WonderCon 2021: Creepshow's Greg Nicotero on riding the Season 2 'bronco like a champ'

Greg Nicotero is no stranger to horror, particularly the Creepshow franchise. The 58-year-old producer and director came on as a makeup artist for the film Creepshow 2 in 1987. Now, he’s serving as the showrunner for Shudder’s anthology series.

Ahead of the series’ return next week for Season 2, Nicotero held a virtual panel during WonderCon 2021 to express his gratitude for the show's audience, and reflect how the first season helped development of the new one.

Check out the full interview in the video below...

“Season 1 was holding on for dear life,” Nicotero said. “Season 2, I rode that bronco like a champ...Creepshow has improved exponentially from what I learned from Season 1.”

Among the lessons learned from Season 1 was how to film a single episode over six days. Each episode, around 45 minutes, has two segments that each have their own cast, director, and writer. Filming each segment took three and a half days, and that meant they were “creating a new universe” every few days.

The growing pains from Season 1 helped Nicotero learn how to develop the set and maximize time. “I brought the entirety of the same crew from Season 1,” Nicotero noted. And to him, that’s a sign that everyone had fun working on the show. 

Looking to the future, Nicotero is optimistic that Season 2 and the in-development Season 3 will be fun and entertaining. More than the social relevance they’ll provide — which “all good horror has” — he wants viewers to be as entertained as he is. The horror veteran had no problem hyping up homages to The Andromeda Strain and H.P. Lovecraft, along with what he promises is the "ultimate George Romero tribute episode."

Another upcoming episode of the second season is called “Public Television of the Dead,” which stars Ted Raimi. It’s both an homage to the Evil Dead franchise, and also a thank you to Ted and his brother, Sam, who influenced and hired Nicotero. “I had an absolute blast shooting that episode,” he said. “I can’t wait for Sam to see it.”

One episode that Nicotero’s quite proud of features a segment called “Dead & Breakfast,” featuring Ali Larter and C. Thomas Howell. It's one of many original pitches he's received, which he joked can be a little daunting. In addition to writers, even actors like Justin Long and Greg Grunberg have pitched ideas. There’s a lot, so much that he's had to tell writers to hold off on pitching, but he’s grateful. 

If there’s a word that sums up the entire WonderCon panel, it’d be grateful. Nicotero had nothing but praise for the fans who got the show two extra seasons, and the cast and crew who helped make the show a hit.

The second season of AMC’s Creepshow premieres April 1 on Shudder. Stay tuned to SYFY WIRE for more coverage of Wondercon 2021.