Terror On The Raft

What makes an ordinary lake feel more dangerous than the ocean? We sit down with actor Daniel Beer to unpack the cold, creeping terror of Creepshow 2’s “The Raft” and why that simple setup—four friends, one raft, and an intelligent slick on the water—still gets under the skin decades later. Daniel shares how he played calm against panic, approaching survival like a puzzle while the monster and the clock closed in. We dig into practical effects, shared memories of swimming out to rafts, and the way relatable settings intensify fear.

The conversation tackles the controversial mid-segment moment with clear eyes, looking at how 80s teen-comedy norms collided with horror and how shifting standards change the way we read characters today. Daniel argues the ending hits harder because morality is muddy—classic Creepshow justice that feels earned and unsettling at the same time. That theme opens a bigger window into the anthology’s world: no one is spotless, and consequences have teeth.

Then we turn the dial to Point Break and ride a different kind of adrenaline. Daniel recalls FBI prep, on-set dynamics with Keanu Reeves, and why Kathryn Bigelow’s craft turned high-concept action into a timeless classic. From grounded procedure to kinetic stunts, we connect the film’s staying power to tangible filmmaking—practical effects, real motion, and character stakes you can feel. You’ll also hear the backstory of a now-famous finger gag that slipped from a stakeout scene into pop culture folklore.

If Creepshow, practical effects, and action-thriller storytelling are your jam, this one’s for you. Hit play, rank your favorite Creepshow 2 segment in the comments, and if you enjoy the show, follow, share with a friend, and leave a quick review—it helps more horror and action fans find us.

Chapters

• 0:00 Raft Terror And Universal Lake Fears
• 2:20 Audience Poll On Favorite Segment
• 4:45 Preparing For The Raft Role
• 6:20 The Controversial Scene And 80s Tropes
• 10:30 Moral Gray Areas In Creepshow
• 10:58 Shift To Point Break Memories
• 12:15 Training, Set Life, And Legacy
• 13:32 The Origin Of The Iconic Finger Gag
• 15:20 Wrap Up And Thanks

Transcript

SPEAKER_02: 0:01

Awesome. Samfish the Fishbowl here at Living Dead Weekend 2024 with Daniel Beer. Thank you for taking the time to swim in the bowl with me.

SPEAKER_00: 0:12

You're welcome. Very clever. Swim in the bowl. I like that interview.

SPEAKER_02: 0:15

Thank you, thank you. First off, I just want to say that the raft segment is my absolute favorite in Creep Show 2.

SPEAKER_00: 0:24

How come?

SPEAKER_02: 0:27

It's it's interesting because my favorite segment in Creep Show 1 is the crate. And I think there's something about the raft and like how it was done and the concept and you know the the terror of being stranded and you know not knowing what to do. You know, you can't really sleep because this thing is this this this living like monster tar mass or what what whatever it whatever it is, you know, is is is trying to get you. And the sense of like fear and terror, especially when your character, you know, try like everyone's gone, tries to swim for the shore, and and it's like he gets away, so you think, and then like it just the mass ways, right, right, right, you know, and then and then the last part of the the last scene is you see the sign, you know, that says like do not enter, or or no, no swimming, right, no swimming, right.

SPEAKER_00: 1:36

I think uh Sam, what uh Stephen King did really and Michael uh uh Hornick, uh the director, is uh for those of us I'm from the Northeast, I take it you're from Pittsburgh?

SPEAKER_02: 1:48

Yes, yes, I'm local.

SPEAKER_00: 1:50

And I think for for everyone who didn't grow up along the beach, we all have the same experience of being on a lake or a big pond that's swimming out. There's rafts and there's things that's swimming out there.

SPEAKER_02: 2:04

Right, right.

SPEAKER_00: 2:04

And you don't have the ocean or some shark. So what can you come up with that's terrifying? Right. So everybody has that experience, and fans are they know good to me, and they've expressed it. That's exactly what that that touches on, you know? For all of the people that were landlocked.

SPEAKER_02: 2:27

Exactly, right, exactly, exactly. And and and in Pittsburgh, obviously, you're surrounded by rivers and you know lakes and stuff like that, so you know it really is is prominent and in this area, especially. And you know, the other stories were great, but I you know, the the wrath I think was like just I think it was the scariest segment in the creep show too. And I don't know, like the the story itself just stood out to me. And I actually went to school for screenwriting here in Pittsburgh at Point Park, and I own George Romero's desk.

SPEAKER_00: 3:10

That's a big beef. Uh Sam, is your podcast? Do you also put a do you have do you get comments? People comment on this podcast?

SPEAKER_02: 3:16

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 3:17

Okay, so um let's run a little, let's run a little survey. Uh which which segment, which story creep show two is is the best. So write your comments. Yeah. See, let's see what percentage of, let's see which one has the high highest percent, which one's the best. And don't think because I'm on your podcast in the raft, that you have to write your comment. Right, right. So just the audience listening right now. You have to be truthful.

