineties is a tour-de-force of/plot/script/casting for the most part. Hopefully the rest of this defunct EC Comics themed series can at least stand in its shadow.
The 9 out of 10 is for The Finger and the theatrical rendition DJ Qualls gives, within the limits of the simple plot Creepshow gives us. It's funny, campy, cute, delves into the psyche of a self-described "loser" and how he finds an escape from the untenable situation he finds himself in after his wife leaves him. Makes you think at the end whether or not his (spoilers) was just in his mind after all.
The Tales from the Crypt tv show from the nineties is a tour-de-force of/plot/script/casting for the most part. Hopefully the rest of this defunct EC Comics themed series can at least stand in its shadow.
Wartime Horror Meets Body Terror 🐺💀
This dual-segment offering delivers classic horror anthology thrills with a satisfying blend of period atmosphere and grotesque practical effects that would make Tom Savini proud. The first tale plunges viewers into the muddy trenches of World War II, where cinematographer Daryn Okada crafts a genuinely immersive wartime hellscape through desaturated palettes and claustrophobic framing. The werewolf reveal feels earned rather than cheap, building tension through shadows and suggestion before unleashing surprisingly effective creature work.
Jeffrey Combs anchors the supernatural segment with his trademark intensity, bringing gravitas to what could have been B-movie schlock. His commanding presence elevates the material, particularly during the story's more exposition-heavy moments. The practical makeup effects deserve special mention - the transformation sequences avoid digital shortcuts in favor of tactile, visceral imagery that recalls the anthology's EC Comics roots.
The second segment shifts gears entirely, embracing body horror with gleeful abandon. DJ Qualls delivers an unexpectedly nuanced performance as a down-on-his-luck protagonist whose discovery of a severed finger leads to increasingly bizarre circumstances. The episode's strength lies in its commitment to practical effects over CGI wizardry, creating genuinely unsettling imagery through old-school craftsmanship.
Both stories benefit from tight pacing that respects the anthology format's constraints while building genuine atmosphere. The production design authentically recreates each story's distinct setting, from war-torn Europe to contemporary urban decay. While neither segment reaches the heights of the original series' most memorable entries, both demonstrate solid understanding of what makes anthology horror effective.
The episode succeeds by embracing its pulp origins without descending into parody. These are stories told with conviction and crafted with care, featuring committed performances and impressive technical work that honors the source material's legacy while establishing its own identity.
Jeffrey Combs anchors the supernatural segment with his trademark intensity, bringing gravitas to what could have been B-movie schlock. His commanding presence elevates the material, particularly during the story's more exposition-heavy moments. The practical makeup effects deserve special mention - the transformation sequences avoid digital shortcuts in favor of tactile, visceral imagery that recalls the anthology's EC Comics roots.
The second segment shifts gears entirely, embracing body horror with gleeful abandon. DJ Qualls delivers an unexpectedly nuanced performance as a down-on-his-luck protagonist whose discovery of a severed finger leads to increasingly bizarre circumstances. The episode's strength lies in its commitment to practical effects over CGI wizardry, creating genuinely unsettling imagery through old-school craftsmanship.
Both stories benefit from tight pacing that respects the anthology format's constraints while building genuine atmosphere. The production design authentically recreates each story's distinct setting, from war-torn Europe to contemporary urban decay. While neither segment reaches the heights of the original series' most memorable entries, both demonstrate solid understanding of what makes anthology horror effective.
The episode succeeds by embracing its pulp origins without descending into parody. These are stories told with conviction and crafted with care, featuring committed performances and impressive technical work that honors the source material's legacy while establishing its own identity.
Seven fingers out of 10.
