Creep (I) (2014) User Reviews

Peachfuzz, you say? Been nice knowing you pal (**backs away slowly to the door**).

[BA_Harrison · 5/10 · 24 July 2015]

Cash-strapped videographer Aaron (played by the film's director Patrick Brice) is offered $1000 for a day of filming, discretion appreciated. Travelling to a remote property in the mountains, Aaron meets his client Josef, who explains his requirements: as a cancer sufferer, Josef would like to create a video diary for his unborn son (who he has already named Buddy), and would like Aaron to document his every move during the day.

Things start off strangely, Josef immediately stripping off to share a bath with an imaginary Buddy, but his behaviour becomes even more erratic and suspicious as the day goes on, with some particularly strange stuff involving a wolf mask. Having already accepted payment for the day, Aaron takes things in his stride, but alarm bells really start ringing when the time comes for him to go home and he cannot find his car keys

I'm not the biggest fan of found footage horror, but was surprised to find myself drawn in by the unusual nature of Creep's antagonist Josef, who is, without a doubt, a very disturbing (and disturbed) individual. Although it's obvious from the outset that he's full of crap, blatantly lying about his illness, his bizarre behaviour and the mystery surrounding his real motives kept me watching.

What a shame, then, that the film fails to live up to its early promise, any hope for a truly demented denouement dashed as Josef is revealed to be nothing more than your average common or garden obsessive homicidal nut-job.

Aaron's actions throughout the film also undermine its effectiveness: I could get past the dubious notion that he would accept a job without any prior details, but his decision making skills thereafter prove increasingly questionable, the character failing to react in a logical fashion (only one call to the police, even with all that evidence-gimme a break!). There are also numerous scenes that will have the viewer questioning why Aaron would continue filming given the situation (a common complaint about found footage films).

An over reliance on very silly jump scares (one of Josef's strange traits is to hide from Aaron and then jump out on him) soon gets tiresome, and a daft ending where Aaron makes one last really, really, really bad decision is the final nail in the coffin.

Creep, might just give you the creeps.

[asher-luberto · 7/10 · 23 July 2015]

I have never seen a found footage film quite like Creep. It's a combination of horror, drama, and comedy that is so tightly wound that you never know what to expect from one moment to the next. The idea is simple: Responding to a Craigslist ad that sought a videographer for a one-day job, an unassuming man named Aaron (Patrick Brice) drives to rural California to film a dying man's final video message to his wife and as-of-yet unborn child. At least, that is why he believes he is taking the job. The real reason he was hired, was for reasons unknown, until the climatic ending of the film. There are multiple reasons why I enjoyed this movie, but one stood out more than the others; and that was the acting. Mark Duplass stars as the "creep" so to speak, and his performance gives me the creeps. As for Patrick Brice, he played a very convincing victim of the events that take place. Another thing this movie does very well, it manages to maintain its mysterious and surreal feel, but at the same time actually delivers laughs. It's not a comedy, but has a black comedy feel to it. Running under 80 minutes, which is clearly not a problem for the movie. Creep is a disturbing nightmare of a film that takes twists that may feel familiar, but remains creative and is a refreshing take on the found footage genre.

Surprisingly Good For How Simple It Is

[gavin6942 · 6/10 · 24 July 2015]

When a videographer answers a Craigslist ad for a one-day job in a remote mountain town, he finds his client is not at all what he initially seems.

Initially, I was very skeptical that this would be very good. It seems to have a cast and crew of around ten people, which is not often enough to make a movie. And then it is found footage, which is by far the worst trend in horror today. Even more than zombies, which is hard to believe.

There are moments that make no sense, because you might wonder why a camera would be on. That is a fault most found footage has. But you sort of have to accept that aspect. And then, it sort of gets better as it goes. Not because it's brilliant, but because the performances are rather effective. Scripted dialogue comes out sounding natural and "the creep" is just weird enough to be believable and disturbing.

Proof IMDb Ratings aren't always a good guide

[floydianever · 2 December 2017]

While the premise must have sounded great when this concept was being hashed out, it clearly lost its way while being filmed. Definitely not surprising the factoids state it was completely improvised because the viewing feels like these two had a great story in their head but no clue how to create a cohesive film plot. The storyline is extremely convoluted and highly IMPLAUSIBLE. Most folks would have ducked out (especially after $$ in hand) after the tense lunch in the restaurant or at the apartment steps afterward—at the very least contacted authorities if he felt he was in danger and was still being contacted by the stalker. Definitely would NOT be surprised if the film maker really DID take out an ad and made this film by scaring the first man who showed up at his house with a camera. Let's just say there's a reason this film wasn't at your local AMC theater etc

Creeps proves train hasn't quite left the found footage station just yet.

