'Creep' was one of those movies that reinstated our faith in the found-footage genre, which still had a ton of great stories to be told, in a minimalist setup. The sheep (prey) and wolf (hunter) analogy was explored comprehensively in the 2014 film, substantiated with a number of neat jumpscares and a partially well-executed climax.
Creep 2 arrives to slightly expand the universe of the name-changing serial killer played by Mark Duplass (who has once again, co-written the film with director Patrick Brice). Desiree Akhavan plays Sara, a videographer/YouTuber who specializes in meeting loners through Craigslist ads as part of creating a web-series titled 'Encounters'. Her show has never had many takers, which she attributes to the lack of exciting personas and her own set of unrealistic aspirations. We take a liking to Sara for her honesty - when she exclaims that she's 'incredibly talent-less' in telling a good story and almost weeps on camera, we feel like giving her a comforting pat.
Josef, the serial killer from 'Creep' is now Aaron (the name of the victim from the first film). Sara responds to his advertisement of requiring a videographer (one that doesn't spook easy) for a day. Sara considers this to be her 'big-break' and takes up the task despite getting to know very little about her client. This time around, Aaron (or whatever his real name) is vocal about his serial-killer life and wants to lend a definitive twist to his 40th (and seemingly final) kill. Sara takes to Aaron's case lightly, and thinks that she finally has hit upon a character that's truly worth the exploration. Having watched 'Creep', we know things aren't going to end well for either of them.
The opening scene sets the tone in motion for those who haven't seen the original. After murdering "Dopinder from Deadpool" by slashing his throat and creating a bloody mess, Aaron takes a gulp of beer and asks himself "What's happening to me?". It is quite clear why Jason Blum was interested in producing a sequel - the budget would remain shoestring while the cinematic (and financial) pay-off would be massive.
Duplass is cent percent believable as a serial-killer (this character could well be on its way to becoming a cult-favorite in future) - the smiles, the sudden outbursts of emotion, the deadpan episodes, the honesty - much of it comes across as simple but highly effective. Thanks to his incredible stalking skills, he can see through his victims quite well too: he knows what can cause surprise, scare or intimidate. Sara however, isn't scared by Aaron's eccentric antics. As Aaron puts it across, she's quite the 'tough nut to crack'. In fact, Sara successfully startles Aaron on more than one occasion - leading way for Aaron to come to the conclusion that she could 'really be that one compadre' he had desperately been seeking.
Akahavan, as Sara, lends life to a character who craves professional success while standing up to Aaron with an attitude that even puts the 'creep' to test. As the film draws to its finale, the viewer isn't exactly sure if Sara has willingly succumbed herself to becoming Aaron's accomplice in his 40th murder. It is this interesting dynamic between the duo that keeps the film an engaging 80 minute affair. Guess even serial-killers can feel 'meh' about the kind of 'work' they've been doing.
Brice often teases his viewers - he never tries to settle for a single morbid emotion - he wants the audience to laugh, empathize and feel threatened at the same time - a feat he pulls off with enough elan (half the credit should go to Duplass). This isn't your typical serial killer film - the traditional scares are kept minimal and the atmosphere isn't exactly the spookiest, but what it does have, is a lot of HEART.
Verdict: You'll enjoy it if you appreciated part one!
Creep 2 arrives to slightly expand the universe of the name-changing serial killer played by Mark Duplass (who has once again, co-written the film with director Patrick Brice). Desiree Akhavan plays Sara, a videographer/YouTuber who specializes in meeting loners through Craigslist ads as part of creating a web-series titled 'Encounters'. Her show has never had many takers, which she attributes to the lack of exciting personas and her own set of unrealistic aspirations. We take a liking to Sara for her honesty - when she exclaims that she's 'incredibly talent-less' in telling a good story and almost weeps on camera, we feel like giving her a comforting pat.
Josef, the serial killer from 'Creep' is now Aaron (the name of the victim from the first film). Sara responds to his advertisement of requiring a videographer (one that doesn't spook easy) for a day. Sara considers this to be her 'big-break' and takes up the task despite getting to know very little about her client. This time around, Aaron (or whatever his real name) is vocal about his serial-killer life and wants to lend a definitive twist to his 40th (and seemingly final) kill. Sara takes to Aaron's case lightly, and thinks that she finally has hit upon a character that's truly worth the exploration. Having watched 'Creep', we know things aren't going to end well for either of them.
The opening scene sets the tone in motion for those who haven't seen the original. After murdering "Dopinder from Deadpool" by slashing his throat and creating a bloody mess, Aaron takes a gulp of beer and asks himself "What's happening to me?". It is quite clear why Jason Blum was interested in producing a sequel - the budget would remain shoestring while the cinematic (and financial) pay-off would be massive.
Duplass is cent percent believable as a serial-killer (this character could well be on its way to becoming a cult-favorite in future) - the smiles, the sudden outbursts of emotion, the deadpan episodes, the honesty - much of it comes across as simple but highly effective. Thanks to his incredible stalking skills, he can see through his victims quite well too: he knows what can cause surprise, scare or intimidate. Sara however, isn't scared by Aaron's eccentric antics. As Aaron puts it across, she's quite the 'tough nut to crack'. In fact, Sara successfully startles Aaron on more than one occasion - leading way for Aaron to come to the conclusion that she could 'really be that one compadre' he had desperately been seeking.
Akahavan, as Sara, lends life to a character who craves professional success while standing up to Aaron with an attitude that even puts the 'creep' to test. As the film draws to its finale, the viewer isn't exactly sure if Sara has willingly succumbed herself to becoming Aaron's accomplice in his 40th murder. It is this interesting dynamic between the duo that keeps the film an engaging 80 minute affair. Guess even serial-killers can feel 'meh' about the kind of 'work' they've been doing.
Brice often teases his viewers - he never tries to settle for a single morbid emotion - he wants the audience to laugh, empathize and feel threatened at the same time - a feat he pulls off with enough elan (half the credit should go to Duplass). This isn't your typical serial killer film - the traditional scares are kept minimal and the atmosphere isn't exactly the spookiest, but what it does have, is a lot of HEART.
Verdict: You'll enjoy it if you appreciated part one!