my thoughts on.... 'Creep' (2014) (an original Creepercast site review)

I'm going to make this review short and sweet, just like 'Creep'.
Found footage is dead.

I say they're wrong. I've been a believer and a supporter of this low budget genre since I first laid eyes on 'The Blair Witch Project' way back in 1999. It's cheap, effective and can allow anyone with a good idea, the ability to become a film maker. It gives you a gateway into a reality that is far more accessible than a 3D epic in IMAX. It's like real life, but scripted. I won't say that they're all gold plated balls of amazing. There are more examples of the bad ones than the good ones. It's also become an easy way for Hollywood to milk a franchise with a cheap product that is guaranteed to make a profit. I think all of those factors has turned it into the scapegoat for all that's wrong with horror and made it very unpopular to admit you like the genre. Too bad box office numbers say you're lying. With all that being said, along comes a little sleeper with a star in it. Something that sneaks up behind you with a werewolf mask on and pins you in a corner. A little film like 2014's 'Creep', starring Mark Duplass.

Who's Mark Duplass, you ask?
He's primarily known as a comedic actor, but here we see him take a very different turn and tone. He's also the co-author of the screenplay. Here.... he's a true creep. His counterpart in this film is Patrick Brice. A man's who's mostly known as a director/writer, but he's having the tables turned on him. He's still behind the camera directing, but he's also thrust out into the limelight and turned into the star. Both men are very believable in their roles and even though they're carrying the entire weight of the film, it feels like there is so much more going on that you never even notice it's just the two of them. I found myself engrossed in the story line within the first 5 minutes and just kept falling further and further down the creepy hole until the VERY subtly, satisfying finale. It's the biggest problem with horror today, the ending never lives up to the first 2 acts. In 'Creep', it paid off in spades. Granted, I would argue that the last 5 minutes isn't necessary, but at the same time.... it gave a nice closure to the story brought everything full circle in a way.

'Creep' tells the story Aaron, a man with a camera, who's on his way up to a remote cabin in the mountains to connect with a man he's never met before. To spend an entire day filming him and to become a paid voyeur. Josef is an affable man who's asked to have someone spend the entire day with him and document whatever he needs them to. In exchange, he promises money and a life changing experience. When the two men meet, you can feel the tension of when strangers first become forced friends. And when Josef hugs Aaron for the first time, you could literally taste the awkwardness of the scene. They both have the desire to trust one another, but there's a constant hum of something just beneath the surface. You don't know what it is or what's going to happen.... all you know is that it's there and you can feel it deep down inside your bones. As the day slowly moves along, Josef is obviously a bit of an odd duck, but harmless enough. Maybe a bit to overbearing and hugs too much, but seems to have his heart in the right place. Aaron does his best to go along with everything that's happening around him, even though you can tell that he's fighting the urge to just run away. Eventually, a bond forms and the two men start to become friends. Then the cracks start to show. From here on out.... I won't tell you what happens. If I did, it would spoil everything the film establishes in the beginning. This is one of the films that you should stay away from reviews and just watch it, sight unseen. I've maybe said too much as it is!

It's not often enough that a film comes along that surprises you. I've been lucky enough to have a few of them in the past couple of months. 'Creep' was one of them. I wish I could explain the last 30 minutes in great detail and why it turns into something so incredibly realistic and terrifying, but almost absurdest all at the same time. Mark Duplass turns in a tour de force performance, that proves he's got chops for anything you throw at him. I was genuinely creeped out by him. I also just said, “tour de force”. Patrick Brice is perfect in his role and allows you, the viewer, to immerse yourself into the full experience and world he's created. Patrick and Mark wrote and directed and starred in something that can only be described as 'straight forward simple scary stuff'. It proves that you don't need a big budget or giant cast, to make a great story. A very healthy, 4 out of 5 stars

If you like 'Creep', check out: 'The Poughkeepsie Tapes', 'Evil Things' and/or 'Home Movie'