"Creep" is a new horror film that, without a doubt, will please many genre fans simply because it's so down to the point and unscrupulous! It has many genuine shock-moments, a whole lot of repulsive gore-sequences and a rare claustrophobic tension. What it hasn't got is logic and a solid plot but, to tell you the truth, that didn't bother me for one second. When the end-credits start to roll, there are still many unanswered questions to ponder on but director/writer Christopher Smith (in his debut) seemly preferred to fully focus on tension and adrenalin-rushing action instead of long, soporific speeches and theories that could explain the existence of the "creep" in the London subway. The story revolves on the young and haughty Kate, who leaves her own party in order to go and meet the famous actor George Clooney who's in town to present his new film. She falls asleep in the subway, misses the last train and she finds herself trapped in the underground subway network. Things really get terrifying when she encounters a mad-raving lunatic who lives in the old tunnels and kills/kidnaps people to experiment upon. Even experienced homeless people, security guards or sewer-workers can't rescue her from this ravenous monster! I really dug the creep-character! He's nauseating, hideous and primitive but in a strange way fascinating. Christopher Smith only leaves us clues and hints, and it's merely up to the viewer to guess this vile creature's origin and background. I reckon this isn't very original, and I'm sure many people won't appreciate the lack of content, but I forgive Smith and I think it's better this way than going over the top completely, "Jeepers Creepers"-style (that particular film started out great as well, but as soon as the Creeper's identity was clear it turned into a very mediocre horror effort). The obvious aspect-to-love is the outrageous gore! There's some severe butchering going on in this film and the make-up, as well as the sound effects, are very convincing. The ominous setting of the abandoned London subway during night is effectively used. There also is some acting-talent present in this film, with Franka Potenta (Run Lola Run) returning to graphic horror nearly five years after the cool German film "Anatomie". Creep is terrific entertainment when you're in an undemanding mood and Christopher Smith definitely is a director I'll keep an eye on. Make sure you don't have to take the subway right after watching this film...
220 Reviews
What a sickly, demented creep!
lost-in-limbo21 October 2006
After leaving a party one night, Kate heads to a London subway. But being a bit drunk, she nods off and when she finally awakes, she realises she's alone and has been locked in. Now she's panicking, but a train pulls up and to her surprise no one else is on board. After a few seconds the train comes to sudden halt and Kate comes to the realisation that someone or something is lurking down there, which has some nasty surprises waiting for Kate.
When watching "Creep", what entered my mind was that I was seeing the backwoods horror slasher "Wrong Turn (2003)" basically set in a subway, but only more bloodier and incredibly cruel. I get the train to work and back, but I'm just glad that there are no subway systems on my journeys. But there's no doubting public transport can be the pits.
Christopher Smith the writer and director of this slick British Indie subterranean horror flick presents one very tight and atmospherically Gothic feature that benefits highly from its relentless surge of twisted and ragged jolts. It's gruesome, mean-spirited and unflinching terror is mostly delivered in a serious manner, despite the script being sprinkled with quick-witted remarks. The damp, isolated and claustrophobic setting of the poorly lit tunnels makes a huge imprint on the disorientating cloud the audience and main protagonist face. Smith integrates some flashy and rapid techniques. The versatile hand held photography adds a real moody and intimate vibe amongst the very effective sound effects and creaky understated music score. Hitting the mark was the graphic and always on the ball makeup effects. The appearance of the hideously unusual subway dweller just lingers in your mind and when it came to the kills it didn't disappoint.
However, there are things that really do bring the film down. By the third act it starts to wear a bit thin with predictable jumps and wearisome clichés. The story is terribly vague from the get-go. Illogical patterns and stupid circumstances unravel throughout the string-like plot. Originality comes in minor doses, but in all, there's a nice sense of realism and a speeding train-like pace created to keep you mostly involved. Franka Potente gives a strong, flexible and quite capable performance as Kate and the amusing Vas Blackwood gets caught up in the gruel too.
A very nasty and dour slasher that won't blow you away, but it provides the nightmarish thrills and intensity one would hope for.
When watching "Creep", what entered my mind was that I was seeing the backwoods horror slasher "Wrong Turn (2003)" basically set in a subway, but only more bloodier and incredibly cruel. I get the train to work and back, but I'm just glad that there are no subway systems on my journeys. But there's no doubting public transport can be the pits.