[movieswithmitch · 7/10 · 27 March 2014]

The found footage horror genre feels like a train that should have left the station a long time ago but sticks around waiting to see who else they can cram on board so they can squeeze a couple more bucks out of. Well, I'm glad that train stuck around to let "Creep" in, proving the genre isn't quite out of steam yet.

It's not so much the found footage aspect that makes "Creep" successful but the creative infusion of the mumblecore genre that breathes some life and/or scary death into the film. "Creep" is a two-hander that is co-written and co-acted by Patrick Brice (who also serves as director) and mumblecore king Mark Duplass. Brice and Duplass are able to funnel the mumblecore's priority of character development and use of a more natural dialogue, or in this case, a very naturally unnerving dialogue, into the staples of a Jason Blum (Paranormal Activity) produced horror film. The combination of these three's efforts make for one, well, creepy film.

Brice plays Aaron, a normal guy looking to make a little extra cash when he answers a craigslist ad that will pay him $1,000 for a days work to videotape a day in the life of Josef, played by Duplass. The shoot has Aaron driving to Josef's family cabin at a remote mountain town where instantly both we the audience and Aaron feel things aren't right. Josef greets Aaron with a loud sneaky surprise hello, and then, foregoing a handshake, straight to a stranger hug. That last sentence pretty much captures the film experience as you go back and forth from shocking jump scares and very unsettling interactions between the vulnerable Aaron and the assertively goofy Josef.

Kudos to Mark Duplass for creating a character that is thoroughly terrifying but relatable enough and more importantly sympathetic enough to believably keep Aaron in a situation that just gets weirder and dangerously weirder. Scenes that include a naked bathing Josef giving a mimed bath to his unborn son, which he calls "tubby time", will long stay in my memory banks under the title 'frightening'. "Creep" excels by shifting gears from hilarious, to sad, to scary, to sometimes all of that at the same time. And to each their own, in the SXSW Q & A after the screening Duplass said it was great to watch as some of the audience would laugh at one part but others in the audience would wince in terror.

While Duplass and Brice heaped praises on horror guru Blum, saying they helped them achieve effectiveness in a genre they've never attempted, I still had my qualms. The jump scares become all too repetitive hitting a mathematical equation that Duplass said Blum taught them. "One jump scare every 10 minutes to keep them in the mood." Another one of my horror pet peeves is when the holder of the hand held camera in a found footage film only see's what the lense sees. So when in an open room and the camera moves left so does the character's vision which results to something surprising them by jumping out to us on screen when all that character has to do is move their own head back and forth to keep informed on what's around them (thanks for letting me rant).

The end which I won't get into has a few moments of 'you should have called the cops so much sooner', but that can't take away from intense ominous vibe that permeates. I dug "Creep", it's a film that is greatly helped by a very good actor who taps into his inner creep and gets under your skin.

"This" gets under your skin.

1 Timothy 4:1

Inventive found footage movie

[Stevieboy666 · 7/10 · 22 August 2022]

Videographer Aaron is hired by a middle aged client called Josef in a mountain cabin, just for a single day shoot, but soon ends up regretting it. Josef displays some very unsettling behaviour which includes playing scary pranks, wearing a wolf mask, hiding Aaron's car keys and a constant need for buddy hugging, but these are harmless compared to the dark secret that he has. Not counting a phone call this rather short movie has a cast of just two but the characters bounce off each other well and form a compelling story line. Found footage has been done to death by 2014 but thankfully Creep does offer an alternative to the countless paranormal and zombie entries, though would a person be filming themselves performing such mundane tasks as opening the mail, putting an extra lock on their door, making a phone call, I think not. A lot of the running time is filmed in the great outdoors and these scenic shots are pretty good. If you are looking for multiple kills and gore go elsewhere, Creep is a chilling psychological thriller which culminates in a great ending. Well worth checking out, better than its sequel in my opinion. Part produced by Jason Blum of Blumhouse Productions.

