CREEP is an indie found footage horror film released in 2014 directed by Patrick Brice.
This movie is a huge favorite of mine. It's goofy at times, and incredibly uncomfortable to watch in others. I found this film while browsing my parent's streaming services (not mine though. I refuse to purchase them) earlier in 2022! I'm a sucker for indie horror, since most mainstream horror movies are either incredibly watered down, or worse, filled with incredibly cheap horror (see: jumpscares, etc), CREEP was a whiff of fresh air for me.
The text below contains spoilers for the CREEP and CREEP 2 Movies!
CREEP and it's sequel CREEP 2 are one of the only well made 'found footage' films. Most other ones bore me to death or are about as predictable as you can be. One of the most famous out of this genre is the Blair Witch Project (a film I particularly didn't enjoy- I felt that it was quite boring.), was a hit with mainstream audiences for a number of reasons, and was regarded as a terrifying film for many reasons. CREEP is a bit different in my eyes- I feel like it was created for the people who are already quite into the horror genre since it doesn't rely on the more 'mainstream' tropes and it's a more 'low key' type of movie which I enjoy.
The quiet horror of the film initially drew me into the films, with the more natural deliveries throughout the first movie, especially from the 'antagonist' of the movie Josef.
Josef is a facinating character throughout the two movies. His behavior towards Aaron was quite interesting to watch, and on the same side of the coin, incredibly uncomfortable. I felt drawn in with his wolf analogies throughout the film, especially in the 'climax' of the film when he sent Aaron the wolf plush + tape in the box. He has so many problems like genuinely he needs to be put in a tupperware
While I do sing the praises of this film, it is not perfect. I think the film would have worked quite better if it kept Josef's true intentions a bit more secret, and perhaps in a way that makes the audience truly believe that he's normal and not weird. I quite liked the actor who played Josef (Mark Duplass)'s performance, and I think he got the vibe of Josef perfectly.
The scene where Josef meets Aaron by the lake was one of the best of the film. The silence while Aaron was facing the lake as Josef quietly walks up behind him is powerful. I like to think of this scene as Aaron truly beliving that Josef was a good person and trusting him enough to turn his back on him while he waits.
CREEP 2
CREEP 2, while still a good movie in my eyes, is a bit weaker than the original film. While it was still quite the enjoyable watch, I found myself not enjoying it as much as the original. The acting wasn't worse, so to say, I just felt bored.
What I did enjoy about the second film is that they upped the 'awkwardness' factor from the first film. I think I attributed this to the new character who came into the mix, Sara (Played by Desiree Akhaven). Sara is a 'youtuber' of sorts who goes and meets with 'odd' people and playing into what they want. (ie searching for those weird ads on Cragislist). She meets Josef (Now going by Aaron) through one of these ads, and thus the plot moves forward. The awkwardness of the film is a positive- two people trying to figure eachother out and playing the parts of the film is a great positive for the film.
I quite liked the look into why Josef killed people, and his own view on the subject and how he sees it. You rarely see this in horror films (since most of the antagonists are either faceless or never looked into in depth) and I think this was a creative look into it. (I also quite like how Sara thought that he was playing a joke when he was speaking about it.)
Overall, I think that this was a solid sequel. I think it did a lot of things right, and even though I think it has a few flaws that take me out of the experience, I think that it did it's job quite well and I am still very excited for the third and final movie of the trilogy. I doubt it's gonna be coming out any time soon but here's to hoping. I always try to not put my bar super high for sequels for anything I enjoy, so I tend to stay neutral on it and try to not get suuuuper excited.