Christopher Smith the writer and director of this slick British Indie subterranean horror flick presents one very tight and atmospherically Gothic feature that benefits highly from its relentless surge of twisted and ragged jolts. It's gruesome, mean-spirited and unflinching terror is mostly delivered in a serious manner, despite the script being sprinkled with quick-witted remarks. The damp, isolated and claustrophobic setting of the poorly lit tunnels makes a huge imprint on the disorientating cloud the audience and main protagonist face. Smith integrates some flashy and rapid techniques. The versatile hand held photography adds a real moody and intimate vibe amongst the very effective sound effects and creaky understated music score. Hitting the mark was the graphic and always on the ball makeup effects. The appearance of the hideously unusual subway dweller just lingers in your mind and when it came to the kills it didn't disappoint.
However, there are things that really do bring the film down. By the third act it starts to wear a bit thin with predictable jumps and wearisome clichés. The story is terribly vague from the get-go. Illogical patterns and stupid circumstances unravel throughout the string-like plot. Originality comes in minor doses, but in all, there's a nice sense of realism and a speeding train-like pace created to keep you mostly involved. Franka Potente gives a strong, flexible and quite capable performance as Kate and the amusing Vas Blackwood gets caught up in the gruel too.
A very nasty and dour slasher that won't blow you away, but it provides the nightmarish thrills and intensity one would hope for.
Atmospheric and underrated.
Lycangeist8 May 2019
Decent little British horror.
Basic plot, Woman gets trapped in a subway overnight. Unfortunately for her, shes not alone.
Characters are a bit stereotypical, however Sean Harris' portrayal of the antagonist will make your skin crawl.
Pretty fast paced, action packed with a satisfying resolution.
Give it ago if you like "The Descent" or "Wrong Turn".
Not a great deal of sense, but reasonably entertaining
Danny_G135 June 2005
Brit horror successfully marries suspense and gore to create a more than decent movie.
Franka Potente is Kate, a socialite on her way to a party in London where George Clooney (Yes really) is believed to be hanging at and where she will attempt to seduce him (Yup, I'm not kidding).
However, she falls asleep at the subway station and misses the last train, leaving her trapped inside. Jeremy Sheffield's Guy is pursuing her though, and when a train finally arrives (Yes, the logic's already disintegrating), he appears out of nowhere and tries to rape her. Unfortunately for him, there is a real killer in the underground who drags him off her and wounds him fatally.
The rest of the movie is killer-pursues-Kate.
Quite frankly the logic in this one was never meant to be particularly strong. It's not even obvious that she fell asleep while waiting for the train, and instead it could have been mindgames. And indeed, mindgames seem to be the only explanation for some of the slightly ludicrous events which occur in the first half.
Nonetheless, this movie is about running away from the bad guy, whose appearance and identity imply he's 'not normal' (Are they ever), and to this end the film does a decent enough job. Once the bizarre first half hour of silliness is past, it is simple enough fare, with more than a hint of severe gore.
There's little more that can be said, such is the basic nature of this, but if you accept the intrinsic daftness of some of it, you'll get a reasonable kick out it if you like the genre.
Seen worse.
Franka Potente is Kate, a socialite on her way to a party in London where George Clooney (Yes really) is believed to be hanging at and where she will attempt to seduce him (Yup, I'm not kidding).
However, she falls asleep at the subway station and misses the last train, leaving her trapped inside. Jeremy Sheffield's Guy is pursuing her though, and when a train finally arrives (Yes, the logic's already disintegrating), he appears out of nowhere and tries to rape her. Unfortunately for him, there is a real killer in the underground who drags him off her and wounds him fatally.
The rest of the movie is killer-pursues-Kate.
Quite frankly the logic in this one was never meant to be particularly strong. It's not even obvious that she fell asleep while waiting for the train, and instead it could have been mindgames. And indeed, mindgames seem to be the only explanation for some of the slightly ludicrous events which occur in the first half.
Nonetheless, this movie is about running away from the bad guy, whose appearance and identity imply he's 'not normal' (Are they ever), and to this end the film does a decent enough job. Once the bizarre first half hour of silliness is past, it is simple enough fare, with more than a hint of severe gore.
There's little more that can be said, such is the basic nature of this, but if you accept the intrinsic daftness of some of it, you'll get a reasonable kick out it if you like the genre.
Seen worse.