Weird and creepy documentary style movie

[aprilsfriendorin · 6/10 · 16 October 2018]

I've never been a fan of documentary style movies, but this is probably one of the better ones I've seen. Like the title, it will definitely creep you out. The movie is filled with uncomfortable and awkward moments that will creep you out in a psychological way, and I guarantee you'll groan at the main character's stupidity on more than one occasion. If you like horror/thriller movies and you can't decide what to watch, I'd recommend giving it a shot.

Did we all watch the same movie?

[martinhoffmann-21665 · 3/10 · 9 May 2020]

I just finished watching this movie and I was looking forward to find critics tearing it to shreds. Apparently I must have watched a completely different movie because the horror masterpiece that most critics are describing has nothing to do with 'the creep'. This movie has no twists at all, you can tell Josef is not mentally stable from pretty much the very beginning of the film, what's worse, Aaron, the guy hired to record the creep, has no survival instinct he's constantly getting himself into more danger. Instead of running away he stays in the house and looks for Josef. There's a point in the movie where Aaron gets a call from Joseph's sister, the sister asks him repeatedly where he is, yet Aaron apparently has no idea where the house is located even though he drove all the way up there. There's a point later where Aaron hears strange noises coming from outside his house, keep in mind by this point in the movie he knows he's being stalked and followed by Joseph, still he decides to go outside and check on those sounds. It's not something a real human being would have done there's no logic to any of what Aaron does. In a nutshell, this movie is really predictable, it has barely any tension and whatever tension it does have, this immediately lost because of all the cheap jump-scares they put in. I understand that to show that Joseph is quirky you make him jump once or twice in front of the camera, but he does this exact same thing about six times all throughout the movie and each passing time it gets more and more boring and predictable. I don't understand why people think this is some sort of masterpiece but it's just you to spend your time watching something more entertaining like paint drying.

Terrifying in the most realistic sense

[jackgdemoss · 9/10 · 2 September 2018]

I see now that critics appreciated this film just as much as I did, but I had NO IDEA what I was getting into by selecting a random horror movie I had never heard of on Netflix. Creep takes every little broken piece of horror, polishes it up, and pastes it together into a beautiful and unique masterpiece. It is extremely disturbing and unsettling without once resorting to gore, which was a breath of fresh air. Be warned that the jump scares are severe but cheesy, but for good reason. Horror fans absolutely must see Creep.

" But I'm a creep, I'm a weirdo,What the hell am I doing here?,I don't belong here."

[morrison-dylan-fan · 7/10 · 6 October 2016]

Taking a look at Kim Newman's page in an old issue of British film mag Empire,I noticed that Newman gave a special mention to film. Which had received a very negative review in the wonderful British genre mag The Dark Side,this led to me deciding that if it was time to find out for myself how creepy this creep is.

The plot:

Taking a look at ads on Craigslist,film maker Aaron spots a wanted ad from Josef,asking for a film maker to do one day of filming with him at his log cabin home.Accepting the job,Aaron goes to meet Josef.Meeting Josef,Aaron is told that he is needed due to Josef dying of cancer and wanting to leave a video for his unborn child.Making sure to capture every moment requested,Aaron starts to see another side to the child-like innocence of Josef.

View on the film:

Whilst the jolts can be slightly disconcerting,co-writer/co-star (along with Mark Duplass) director Patrick Brice creeps a claustrophobic atmosphere over the film,as each hand held camera move traps Arron in the house. Nodding to the Blair Witch,Brice nicely balances the Found Footage shudders with a dark comedy Mumblecore edge,with the grainy appearance giving Arron & Josef's relationship a rustic mood.

Starting as a film maker in the Mumblecore genre,the screenplay by Mark Duplass and Brice displays clear signs of their roots,by the limiting of just 2 characters allowing the writers to give Aaron and Josef chilling breathing space.Making it an intimate affair with just two characters,the writers impressively stop the title from drying up by using the Found Footage format to deliver chilling shots,which despite stretching things a bit, (I would have called the cops in minutes!) does allow for Josef to slither around Aaron,as he reveals himself to be a creep.

A letdown

[azeemnavarro · 4/10 · 9 October 2019]

Creep starts promising, but ends up being another half baked found footage movie but with good intentions. Mark Duplass is a blast to watch, playing so perfectly the charismatic psycho, making you keep till the end. The weirdness of his character helped to create some tense moments throught the film, especially those with Peachfuzz. But, as almost any other films of the genre, Creep falls in the obvious clichés: stupid jumpscares (they seriously don't make any sense), the character keeps filming when he shouldn't, etc. And my complaints don't end there. Unlike Mark Duplass, Patrick Brice (also the director) just can't act, his character is extremely unbelievable because he makes the most odd decisions. But still, Creep manages to be not a total waste because of Mark Duplass and some great tension scenes. Also the movie is very short, so you may want to give it a try, but you most likely be letdown.

