Recap / Creepshow S 1 E 7 The Companion

Creep: And now, boils and ghouls, a real barn-burner of a tale about a boy's newfound, heh-heh, com-pain-ion! One that's sure not to die on the vine! Unless you're too much of a scaredy-crow, that is!

The Companion

Directed By: David Bruckner
Story By: Joe R. Lansdale, Kasey Lansdale, & Keith Lansdale
Written By: Matt Venne

In the summer of 1987, 13-year-old Harold (Logan Allan) fishes at a nearby creek. His friend Smitty (Dylan Gage) meets him there, and notices that Harold is bruised and beaten around the face. Harold admits that the injuries are the result of a scuffle between him and his abusive brother, Billy (Volitaire Colin Council), having accidentally dented the latter's car and running to the creek to hide from him. After inviting Harold to stay with him for a short while and leaving him some snacks, Smitty leaves. Harold then hears footsteps on the bridge above him, just before his bike is thrown from it. The culprit is Billy, having come to assault Harold some more.

Harold manages to escape, and runs through the woods to an abandoned farm. Harold soon discovers that the farm is protected by a grotesque scarecrow (Carey Jones) with a wooden cane in its chest. Hearing Billy approaching, Harold pulls the cane from the scarecrow's chest and runs. He manages to reach the farmhouse and lets himself inside. Something begins violently trying to open the door, but upon looking out the window, Harold sees Billy heading for home and the scarecrow missing from its post. Realizing that the straw golem has come to life, Harold tries to flee upstairs as it lets itself in. He ends up getting his foot caught in the rotting wood of the staircase, and it's during his struggle that the wood gives way, plunging Harold into the basement. Harold then discovers a cobweb-covered corpse with a shotgun in its hands and a massive hole in its head. A note on the ground near the corpse segues into a flashback as Harold picks it up and reads it.

In the flashback, it is revealed that the corpse is that of Brenner (Afemo Omilami), the original owner of the farm. Brenner narrates that Mavis, his wife of 40 years, had succumbed to an illness, and after being overwhelmed by his newfound loneliness, he worked to create the scarecrow to act as a companion. Brenner hypothesized that the materials he used to create it, including animals' bones found on his land and a crocheted heart Mavis had made him, combined with his own desires, had somehow brought the scarecrow to life. One day, Brenner watched the scarecrow murder a girl scout named Susie (Addison Hershey) who had wandered onto his property to sell cookies. Overwhelmed by the guilt, Brenner incapacitates the scarecrow by plunging his cane into its crocheted heart. He then goes to the basement, writes the note Harold will find, and kills himself with the shotgun.

Back in the present, Harold hears the scarecrow approaching and hides. The golem enters the basement and takes note of its creator's corpse, staring at it in an apparent state of contemplation. Harold emerges from his hiding spot and, after failing to shoot it with the unloaded gun, smacks the scarecrow in the face with it. He makes his way to the front door as the scarecrow grabs his leg with its root-like arms. The boy grabs Brenner's cane to block the golem's death blow, but this causes the scarecrow to back away and cower. Taking note of this turn of events, Harold stabs it in the heart. Inspired by the experience, Harold returns home and gets to work on a project.

Harold proceeds to wake Billy up, who realizes that he's been sewn into his bed. Harold also reveals that the scarecrow is behind him. Harold points at Billy with Brenner's cane, commanding the scarecrow to murder his brother. As the scarecrow does its duty, Harold glances out the window to observe the Creep staring back at him, enjoying the spectacle.