Horror in the tunnels under London
Tweekums18 September 2020
As this film opens two workers are walking through a London sewer; one of them discovers a collapsed wall. Behind it there is a tunnel he has never seen before... it soon becomes apparent that there is something there. The action then cuts to an office party where Kate, a German woman, rejects the advances of a man named Guy before leaving. She head to Charing Cross tube station but fall asleep on the platform and misses the last train. She is now locked in the apparently empty station. When a train stops she boards. Shortly after it pulls out of the station it stops again. It soon emerges that she is not alone; Guy is on board the train and he attempts to rape her... someone, or something, pulls Guy off her; there is clearly something more dangerous down there. While trying to escape she encounters others in the station... not many of them will survive to the morning.
This is an effective low budget horror movie. The setting is great; both the closes tube station and the sewer tunnels are naturally creepy locations without the added menace of an unknown being that is attacking people. The earlier parts of the film, before we actually see what or who is killing people are perhaps better as what we don't see is usually scarier than what we do. Once we do see the attacker the scares still come, with several quite gory attacks. The explanation as to his origins are perhaps unnecessary but don't detract from the story. Horror fans should certainly enjoy this as once the danger to Kate becomes apparent the tension rarely drops. The cast is solid; most notably Franka Polente, who impresses as Kate. Overall I wouldn't say this is a must see but I'd still say it is well worth watching if you are a horror fan.
This is an effective low budget horror movie. The setting is great; both the closes tube station and the sewer tunnels are naturally creepy locations without the added menace of an unknown being that is attacking people. The earlier parts of the film, before we actually see what or who is killing people are perhaps better as what we don't see is usually scarier than what we do. Once we do see the attacker the scares still come, with several quite gory attacks. The explanation as to his origins are perhaps unnecessary but don't detract from the story. Horror fans should certainly enjoy this as once the danger to Kate becomes apparent the tension rarely drops. The cast is solid; most notably Franka Polente, who impresses as Kate. Overall I wouldn't say this is a must see but I'd still say it is well worth watching if you are a horror fan.
Better than some recent Horror Movies, But still wide of the mark
mjw230531 July 2005
Creep doesn't do what its title suggests, it isn't exactly creepy, but it is pretty violent and gruesome. The story is fairly linear and has no plot holes that i noticed and the acting and script are OK.
The problem with Creep is that it doesn't really do anything to set it apart from the rest of the Horror crowd, but when compared to some its not to bad.
With floods of horror movies in recent years (Toolbox Murders, Grudge, White Noise, Descent, Boogeyman to name but a few) Creep is left languishing in mediorcratity.
For horror fanatics, its worth watching and it can hold its own in the genre. For movie lovers in general there is not enough here to warrant your time.
6/10
The problem with Creep is that it doesn't really do anything to set it apart from the rest of the Horror crowd, but when compared to some its not to bad.
With floods of horror movies in recent years (Toolbox Murders, Grudge, White Noise, Descent, Boogeyman to name but a few) Creep is left languishing in mediorcratity.
For horror fanatics, its worth watching and it can hold its own in the genre. For movie lovers in general there is not enough here to warrant your time.
6/10
could have been so much better....
lucymcbrucy19 September 2005
The potential was there. I saw Creep and thought, 'Oooh, this is getting interesting' several times. Yet somehow the interesting plot lines wound up unexplained or ignored, like they never happened. The lead character was irritating throughout the movie, and at one point my fella and I both shouted that we wanted her to die. There are some genuinely spooky/scary moments, but these are grossly overshadowed by the moments that just annoyed the hell out of me. It's another one of those horror movies that crops up and intrigues you for a while, but ultimately leaves you frustrated and a little confused about what the movie makers were trying to achieve.
The one saving grace of this movie is the bad guy, but when the baddie is more likable than the lead character you know you're on to a loser.
The one saving grace of this movie is the bad guy, but when the baddie is more likable than the lead character you know you're on to a loser.
Bloody Northern Line
vmvm30 January 2005
This is good little shocker; not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but tight, competent and disturbing. An excellent example of a simple idea developed into a compelling 90 minute script.
The set up requires no bells and whistles, no lengthy exposition or wordy back story; Kate (Franka Pontente), a young German business woman living in London, drifts off whilst waiting for the last tube train. She awakens to find the place deserted, but quickly comes to realise that she is far from alone. Someone, or something, is down there with her and it's intentions are wholly malicious.
