Review by Quin
So you’re tired of found footage horror movies, and that is totally understandable. It’s gotten to the point where the people making them must realize that they are totally unnecessary. Even making a parody of one seems moot. Maybe I’ve championed them long enough. I have always thought that it’s the perfect genre for truly terrifying stories. The presentation of reality is sure to be scary, but I’m starting to think that it’s gone as far as it can. That is until I saw Creep. It may not revolutionize the genre, but it definitely goes about the tired old formulas in a different way. Depending on your point of view, you might see it as a horror movie, you might see it as a comedy. Netflix has a comedy tag attached to it, but Amazon has it listed as Drama, Horror. Personally, I think it has the tone of a suspenseful stage play. It has a kind of intimacy, due to the fact that there are only two people in the movie (not counting the voice of a third character) and there are really only two locations. There are also two objects introduced near the beginning, that will be referenced a few times and should be paid close attention to. One of these objects almost became the title of the movie, but the producers found that it would be too confusing to viewers.
First of all, I want to explain the title the film almost had. It doesn’t give away anything and I think it makes you way more curious to see what this film is all about. The title that almost was is Peach Fuzz. The name refers to a werewolf mask that belongs to one of the characters. The other important object to watch for is an axe. When you see it, the camera stops right on it and the character takes notice. Come on, this is a horror movie. The axe doesn’t have a name (that would be ridiculous), but if they had indeed called the film Peach Fuzz, it would have fit right on the shelf with all of the other Mark Duplass movies, with those ironic, weird, mumble-core titles like The Puffy Chair and Hump Day. Creep just sounds like every other horror movie out there, and I don’t think it’s going to help this movie find its audience.
Creep begins with Aaron in his car while his camera rolls. He explains that he is on his way to a mountain location to meet with a guy named Josef. Josef has hired Aaron via Craigslist for a film shoot of some sort and he’ll make a thousand bucks. All Aaron knows he has to do is show up with his camera and stay for 8 hours. The ad also mentions that the person hired should use discretion. Aaron doesn’t appear to think this ad is at all creepy. Perhaps he’s even a little creepy for thinking it’s a good idea to do this.
When Aaron arrives, no one is at the house to meet him. This is when he notices an axe stuck in a tree stump. While he waits in his car and figures out what to do, we are introduced to Josef with a clever and effective jump scare. I almost decided to not give that away, but I watched the movie a second time and jumped even higher. Josef immediately seems like a friendly guy. His friendliness and poor sense of acceptable boundaries coupled with Aaron’s general easygoingness and slight touch of naïveté set up the dynamic between the two that will propel the story into suspense. I won’t give away why or what Josef is having Aaron film for him, but you might get a hint if I tell you that this might be the first found footage film to reference the 1993 film My Life starring Michael Keaton, which is like the quintessential Hollywood tearjerker and – for all intents and purposes – a found footage film.
Their film project starts out creepy almost immediately, then gets less weird and from then on goes back an forth. A few times during the day, Aaron decides he’s had enough and should probably go; but persuasive, charismatic and most likely sociopathic Josef keeps convincing him to stay, until things get real crazy when the whiskey and the werewolf mask come out.
There is so much more that comes after this that should have most people entertained and biting their nails, but hopefully I’ve said enough. Creep has weirdness and giggles, but the story will keep taking you in unexpected directions. Mark Duplass and Patrick Brice are so good together. They actually each have a Story By credit, but there doesn’t seem to be a script. Duplass has worked like this a lot and he’s the best at it. The improvisation while shooting seems to be somewhere between Larry David and Mike Leigh.
There is also a bit of good news for those of you who see this and like it – a sequel is definitely going to happen. I’m pretty sure I have an idea of where it might go, but there is no way I won’t see it. I’ve always thought Mark Duplass has a great combination of earnest sincerity and a used car salesman-like demeanor. It’s the perfect combo for possibly the first mumble-core horror villain in a series of sequels. We’ll see how the next one goes, but I certainly have high hopes. In the meantime, check Creep out.
Creep is available for digital download at iTunes or Amazon from The Orchard. It’s also streaming on Netflix in the US and the UK.