Really unnerving

[bks-508-290401 · 8/10 · 15 July 2015]

I didn't really know what to expect with this film as I hadn't read many reviews, but gave it a go. It's starts off innocently enough, and the plot is easy to follow. Then we meet Josef, who right away seems a little off-kilter, but I couldn't put my finger on why until later. As the plot moves on, I felt like I'd ventured into the dark side of YouTube, when you're looking for something normal and you end up stumbling upon all kinds of crazy stuff.

The tension was very well paced and really effective, I found myself shrinking further and further down the settee. The ending was also very surprising, I was kind of expecting it but at the same time not really? If that makes sense! A good watch.

Unnerving and.. ahem 'creepy'...

[andyajoflaherty · 7/10 · 21 August 2023]

This found footage film follows videographer Aaron as he answers an ad to film a guy called Josef for the day. $1000. No questions asked. As Aaron spends more and more time with Josef, it becomes fairly obvious that Josef is not who he says he is, and as Josef begins to act more and more bizarre, Aaron starts to fear for his own safety.

For a low budget horror film this ticks a lot of boxes. We've all met people like this, and the way Josef is playful yet also sinister generates this uneasy vibe throughout the whole film. We are screaming for Aaron to just run and get away, and when he finally does the film descends into a pure paranoia fest. The ending was oddly interesting yet somehow unsatifying, but overall this is a great little horror that tries something new and mostly pulls it off. Give it a go.

I must have watched a different movie than the other reviewers

[Hokesone · 3/10 · 12 October 2019]

It's hard to write a decent review without spoiling things-but this movie is just garbage! I like found footage style and it's not too bad in this film the script even sounds great although it's just poorly executed. Ridiculous jump scares and thrown in as jokes and the characters are just wrong,just being weird for the sake of weird. It's tries to build up to a some big ending while keeping the viewers in the dark and again it's just falls short.. Pass on it,plenty of other way better than this to watch especially in this genre.

Good job

[begob · 7/10 · 22 November 2015]

A mild-mannered video-maker turns up in the middle of nowhere to find his mystery job is to film a memento video for a man suffering from incurable cancer. Then things get out of control.

Looks like simple found footage, but the two psychological types and their relationship ring true, so this two-hander is well played and ends up with a tight climax. I can understand people complaining about the bad decisions, but they felt right for that character.

The jump scares are just that - literal jump scares. And the actor playing the baddie varies his mood nicely. I saw him in The Lazarus Effect, but here he really shows his chops. Movies on this theme I usually find depressing, but this has clarity to it and, although the pace drags a little, it's enjoyable to watch. Add on a well wrapped up ending and it deserves a recommend.

Overall, tight and simple, with a good performance. 7/10.

Worth A Watch.

[SonyaSays · 10 August 2015]

While I was watching this film I couldn't help but think to myself. How predictable! But I was wrong. So wrong. In ways, it is very predictable, like any horror/thriller I suppose. However, because this film had a nice spin to it, the predictable bits just didn't matter.

The story line was a pleasant set up for the type of film. A videographer named Aaron (Patrick Brice) found a advert on Craigslist for a one-day job out in a remote location. Why wouldn't he go for it? Okay it's not a great place to find a job, but its one day and he's being offered $1000 to do some filming. So Aaron shows up to this house where finally he meets Josef (Mark Duplass). Josef takes him into his home and explains why he's hired him and that he'd just like him to follow him around and keep the camera rolling. The video is for Josef's son to watch.

So Aaron spends the day with Joseph who is a really sweet guy and loved to talk. But, as the day goes on it seems Joseph has some dark secrets. He's not a eerie guy who you'd be scared of which is good that he doesn't look threatening. He just seems like he needs someone to confide in and Aaron is there to listen so it's perfect. However, like all great thrillers. There's a twist. You need to see it through right to the end. I think it's done so well for a film with unknown actors and directors, you don't usually expect much. But this is definitely a film I would recommend to friends to watch. Just for the 'Creep' factor!

This isn't a film I would say you could watch over and over but it certainly is one to sit down and just watch.