In fact she encounters several other characters in her quest to survive, including a lecherous work colleague, a homeless couple and a caged sewage worker, all of whom add pace and substance to the plot. There is a slightly awkward gear change somewhere in the middle of the film when tension thriller mutates into gore fest, but nothing so clumsy as to slow the hectic pace. For those of you with weak dispositions this is likely to be a harrowing ride; for those of you who relish a bit of well executed carnal mayhem this should press all the right buttons.
The climax of the film is perhaps less successful than the main body of the film, but it is punctuated with a nice moment of unexpected social commentary which provides a satisfying conclusion.
Some may find themselves feeling somewhat cheated of a clear explanation as to the exact nature and history of the threat encountered by Kate and her confederates, however, for me this was not the case. A horror film writer should not need feel compelled to dot every i and cross every t, in the same way a writer of political thrillers might be expected to. There are enough clues here to give you a very pretty clear idea of what brought this evil into existence, making a detailed and conclusive solution superfluous. The retention of a certain sense of mystery is to be welcomed and reminds us that in this film the ride was always going to be more important than the exact destination.
My understanding is that the budget for this film was, to say the least, minimal, in which case our applause for this British horror should be all the louder, for at no point does one have the impression of corners being cut or effects failing to deliver.
If this sounds like your kind of film then it probably is. Buy a ticket and climb aboard.
The set up requires no bells and whistles, no lengthy exposition or wordy back story; Kate (Franka Pontente), a young German business woman living in London, drifts off whilst waiting for the last tube train. She awakens to find the place deserted, but quickly comes to realise that she is far from alone. Someone, or something, is down there with her and it's intentions are wholly malicious.
In fact she encounters several other characters in her quest to survive, including a lecherous work colleague, a homeless couple and a caged sewage worker, all of whom add pace and substance to the plot. There is a slightly awkward gear change somewhere in the middle of the film when tension thriller mutates into gore fest, but nothing so clumsy as to slow the hectic pace. For those of you with weak dispositions this is likely to be a harrowing ride; for those of you who relish a bit of well executed carnal mayhem this should press all the right buttons.
The climax of the film is perhaps less successful than the main body of the film, but it is punctuated with a nice moment of unexpected social commentary which provides a satisfying conclusion.
Some may find themselves feeling somewhat cheated of a clear explanation as to the exact nature and history of the threat encountered by Kate and her confederates, however, for me this was not the case. A horror film writer should not need feel compelled to dot every i and cross every t, in the same way a writer of political thrillers might be expected to. There are enough clues here to give you a very pretty clear idea of what brought this evil into existence, making a detailed and conclusive solution superfluous. The retention of a certain sense of mystery is to be welcomed and reminds us that in this film the ride was always going to be more important than the exact destination.
My understanding is that the budget for this film was, to say the least, minimal, in which case our applause for this British horror should be all the louder, for at no point does one have the impression of corners being cut or effects failing to deliver.
If this sounds like your kind of film then it probably is. Buy a ticket and climb aboard.
Effectively made horror thriller
wellthatswhatithinkanyway18 June 2005
STAR RATING: ***** Unmissable **** Very Good *** Okay ** You Could Go Out For A Meal Instead * Avoid At All Costs
Stuck-up career bitch Kate (Franka Potente) heads to the London underground to catch a train to take her to meet George Clooney. However, after a hectic working day, she dozes off and awakens to find herself alone in a deserted platform. As she races off on a situation taking her from one daunting encounter to the next, however, she learns of something far more malign and evil waiting for her out there.
In a lot of ways, the British Film Industry is really becoming one on it's own, especially in the horror thriller department, with films such as Creep and the successful 28 Days Later (which this has strong echoes of in parts.) In terms of succeeding in what it set out to do, Creep does cleverly create (especially at the beginning) a scary sense of isolation and tense fear. At it's clever running time, it also (though inadvertently, I suspect) manages to pay homage to some of those pioneer high-concept horror films from the 70s that rely on shocks and fear through-out without really focusing too much on character development and such.
Of it's weaknesses, some scenes are a little predictable, but these don't really succeed in making it less scary or effective in any way. I'm not sure if the ending was meant to make it come off as some sort of morality play and it's not exactly perfect, but it's certainly very effective and serves it's basic function very well. ***
Stuck-up career bitch Kate (Franka Potente) heads to the London underground to catch a train to take her to meet George Clooney. However, after a hectic working day, she dozes off and awakens to find herself alone in a deserted platform. As she races off on a situation taking her from one daunting encounter to the next, however, she learns of something far more malign and evil waiting for her out there.