This episode contains examples of:

• Absurd Phobia: The only thing the scarecrow fears is Brenner's cane, which was used to stab it in the heart and render it inert. Harold manages to subdue the creature by using the cane to block its attacks, causing it to cower.
• Adults Are Useless: Harold and Billy's parents are never mentioned throughout the story. Given how horror stories written by or related to Stephen King work, it can be safe to say that they likely never notice the abuse that Billy inflicts on Harold, or they just turn a blind eye to it.
• Agony of the Feet: Smitty's grandmother, who the boy mentions is staying with him and his mother for a while, is noted to suffer from foot pain. Smitty warns Harold, should he decide to stay at his place for the night, that his grandma can be "a real bear" when the pain acts up.
• As You Know: Smitty and Harold's banter lets the audience know that the latter's relationship with his brother is overall... not good.
• Attack Its Weak Point: The scarecrow can be incapacitated by stabbing it in the heart, which has no defenses whatsoever.
• Bait-and-Switch: As Harold makes his way back home, he gets to work stitching something together. While it would seem like he's making his own animate scarecrow to attack Billy, it's ultimately revealed that he actually stitched Billy's sheets to his mattress to trap him in bed, then uses Brenner's cane to command the actual scarecrow, which he brought home, to murder his brother for him.
• Big Brother Bully: Billy, as detailed below.
• Blue-and-Orange Morality: The scarecrow demonstrates loyalty to the man who created it (extending to anyone wielding his cane), at the cost of violently killing anyone who isn't him.
• The Cameo: The Creep makes an appearance at the very end of the story, watching Harold get his revenge on his abusive brother.
• Chained to a Bed: To be more specific, sewn into a bed. Harold stitches Billy's sheets to his mattress to trap his brother in his own bed and leave him defenseless.
• Chekhov's Gun: Brenner's cane, which is the only thing that the scarecrow fears. Harold uses it to control the scarecrow's actions at the end of the story.
• Clap Your Hands If You Believe: Brenner theorizes that the scarecrow could have possibly come to life thanks to his desires for a friend.
• The Dog Bites Back: After narrowly escaping both Billy and the scarecrow, Harold traps Billy in his own bed. Now controlling the scarecrow through Brenner's cane, Harold commands it to murder his brother, which it does with extreme prejudice.
• Dramatic Drop: Brenner drops a mug of tea when he discovers the scarecrow having come to life, the golem demonstrating its loyalty to him by picking it up and giving it back to him.
• Driven to Suicide: After witnessing his creation murder an innocent girl scout, Brenner incapacitates it with his cane and shoots himself in the chin, overwhelmed by the guilt.
• Empty Chair Memorial: Brenner keeps the rocker where Mavis used to sit untouched as a tribute to his dearly departed wife. He later places the scarecrow in it to give the illusion of a friend, and the chair is where the scarecrow animates for the first time.
• Evil Is Hammy: Billy, Harold's brother. He has No Indoor Voice and takes absolute delight in relentlessly torturing his younger sibling.
• Evil Is Petty: Billy, already a relentless bully to Harold, is determined to beat him to an inch of his life simply because he put a dent in his car.
• Evil Sounds Deep: The scarecrow is heard making low-pitched rumbling noises as it pursues Harold.
• Failed a Spot Check: Susie, the doomed girl scout, very clearly overlooks the sign on Brenner's gate that reads "No Trespassing", and she doesn't notice the scarecrow following her movements until it's too late.
• Felony Misdemeanor: It's revealed that the reason Billy abused Harold before he ran to the creek is because he accidentally put a dent in his car. Even when Harold nervously assures his brother that he'll fix the dent, Billy still desires to pummel him so he can "collect what [he's] owed".
• Foreshadowing:
  • As he makes his way to the farmhouse, Harold runs past Mavis' grave and Susie's long forgotten box of cookies, both of which are expanded on in the flashback.
  • Smitty pulls out a couple copies of "Creepshow" with the same cover as Survivor Type, the first half of the animated special.
• Hates Being Alone: Brenner, after losing his beloved wife to an illness, is left feeling truly alone for the first time in 40 years. He built the scarecrow just to put an end to the pain that isolation had left on him.