*SonyaSays*

Beware of the creepy

[AntonioAntonio91 · 7/10 · 11 November 2019]

Creepy movie,it's creepy that all this can happen to any of us. This movie was entertaining, i am curious for what will happen in the sequel. Many creeps out there in the world, better watch out.

Brilliant premis that could have been much better.

[towers-36285 · 6/10 · 1 August 2019]

The premis of this movie is excellent and its clearly evident from very early in the movie why this movie is called creep. In my opinion I feel the acting is brilliant but the writers could have done alot more to make this movie live up to its promise. Questionable decision making also let's this movie down. It's definitely worth the watch but it could have been so much better!

not scary in the slightest, just generally bad

[romyowen · 2/10 · 12 July 2019]

Confused why this film has such high ratings, which unfortunately led me to watching it. it fails at building any tension or creepiness apart from the one scene where hes on the phone to the sister i thought that was ok. overall boring, weird but not in a good way. both main characters lack any personality whatsoever

Effective and frighteningly plausible

[leominosa · 8/10 · 29 August 2014]

Employing found footage in a way that actually makes sense in the context of the plot, Creep is the story of an increasingly awkward relationship between two men that feels frighteningly plausible.

The film rests upon – and succeeds because of – Mark Duplass' excellent performance as the type of person we've all met at one time or another; someone a little bit too keen to be your friend, inspiring conflicting feelings of suspicion as to their motives and empathy with regard to their ill-judged attempts at social interaction. Seen through the eyes (or rather camera) of Aaron, the only other on-screen character (played by writer/director Patrick Brice), it's clear fairly early on that something isn't quite right, but should he be worried?

Despite an occasional reliance on cynical jump scares (presumably included to ensure that the tension doesn't sag – the film is dialogue-heavy) the suspense ebbs and flows nicely and keeps you guessing as to where it will end up going. Thankfully, for a film that always feels like it's building up to something, the resolution is well-judged and perfectly executed.

Overall this is a very impressive effort and marks Patrick Brice out as a filmmaker to keep an eye on.

One more proof that small budget works well if you have talent!

[tchitouniaram · 7/10 · 12 November 2020]

Love found footage style films!Creep is by any means is not the best one,but pretty close to it)!Very simple and very effective story,somewhat little disturbing.Overall-well done!

Suspension of disbelief results in awful pacing

[DeltaHomicide · 1/10 · 25 May 2020]

Within the first 7 minutes I had to suspend disbelief that anyone would stick around to film the creep. Plus, the unlikable wacko didn't have any proof to back up his claims. Only a complete moron would give him the benefit of the doubt after he sang and danced wearing that mask. About 15 minutes in I was replying to work emails on my phone.

If this is what's considered the future of found footage, then I will mourn its imminent death.

Simple, clever and plenty of fun

[mungflesh · 8/10 · 26 August 2014]

If we contrast this movie with its great grand-pappy, Blair Witch, we see just how far the found footage genre has come, which is surprising, considering that around the time of Blair Witch, it didn't really feel like there was a lot of mileage in that particular sub genre.

For me, Creep's greatest strength is the black humor. It's a seriously funny movie but never loses the tension that simmers under its surface. We've seen this kind of stalker idea many times before in conventional cinema of the nineties, such as Hand that Rocks the Cradle, The Fan and Cable Guy but this one really puts the viewer in the shoes of the one who is stalked.

Mark Duplass puts in a legendary performance as Josef. The first time we see him on screen, it's kind of hard to imagine him as the Creep he is meant to be but as the movie draws to its conclusion, he nails it.

It practically has "cult classic" stamped all over it.

Title says it all

[kairih · 7/10 · 31 January 2022]

The title really does say it all, this film can be genuinely unnerving and creepy to way. Not the whole thing, there are some slower moments but when it gets it right it's fantastic.

67 minutes of nothing

[suker-86620 · 1/10 · 6 July 2019]

I really don't understand why people think that this is a good movie !!!!! Hell not even a bad one, in other word it's one of the worst movies you've seen your life It's simply 67 minutes of nothing Nothing is scary at all Jump scares are too cheap ( I would be ashamed of myself if I would use such a jump scare even if my budget is pretty low) The story and dialogues are really boring After I have just seen it on Netflix I really don't know what to say !!! Always Netflix chooses bad movies or what !!!!! I would never recommend or rewatch this nonsense If you haven't seen it yet don't even consider watching it