Film Spotlight: Creep (2014)
Director: Patrick Brice
Cast: Mark Duplass, Patrick Brice
Found footage
78 minutes
Rated R for brief violence and language
It’s pretty safe to say that most people enjoy watching movies, right? Still, no matter how big of a film buff you are, there might still be a film here or there that kind of slips through the cracks. This bi-weekly column will help you discover films that you may have missed. Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t one of those pretentious “FILMS THAT YOU’VE NEVER HEARD OF” series that just assumes that nobody but the author knows about certain films. Instead, this is a “if you missed this, you might want to look into it” kind of thing. From one film fan to another.
If you’re anything like me, when you read the name of this particular film, you also immediately started singing “I don’t care if it hurts, I wanna lose control.” After that, I thought “meh, could be interesting” and pressed the play button on Netflix with no real expectations.
A couple of weeks ago, I talked about the joy of watching a film knowing little about it going in. As with The One I Love (which triggers a certain R.E.M. song in my head), Creep was one of those going-in-blind experiences that ultimately led to a thoroughly unsettling evening.
Creep is a found-footage film in the vein of The Blair Witch Project and Paranormal Activity. The basic set-up is that a videographer named Aaron (Patrick Brice) answers a Craigslist ad to work for a complete stranger named Josef (Mark Duplass). Aaron goes to meet Josef in a cabin in the woods, where he finds out that Josef is terminally ill and may not live to see his unborn son grow up. Because of this, Josef wants to make a series of videos showing himself as he was before the illness ravages his body and mind – as the man his son may never get to meet. And then things start getting a little weird.
For those of you who read my piece on The One I Love, some of this is going to sound pretty familiar, because this is another film featuring Mark Duplass in a cabin in the woods with weird stuff going on. However, most of the similarities end there. Unlike The One I Love, which only dabbled in being unsettling, Creep fully lives up to its name. There are moments in this film that will stick with you long after you’ve watched it, and a lot of credit has to go to Mark Duplass for that, who once again gave an amazing performance. You’ve got to love a guy who is willing to sit naked in a bathtub while pantomiming how he would give his unborn son a bath. And that’s only from the beginning of the film. Duplass truly embraces his role, making Josef a riveting, mysterious, and even somewhat tragic character.
On the subject of performances, credit must also be given to Patrick Brice. Judging by all of the horror movies I’ve seen over the years, it can be surprisingly difficult for an actor to act convincingly scared. With that in mind, kudos has to be given to Brice for managing to pull off being, no pun intended, creeped out in such a believable fashion. On top of that, he’s the perfect straight man to Duplass’ eccentric Josef, and actually at times this even makes you feel bad for Josef, because he seems so socially awkward compared to the relatively normal Aaron.
At this point, I have to talk about Creep being a found-footage horror movie, because this is a genre that seems to turn off a lot of people. Part of the blame can be placed on the mind-boggling (though deserved) success of The Blair Witch Project, which made a ton of money off of a small budget. Since then, Hollywood studios have been milking the format for years, trying to maximize their profit using as little money as possible. However, not many realise that the format alone doesn’t make for a scary film.
For many viewers, one of the biggest issues they have with found footage movies is justifying why the footage even exists, or why does the camera-man continue to film despite being in life-threatening danger. Admittedly, there are perhaps a couple of these questionable moments in Creep as well, but for the most part the movie manages to not only justify the filming, but also distract you from the possible logic holes by having first and foremost, an interesting story. More importantly, Creep is a film that actually depends on its found-footage format, because it is what brings the characters together. Furthermore, the format continues to be justified throughout the film, including ending in a spine-tingling way that I won’t spoil.
Creep isn’t necessarily incredibly original in terms of its plot, but that’s not a disadvantage. Through the performances, the direction, and the general weirdness of the film, you’ll find yourself continuously wondering where it’s going to go next. Even if you think you have a pretty good idea of what’s to come, you’ll come to realize that you’re constantly second-guessing yourself. This is truly an example of a solid idea that has been elevated by the creative forces behind it, and there’s something to be said for such an apparently unassuming film managing to still have many truly unforgettable moments. There’s a bizarre scene featuring a certain character named Peachfuzz which is worth the price of admission alone, and it perfectly captures the overall atmosphere of the film in that one scene: it’s morbidly funny, kind of scary, and pretty damn awkward.