• Hate Sink: Harold's brother, Billy. The abuse he inflicts on his sibling borders on assault, and the maniacal glee he expresses whenever he's going in for a beatdown certainly doesn't help.
• Ironic Echo: "I'm just collecting what I'm owed." Billy first says it when he moves in to pummel Harold. Harold throws it back to Billy when he unleashes the scarecrow on him.
• Logical Weakness: The scarecrow's heart, which is not given any protection whatsoever. Stabbing the heart incapacitates the creature.
• The Lost Lenore: Brenner's wife, Mavis.
• My God, What Have I Done?: Brenner has this reaction when he witnesses his creation killing Susie the girl scout. The guilt that overwhelms him has him end up Driven to Suicide.
• Mythology Gag:
  • Brenner meets his end the same way Jordy Verrill does.
  • Like "Father's Day", we are treated to a flashback set seven years in the past.
  • The marble ashtray from the above story can also be seen on Billy's nightstand.
  • Billy himself is likely named after the child protagonist of the film's wraparound. The irony is that this Billy is the abuser instead of the victim.
• No Name Given: Brenner's full name is never revealed in his flashback.
• Non-Malicious Monster: While the scarecrow is murderous and bloodthirsty towards people, it acts as a docile friend/servant of its creator. At the end of the story, we find out that this extends to anyone who holds his creator's cane.
• Noodle Incident: Harold admits that the abuse that Billy inflicts on him has caused him to run from home and spend the night at Smitty's at least once before. We're given no detail as to why exactly he ran that first time.
• Nothing Is Scarier: As Brenner himself states, it's never revealed how exactly the scarecrow came to life. He theorizes that it could've been anything from the bones he dug up to the heart that his late wife had made for him, or even his own wants and desires for company that willed it to life.
• Plucky Comic Relief: Smitty, whose few minutes of screentime provide the story's only comedic moments.
• Porn Stash: Smitty brings a collection of dirty magazines to the bridge where he meets Harold.
  Smitty: Well hello, Marissa. I've missed you.
• Pre-Mortem One-Liner: Harold spouts one as he attempts to shoot the scarecrow with Brenner's gun. The moment is killed when it's revealed the gun isn't loaded.
  Harold: Hey, Straw Dick! Eat crow!
• Resurrective Immortality: The scarecrow is apparently unable to permanently die. It can only be rendered inert as long as Brenner's cane is embedded in its heart. If the cane is removed, it springs back to life no worse for wear.
• Sackhead Slasher: The scarecrow has a burlap sack make up part of its head, with two holes in it for eyes.
• Scary Scarecrows: A particularly ghoulish one is the supernatural threat of the episode.
• Shout-Out:
  • Appropriately enough, Harold is named after Harold the Scarecrow from Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark.
  • A piece of the graffiti on the bridge in the opening scene reads "Jimmy is a dead fuck."
  • Smitty carries a Hell Fest lunchbox as he visits Harold at the bridge.
  • Billy has a bottle of Tenafly Viper and a miniature replica of the clock from The Amityville Horror (1979) on his nightstand.
  • The scarecrow's arms are two large and deadly masses of roots, similar to those of the titular monster of Little Otik.
• Story Within a Story: Brenner's flashback of how he created the scarecrow and killed himself.
• Threw My Bike on the Roof: Or rather, off a bridge, since Billy does this to Harold's bike when he finds him at the creek.
• Troubled Fetal Position. The scarecrow's reaction when Harold shows it the cane of its late creator is to back away from Harold and curl up in fear, since that cane is the one thing that can stop it and therefore the only thing it truly fears.
• We Hardly Knew Ye: Harold's friend Smitty appears for only a few minutes, and is mainly used to provide exposition.
• When Trees Attack: The scarecrow itself isn't a tree, but it has two large collections of tendril-like roots for arms, which it uses to kill in various ways.
• Workaholic: Brenner often spent long nights working to create the scarecrow. He mentions that all the busy work helped take his mind off of his newfound loneliness.
• Would Hurt a Child: The scarecrow brutally murders Susie, a girl scout who wandered onto Brenner's farm to sell cookies. The overwhelming guilt that Brenner feels afterward leads directly to him incapacitating his creation and killing himself.
  • Billy also actively abuses his little brother on a daily basis, but becomes determined to kill him after finding out he dented his car.

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