Creep (2014) Review

Well, this is certainly a nice surprise, isn't it? An actual GOOD horror movie in 2014. 2014 was a weird year for horror movies. On one hand, you had big theater releases that absolutely flopped and did horribly like Annabelle, Ouija, and The Purge sequel. On the other hand, there were some absolutely terrific movies that either got very limited theater time or none at all like The Babadook, The Taking Of Deborah Logan (review incoming, trust me, I love this movie), and Tusk (again, review incoming because I love this movie too). This movie falls into the latter of those two categories, with it only being released on video on demand before becoming available on Netflix earlier in 2015. But enough intro, let's look at a movie that actually surprised me by how good it turned out to be: Creep.

CREEPY SPOILERS AHEAD

This film is directed by and stars Patrick Brice, and considering this is his first movie, I'm incredibly impressed. He used great lighting and cinematography to make a terrific found footage movie that makes most other found footage films look like trash. Most of the time, we don't even see Brice. Mark Duplass is the real star of this movie and man oh man, does he ever do a convincing job in this film. The plot is as follows: Patrick Brice is a freelance cameraman and he answers Mark Duplass' ad on Craigslist, which takes him to Duplass' cabin up in the woods on a big hill. There, Mark wants him to document a few days in his life as he prepares for his inevitable death from cancer. At first it seems pretty normal; Mark takes Patrick on a trip through the woods to a spring and they go to a restaurant for some pancakes. But then things start to get........creepy. Mark starts showing his true colors and Partick has to find some way to get away from him for good. 

Hey buddy, you're not gonna watch The Lazarus Effect are you?

That's all I'm going to divulge because you really need to experience this movie for yourself. Of course, with this being a Blumhouse production, there's bound to be a few cliche jumpscares, but for the most part, those stay in the beginning of the film. The second half of this movie is where things really start to take off. Whether it's the amazing tension that's built scene after scene, using only silence and a mildly lit hallway for atmosphere, Mark Duplass' incredible performance, or the weird, unsettling vibe that comes from Mark Duplass wearing a werewolf mask and calling himself "Peachfuzz The Wolf", this movie definitely delivers on it's namesake. I genuinely felt creeped out on multiple occasions during this film. 

JAZZ HANDS! HA-CHA-CHA-CHAAAAA

What makes this movie great is its ability to get under your skin. There's something so unnerving about Mark Duplass' character and until it's revealed why he's like this, he has this weird mystery to him that just puts you on edge. Something doesn't sit right with you from the moment you first lay eyes on him. Combine that with the incredible cinematography and lighting techniques used and you've got yourself one great horror film. The only nitpick that I have is that it did feel a little bit long. There's a third act to this movie when you don't expect there to be one and while that's where most of the best scenes happen, it does feel a bit out of place and unnecessary. 

All in all, Creep is an excellent horror film and if this movie is anything to go off of, I'm definitely looking forward to Patrick Brice's next films. He directed another film in 2015 called The Overnight that I've heard many good things about. Maybe I'll check it out someday. I give Creep 8 weird wolf masks out of 10. If you've got Netflix and you like being creeped out, definitely go check it out.