SPEAKER_02: 3:46

I'll tell you something very interesting. When I did my second interview with Michael Bornick, and we did that remote, and we talked for about 45 minutes. When I posted that interview, the the picture that I posted was from your your segment. And I posted other you know scenes from the film on Instagram, and the one that got the most likes was the raft. Right, right. To each his own, to each his own, obviously.

SPEAKER_00: 4:24

I'll let you know the secret. I think that the raft gets the most vote.

SPEAKER_02: 4:29

Right, right. Right. And any any stories while filming?

SPEAKER_00: 4:35

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02: 4:37

Awesome.

SPEAKER_00: 4:38

Uh are you familiar with the arrow pre-release, the arrow video?

SPEAKER_02: 4:42

Yeah, I have it, I have it, yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 4:44

So you saw my interview on uh in everyone. Any specific thing, anything like that that you were curious about that you saw, that you always wanted to act video, that you didn't know.

SPEAKER_02: 4:55

What was like the prep for it?

SPEAKER_00: 4:59

You mean just as I as the actor by actor for you?

SPEAKER_02: 5:03

Yes, from an actor point of view.

SPEAKER_00: 5:08

I just I just remember not having anymore. And this is I did high right before this. And I think I did uh a guest on the TV show and I didn't this is the first time I went away from um, it was nothing to prep, it was gonna come, you know, you know um young scientists.

SPEAKER_02: 5:34

Right, right.

SPEAKER_00: 5:37

Um, I just know when I get it this is a nightmare that I can't get out of. And I have a notice on problem solving. Right. Nobody else knows what's going on, but how you do it.

SPEAKER_02: 5:52

Right, right.

SPEAKER_00: 5:53

And I one of my intents as an actor was I can't get my friends panic. I can't panic.

SPEAKER_02: 6:02

Right.

SPEAKER_00: 6:04

And that does that come true when you watch it?

SPEAKER_02: 6:06

Oh yeah, definitely. Definitely. You like you're the one that basically like almost has control or the the most control.

SPEAKER_00: 6:17

I see words that be severe. Right. And I don't know, and I'm trying to figure out how to get out of it, and I can't panic every day.

SPEAKER_02: 6:24

Right, right.

SPEAKER_00: 6:25

They they panic.

SPEAKER_02: 6:26

Exactly. And the the scene where the the the last girl, you know, you're you you you you fell asleep and you wake up and you know you that's a controversial scene. Right.

SPEAKER_00: 6:39

They the the the sex scene is a controversial scene.

SPEAKER_02: 6:44

Right.

SPEAKER_00: 6:45

And I kind of discussed the interview and uh uh two things on that. Like at that time period, movies had to be sex scenes. If you see there's a lot of movies.

SPEAKER_02: 6:56

Oh yeah, the 80s were eight of the seventies. Yeah, even the seventies. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 7:01

And they started to go away from that, and that was uh form distribution.

SPEAKER_02: 7:07

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 7:07

Yeah, I I did other, I've done other luck scenes in France, and literally have a love scene for some kind of scene. Right. And they're just uncomfortable by default. Um there's nothing there's nothing touching that for the scene. Right at all. Like I remember doing that scene. Michael's like, okay, kick here, kiss here, look here, turn here. Um and then the other thing is if that scene wasn't in the movie, the ending would have worked as well a few times. Right. It's kind of like forgotten was coming to them. And my character was uh not really the good guy.

SPEAKER_02: 7:44

It's very complicated.

SPEAKER_01: 7:45

Well, it's it's kind of like Am I wrong about that? In the ending?

SPEAKER_02: 7:52

I think I think you are right about that because it's kinda like the the roles of like slasher films of of the 80s. You know, if if if if you if you have sex, if you drink, if you do drugs, you die.

SPEAKER_00: 8:09

Right, and this was obviously it's you know can be considered sexual uh assault. Right. Right. Soft standards. You know what I mean? Yeah. Although I do when she wakes up, I stop. Right. You know, and it's probably something that teenage boys you know what I mean? Right.

SPEAKER_02: 8:28

But there was even that a ton of comedies, like is it in all those films? Porkies, exactly, exactly. And even at the remake of the blob, the 80s blob, there's a character where in in today's standards it would be basically looked at as like date rate.

SPEAKER_00: 8:44

Rush.

SPEAKER_02: 8:45

And he obviously he dies.

SPEAKER_00: 8:47

Right in what they call the dunkier trying to cop a feel.

SPEAKER_02: 8:50

Right, exactly. Exactly. Yeah, you know, that's no no no not not at all.

SPEAKER_00: 8:55

You're talking about 15 trillion expectations.

SPEAKER_02: 8:58

Yes, exactly, exactly. I mean, listen, there were different time periods, you know, different things were accepted and different things were and also you can make a movie about it now and you're trying to show that that exists, like you said.

SPEAKER_00: 9:10

Right, right, exactly. But I still think the ending works better because of that.

SPEAKER_02: 9:17

I I would agree with that.

SPEAKER_00: 9:18

And I mean, think about it if I was just, you know, innocent guy and then getting killed, people would walk away and go like, oh shoot, we couldn't have killed. Now they're kind of walking away, like, well, oh, he's gotta come again. Yeah. Because if one of the things is kind of about who shooters.

