Film Review: Creep
Now That You're Here, Why Don't You Stay A While
A Happy Halloween to one and all, and what a happy period it is indeed, particularly for those who are fortunate to partake in the ritual of candy retrieval, toilet paper hurling, and silly string dispensing. For the rest of us peasants, we would have to make do with our choice of horror films to watch on this most hallowed of days, and it is indeed on this day that such offerings see their effects augmented. My modest selection for the night of moon baying and witch cackling would be a little-found footage film by the name of Creep.
To my eyes, the found footage genre had come along to do something quite groundbreaking, and that was to remove the subtle safety net that lay at the base of all horror offerings. Indeed, there always lay a comfort in the underlying fact that much of the horror that we witnessed on the screen was still not real, regardless of the sophisticated production techniques. "It isn't real," became a Buddhist mantra chanted by frightened children at night after an evening viewing of guts and gore, hoping that the sun would rise a little earlier than usual.
As such, the found footage genre attempted to blur the lines between fiction and fact a little further by using camera techniques that hit audiences with a haunting familiarity and relatability. But the success of such films as The Blair Witch Project and Paranormal Activity, to name a few, resulted in the reproduction of so many similar titles, that our safety blanket was slowly returned to us, albeit in a slightly battered condition. Enter Creep, a film I felt attempted to attack our sense of comfort by reminding us of the fiendish desires lying behind that digital veil that we call the internet. I think the mood has been set enough to now finally jump into what all the fuss is about if there was indeed any fuss to begin with.
A young man named Aaron travels out into the middle of nowhere (of course) to answer an online advert that offers anyone 1000 dollars to perform filming services. Aaron goes on to meet Joseph aka your friendly neighborhood creep, with emphasis on the friendly element. Joseph appears like your average Joe for the most part, excited for the project ahead and beaming at the opportunity to take a journey with his new cameraman, Aaron. Joseph claims to have a brain tumor that will cause him to expire in a matter of months, and as such, he requests assistance from Aaron to record a video diary for his unborn son.
I think readers can guess where this is all going. Aaron humors the clear excentricities of Joseph due in equal parts to their informal employment contract and Aaron's desire to be polite to the wishes of a person he perceives to be attempting profundity in his last days. Dying wishes and unborn children aside, Joseph's behavior and requests slowly chip at the comfort levels of Aaron like an Axe hammering away at a tree, and Joseph's antics lead to the unsettling realization that this particular partnership is becoming more unhealthy by the hour.
The Adventures of Peachfuzz
Creep for me is to this generation of film viewers what Jim Carey's The Cable Guy was to mine. The parallels are quite accurate too, and it wouldn't surprise me if the aforementioned dark comedy inspired the filmmaker to some degree or another. Regardless, Joesph is similar to Carey's character in that both are pathological liars entirely incapable of maintaining healthy relationships while engaging others with magnetic and charismatic personalities so common in psychopaths.
What Creep does so well is to take simple interactions and unassuming events and make them...creepy. Joseph was perfectly cast, and his annoyingly friendly disposition is perfectly contrasted with brief flashes of severity and darkness. Honestly, the only way they could've made this guy any creepier is if they gave him a ponytail and a pair of glasses to remove dramatically towards the end.
Creep is a film that perfectly captures the spirit of more is less, and at only an hour and twenty minutes, it captures a great deal without having to drag things along. There is a healthy number of jumpscares to keep the heart on its toes, and like many found footage films, the movement of the camera makes for a tense atmosphere that leaves viewers with a decreased sense of control. I enjoyed Creep and its ability to surprise, scare, and intrigue, and it remains truly amazing what one can do with a little selective lighting and a creepy wolf mask.
If found footage offerings of demonic possession, haunted houses, and bizarre animals are no longer cutting the mustard for all the would-be horror aficionados out there, then you would do well to go back and catch this little gem. You won't regret it...or perhaps better still, you will.