In a lot of ways, the British Film Industry is really becoming one on it's own, especially in the horror thriller department, with films such as Creep and the successful 28 Days Later (which this has strong echoes of in parts.) In terms of succeeding in what it set out to do, Creep does cleverly create (especially at the beginning) a scary sense of isolation and tense fear. At it's clever running time, it also (though inadvertently, I suspect) manages to pay homage to some of those pioneer high-concept horror films from the 70s that rely on shocks and fear through-out without really focusing too much on character development and such.
Of it's weaknesses, some scenes are a little predictable, but these don't really succeed in making it less scary or effective in any way. I'm not sure if the ending was meant to make it come off as some sort of morality play and it's not exactly perfect, but it's certainly very effective and serves it's basic function very well. ***
Good start and little more
Agnelin26 January 2008
This is a could-have-been that starts out on an attractive premise, but fails to deliver and ends up looking like the makers were too ambitious and wanted to make a horror movie that would work on different levels, with more than just one basic plot line, but ended up with a messy movie that really goes nowhere, just like the tube that the protagonist gets into at the beginning.
The movie begins with a sequence in the sewage system of London, where two employees are doing their maintenance work. Suddenly, something goes wrong and they're attacked by someone or something that we don't get to see. Then it switches over to a party, where we meet Kate (Franka Potente), a young woman who needs to leave to meet her friend. She goes to take the underground, but falls asleep while waiting for her ride. When she wakes up, the train has arrived, but there's nobody at the station. She gets on the underground, only to find out she's all alone there too...
The introduction is certainly appealing to the horror buff, and we're led to believe that we're in for a movie that will explore our fear of being trapped, the "underworld" (both in a real and metaphorical way), the dark, claustrophobia... Instead, the movie soon chooses to follow a different plot line, which, in my opinion, is much less interesting and much more conventional, more oriented to commercial success and to please those viewers who look for easy scares and blood-packed, gory scenes. The ending isn't fulfilling in the least, and seems sudden and not very well written or connected to what we've already seen.
The movie begins with a sequence in the sewage system of London, where two employees are doing their maintenance work. Suddenly, something goes wrong and they're attacked by someone or something that we don't get to see. Then it switches over to a party, where we meet Kate (Franka Potente), a young woman who needs to leave to meet her friend. She goes to take the underground, but falls asleep while waiting for her ride. When she wakes up, the train has arrived, but there's nobody at the station. She gets on the underground, only to find out she's all alone there too...
The introduction is certainly appealing to the horror buff, and we're led to believe that we're in for a movie that will explore our fear of being trapped, the "underworld" (both in a real and metaphorical way), the dark, claustrophobia... Instead, the movie soon chooses to follow a different plot line, which, in my opinion, is much less interesting and much more conventional, more oriented to commercial success and to please those viewers who look for easy scares and blood-packed, gory scenes. The ending isn't fulfilling in the least, and seems sudden and not very well written or connected to what we've already seen.
waste of time
stuart-arnold-127 August 2007
The film began with a good opening with a promise of an intriguing plot but, unfortunately like most modern horror films, the film was severally let down by Clichéd events, "I will stand with my back to this broken window, whilst we are been hunted", two dimensional character "I am a girl I can not hurt an unarmed murderer" , and awful script "I will shout and scream, even though the bad guy is searching for me' and uninspired finale 'how to kill the bad guy and not get my hands dirty in the process'. I wonder why the British film industry allows this sort of work to be financed and produced. The writer/ director gets a C for effort!
Stylish and slick Brit horror flick!
The_Void24 July 2005
This low budget British horror flick pretty much flew straight under the radar upon release towards the end of 2004, and while the film doesn't deserve the status of a classic, or even a modern genre classic; Creep still offers a good, horrific eighty minutes and fans of classically plotted horror thrillers will no doubt enjoy themselves. The film is very thin on plot, and works just from a premise - the premise being that Franke Potente has found herself trapped in the subway after hours. This wouldn't be so bad, but she's got a strange mutant on her tail that seems to delight in murdering everyone around her! While this plot doesn't really allow the audience to engage with it due to the fact that it is so shallow, director Christopher Smith keeps the film ticking over with an onslaught of suspense and tension brought about by the claustrophobic landscape of the tunnels underneath London and the fairly generous helping of disgusting gore effects, which are a nice addition to any horror movie if you ask me. If the film has any sort of commentary on the state of the management of London's subways, it's muddled at best
but it doesn't matter, as nobody sees this sort of thing for social comments anyway.
