Found footage horror isn’t for everybody because it tends to lean heavily into the same irritating motifs. Nauseating shaky camera footage, amateur acting, and thin storylines dominate the subgenre, and very few filmmakers manage to spin it differently. While there are hidden gems like The Poughkeepsie Tapes, Lake Mungo, The Taking of Deborah Logan, and No Through Road, it’s rare to see comedy folded into the mix. That’s why the Creep film series is worth your time if you overlooked it.
Excelling at shoving morbid humor into a running premise that shouldn’t be funny, the Creep films are a must-see for anybody who loves the format but is burned out on its usual tropes.
It Takes Two To Tango
Creep, the first entry in the film series centers on Patrick Brice’s Aaron, a struggling videographer who takes a job following his client, Josef (Mark Duplass), around for a day. Josef claims he has an inoperable brain tumor and only a few months left to live. Offering Aaron a thousand dollars to film a “day-in-the-life” feature for his unborn son, Josef welcomes him into his home, and things quickly take a sinister turn.
Aaron treats the project seriously, but Josef’s strange behavior makes him uneasy. Mark Duplass commits completely, playing a picture-perfect psychopath and compulsive liar who gets endless amusement from ambushing Aaron. Once Aaron finishes the project and heads home, Josef begins stalking him, sending menacing packages and unsettling reminders of their time together.
It Gets Worse
Creep 2 somehow takes the film series to a new level of depravity when Josef, now calling himself Aaron, hunts for another subject. Responding to his Craigslist ad, we meet Sara (Desiree Akhavan), an aspiring YouTuber trying to grow her channel. Her series, Encounters, documents meetups with eccentric Craigslist users, and Josef offers her the same deal with one twist: he admits he’s a serial killer with a massive body count, but he’s bored with his usual games.
Sara doesn’t believe him and decides to mess with Josef instead, convinced his claims are part of an elaborate ruse. Little does she know, Josef is the real deal and has the receipts to prove it.
Mark Duplass Is Believably Insane
The Creep film series works so well because Mark Duplass leans fully into the role. He can be warm, funny, and even heartfelt in one moment, then reveal he has been lying about everything the next. He’s a pathological liar and a psychopath with no real sincerity, but as a viewer you still want to trust him. His smile is disarming, his cadence is comforting, and yet there’s nothing behind his eyes. It’s the kind of contradiction that keeps you enthralled even though you know a happy ending isn’t likely.
Streaming Creep And Its Sequel
Creep and Creep 2 are both streaming on Netflix, serving as proof of the strange brilliance in Mark Duplass and Patrick Brice’s partnership. While rumors of a third installment stalled when they couldn’t find a fresh concept, they instead launched The Creep Tapes, an anthology-style buffet of Josef’s depravity that expands the universe.
Hopefully, the well-established universe keeps growing because it has way too much fun with the found footage format. You’ll laugh, cringe, and feel sick to your stomach. For my money, there’s nothing better.
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