SPEAKER_02: 9:33

Right, right. Right. And then and then exactly, exactly. And you know, one of the points of of that that I've noticed with both Creep Show 1 and Creep Show 2 is that the point of the stories is that no one is innocent, and everyone kind of has like a dark side, and they all kind of don't vote human beings have uh that that's it's human nature, you know, and when you tap into that, it's like they all end on kind of like a bad note. You know, it's it's a it's a just note, but also like a bad note.

SPEAKER_00: 10:15

Like, like, you know, I think they do in another movie too. They do, they do, yeah. Yeah, exactly. Exactly. And right, right.

SPEAKER_02: 10:25

And and one of my favorite things about Creep Show 1 and Creep Show 2 is the fact that like, you know, they they ended a bad note. Yes, point break. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Let's let's. We could switching from creep show two to point blank. Point break, point break. I they've actually just been playing that on uh I think it's showtime.

SPEAKER_00: 10:47

Yeah, you can tell time.

SPEAKER_02: 10:49

Yes, showtime. Showtime.

SPEAKER_00: 10:55

Right.

SPEAKER_02: 10:56

Daniel Beer is in Point Break, and that is what the first one, right. The good one, yes, the Keanu Reeves, Patrick Swayze classic. What was it like working on that film? I mean, I I've just been re-watching it and I'm like blown away by the the the whole time.

SPEAKER_00: 11:16

I mean the the first Stream Sports film. Right. I think it's like on a list, it's one of the top action films.

SPEAKER_02: 11:24

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 11:25

And you know, for the character. See, that was cool. He's like to learn a little bit about FBI stuff. That's what I'm saying, like preparing and stuff.

SPEAKER_02: 11:37

Right, right. You know, you know what I mean?

SPEAKER_00: 11:38

Yeah, how to do stuff, yeah, which is which is fun. Um but that was um I mean it was so like Kiya is a sweetheart, and it's fun to get to know him. Um and again, you know, Sam, when you make a film where you do something, you really have no idea what's happening.

SPEAKER_02: 11:57

Right.

SPEAKER_00: 11:58

And it's wonderful that you like both those movies, that your audience likes, you know, it's kind of a drama to look for. And the creature too, it's uh stands up at the time. I've talked to those grandfather. Everybody involved is here about it. I mean, you know, isn't it isn't it just so cool that it's a lot of people.

SPEAKER_02: 12:21

Right, right. There's a lot a lot of I'm a I'm a big like 80s horror movie aficionado, and there's so much from that era that yes, one of the heydays, the the best time for practical effects, and some of the most innovative stuff. Uh that's me. That's me. I'm I'm a fan of practical effects, models, you know, actually seeing shit get blown up. Let me know if you have to stop at any time.

SPEAKER_01: 13:01

Okay.

SPEAKER_02: 13:03

Sure, sure. Point Point Break is is I mean, it's it's it's such a like flawless film. You know, there's so many like different parts. It's one of the inspirations for me. Uh like as a screenwriter who went to school for screenwriting, I like to write like crossing genres, like mixing horror and action and crime, like all in like one thing, and point point break is just it's it's it's an awesome film. Yeah. Do you have any other stories from that film?

SPEAKER_00: 13:39

Or oh, you know the scene it's in the TV version, some version it's not in there, but there's a scene where my middle finger points up. Right, right. So um I know I I've done a little research about that. He said it was done in Waynesville, but Waynesville was after. Right. So I'm going to take credit until somebody proves me wrong. I was the first person ever to do that on a film. And somebody told me I didn't see the movie. It was a Chris Pratt movie that came out years ago, some some you know, superhero movie, whatever, that he did that in that film too.

SPEAKER_02: 14:19

Interesting.

SPEAKER_00: 14:19

And then I've had people, somebody would do it in a fan of the movie, I'm like, why are they doing that to me? And then like, oh my god, dude, we saw that in point, and then we said we do it, you know, to each other and stuff. And that comes from you inside of, I think I've publicly, I think I've spoken public before. So we used to do that to each other in in high school. Okay. So in that stakeout scene, um, I think it's the ghetto and they walk away. So I did that, and Captain Bigel came up and said, Daniel, what are you doing with your hand? I said, Oh, something we did in school, and this, you know, I kind of explained it to her. And what it's called taking away. It directly like takes something away from you. Right. And I said, Oh, she's gonna take it away, which is fine if she didn't. Right. So she said, Daniel, what are you doing? And I explained it to her, and she really paused and was thinking about it. And then she just said, Oh, okay, leave it at it's become a classic. Right, right. And it's popped up in other places. You know, someone said, Oh, you took that from Windsor, and I was like, Windsville came out after it. Right, right. Yeah. Somebody can find it before I did it at Fortnite. Be my guest. But we all did that to each other.

SPEAKER_02: 15:46

Awesome, awesome. That's a great story. Yeah, that's a good one. That's a very good one, yeah. Awesome. Well, I think that I'm out of questions for right now. I think uh thank thank you so much for taking the time. Absolutely. Absolutely, thank you so much. Daniel beer, everyone. Awesome.