'Bad Wolf Down'. Written and directed by Rob Schrab. During WWII, a platoon of American soldiers is forced to hide from German forces inside an abandoned police station. There, they find badly mangled bodies and a distraught French woman (Kate Freund) with a deadly secret. Once they find out what her story is, they decide to use it to their advantage in order to escape the German soldiers who are closing in. Other than a typically fun performance from genre stalwart Jeffrey Combs (as a vengeance-crazed Nazi officer), this basically amounts to pretty goofy nonsense: watchable enough, but terminally silly. The gore is fine, and this viewer didn't mind the look of the werewolves too much. Most of the acting is not-so-hot, especially from a Jerk soldier named Quist (Nelson Bonilla); the name, of course, is a reference to "The Howling".
Things pick up a bit in the macabre but endearing "Man and his Highly Unusual 'Pet'" yarn 'The Finger'. Written by David J. Schow, and directed by series creator Greg Nicotero, this has a lonely but sympathetic loser, Clark Wilson (DJ Qualls) finding a severed finger during his walking tours of L.A. (The guys' main character trait is that he likes to pocket things that other people have discarded.) The finger soon grows into a full-sized creature, admittedly kind of a variation on the Xenomorphs in the "Alien" franchise, but not a full-blown imitation. Clark dubs the creature "Bob", and finds that Bob constantly displays a real loyalty to his master, nastily dispatching anyone with the capacity to cause Clark misery. (Even a debt collector!) The appealing relationship between Clark & Bob makes this an entertaining enough story to watch (Bob loves popcorn and watching soap operas), and there is more than enough splatter to keep some horror fans happy. Qualls delivers a very engaging performance, although this viewer could have done with a little less of that popular "lead character talks directly to the audience" device. The dialogue actually manages to reference "Midnight Run"!
All through the episode, there is some truly wonderful comic book art; those responsible truly need to take a bow.
Seven out of 10.
Things pick up a bit in the macabre but endearing "Man and his Highly Unusual 'Pet'" yarn 'The Finger'. Written by David J. Schow, and directed by series creator Greg Nicotero, this has a lonely but sympathetic loser, Clark Wilson (DJ Qualls) finding a severed finger during his walking tours of L.A. (The guys' main character trait is that he likes to pocket things that other people have discarded.) The finger soon grows into a full-sized creature, admittedly kind of a variation on the Xenomorphs in the "Alien" franchise, but not a full-blown imitation. Clark dubs the creature "Bob", and finds that Bob constantly displays a real loyalty to his master, nastily dispatching anyone with the capacity to cause Clark misery. (Even a debt collector!) The appealing relationship between Clark & Bob makes this an entertaining enough story to watch (Bob loves popcorn and watching soap operas), and there is more than enough splatter to keep some horror fans happy. Qualls delivers a very engaging performance, although this viewer could have done with a little less of that popular "lead character talks directly to the audience" device. The dialogue actually manages to reference "Midnight Run"!
All through the episode, there is some truly wonderful comic book art; those responsible truly need to take a bow.
Seven out of 10.
Dog soldiers shortened
Bad wolf good episode but so much like a cropped version of the amazing British horror dog soldiers.
10\10 for effort
Bad wolf down had a good start and story line but was let dow by the poor cgi of the wolf men.
The finger was outstanding, loved the story line and BOB ofcourse!
For me the second half redeemed itself and helped me still give it a top score as i really enjoyed the episode as a whole.
The finger was outstanding, loved the story line and BOB ofcourse!
For me the second half redeemed itself and helped me still give it a top score as i really enjoyed the episode as a whole.
Did you know
- TriviaJake Garber, who plays a truck driver in the segment "The Finger", was also a key makeup artist for the episode.
- GoofsThe US military was segregated until 1948, and it took another 5 years to integrate most (not all) of the armed forces, so there wouldn't have been a black soldier in the company.
(Random fact: Special training videos were made to prepare American soldiers for fighting in Europe, where they would be expected to interact with black people; as equals.)
- ConnectionsReferenced in Harmontown: You Have Ten Seconds to Comply (2019)
Details
- Runtime
- 44m
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.78 : 1
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