Creep

My Grade:  A-

Found footage films are all too common in today’s horror film landscape. It seems like every wanna-be filmmaker starts off with a found footage horror that is supposed to scare the pants off of you. They can’t all be The Blair Witch Project or the Paranormal Activity films, though. It’s not often that something new and interesting is done with this overused horror trope. Creep breaks that cliche mold, though. 

Creep follows Aaron (played by writer/director Patrick Brice) a freelance videographer as he takes a one-day gig in a remote mountain community. His client, Josef (Mark Duplass in a stunning departure from his usual roles) wants to make a video diary of sorts for his unborn son because he is terminally ill and may not live to see the birth of his son. It has all the makings of a quirky, feel-good dramedy but, as you might expect, everything isn’t as it seems. Things get weird, awkward, dark, and down right terrifying. 

The thing about Creep is that it’s not all in when it comes to the horror genre. It plays out more like a slow burn thriller with some decent twists and turns and a top-notch payoff. But it does offer some solid scares along the way. As with any found footage film, the first person point of view is immersive and adds tension by mostly only letting the audience see what Aaron sees. Brice uses this format very well to keep his audience on the edge of their seats. 

This film would be nothing without the outstanding performance by the titular creep:  Mark Duplass. Duplass usually plays the quirky, good looking, goofball friend or the unexpected love interest. He is most well known as Pete in the FX comedy “The League.” That makes his performance in Creep all the more impressive because it’s a far cry from his usual roles. It’s refreshing to see him being, dare I say it... creepy.

The writing is also very good. The dialogue is so natural between Aaron and Josef that I would be willing to bet that a good bit of it is ad-libbed. But, there are so many set-ups and payoffs it’s ridiculous - and very rewarding for the viewer who has paid attention. Things get brought up almost as a joke that foreshadow something later that isn’t so funny. However, the script is surprisingly funny in that awkward comedy kind of way.

The biggest issue I have with Creep is that we learn very little about our videographer Aaron. Other than a few anecdotes about his life, there isn’t much of a character there. So, when he is in danger, I don’t worry as much as I should for him. Simply putting me in his shoes by showing me everything through his camera lens doesn’t make me root for him any more. I root for him because I’ve seen enough movies to know I’m supposed to, not because I know enough about him to empathize with him or really care about his well-being.

Overall, Creep is a stand out in the over-populated found footage genre. It’s even a stand out in the horror/thriller genre due to strong writing, natural dialogue, a solid build up of intensity, and (most of all) a stellar performance from Mark Duplass. This film just hit Netflix so I would highly recommend adding it to your list. Its taut 82 minute run time flies by and is well worth a watch.