The effects of the 'creep' itself are actually quite good. The monster is mutated enough to be visibly inhuman, but it retains enough of it's human form to be recognisably humane in some way. The creature effects in this film seem to have been a big influence on fellow recent Brit horror 'The Descent', as the monsters in that film very much resembles the one in this. Franke Potente knows a lot about running since her big hit was the highly acclaimed German drama 'Run Lola Run', and she gets to stretch her legs in this film more than just a bit too. The frantic pace of the film really makes it what it is, and while there's nothing in this film that you haven't seen before; the movie takes it's borrowed elements and moulds them together into a slick horror cocktail. The fact that it's only on for eighty minutes will ensure that you wont get bored in spite of it's thin premise, and if a short running time isn't good enough for you; the gritty gore certainly will be, as this film features lots of grappling, stabbing, gutting and many other such things. It would seem that the director has an eye for visuals too, as he presents a few of them - the best being the bloodied hand reaching up from under a train!
The effects of the 'creep' itself are actually quite good. The monster is mutated enough to be visibly inhuman, but it retains enough of it's human form to be recognisably humane in some way. The creature effects in this film seem to have been a big influence on fellow recent Brit horror 'The Descent', as the monsters in that film very much resembles the one in this. Franke Potente knows a lot about running since her big hit was the highly acclaimed German drama 'Run Lola Run', and she gets to stretch her legs in this film more than just a bit too. The frantic pace of the film really makes it what it is, and while there's nothing in this film that you haven't seen before; the movie takes it's borrowed elements and moulds them together into a slick horror cocktail. The fact that it's only on for eighty minutes will ensure that you wont get bored in spite of it's thin premise, and if a short running time isn't good enough for you; the gritty gore certainly will be, as this film features lots of grappling, stabbing, gutting and many other such things. It would seem that the director has an eye for visuals too, as he presents a few of them - the best being the bloodied hand reaching up from under a train!
Painfully predictable
Leofwine_draca17 January 2014
I want to like CREEP; it's my kind of film. A, well, 'creepy' horror film set on and around the London Underground, with a pared-down story, sinister villain and a resourceful heroine fighting against the odds. And yet, by the end, it's turned out to be a disappointing experience, and the reason for that is that it's oh so painfully predictable.
Christopher Smith is definitely a better director than he is writer; case in point, I can't fault his direction, which is adequate by genre standards, but what I can fault is his staid waiting. After a mildly atmospheric set up, this turns into the usual dull cat-and-mouse game between heroine and killer, with extraneous characters being messily murdered (and worse) and even a bit of torture porn thrown in to sicken viewers. It's all very familiar and, unfortunately, not at all frightening.
It doesn't help that the bad guy is a bit lame, despite the sterling efforts of the ever-menacing Sean Harris. He looks exactly like Smeagol at the opening of THE LORD OF THE RINGS: RETURN OF THE KING, part-way towards becoming Gollum when he was still played by Andy Serkis in extensive makeup. He's a bit of a weirdo, a tragic figure more than anything else. Franka Potente's tough heroine is better, but the supporting actors are wasted (particularly the excellent Ken Campbell, whose skills would have enlivened this greatly).
It's worth remembering that this was done before – and much better – in the superior 1970s Brit chiller DEATH LINE, starring Donald Pleasence. What an engaging, atmospheric and, yes, terrifying movie that was! Sadly, despite its interesting setting, Creep is lacklustre by comparison.
Christopher Smith is definitely a better director than he is writer; case in point, I can't fault his direction, which is adequate by genre standards, but what I can fault is his staid waiting. After a mildly atmospheric set up, this turns into the usual dull cat-and-mouse game between heroine and killer, with extraneous characters being messily murdered (and worse) and even a bit of torture porn thrown in to sicken viewers. It's all very familiar and, unfortunately, not at all frightening.
It doesn't help that the bad guy is a bit lame, despite the sterling efforts of the ever-menacing Sean Harris. He looks exactly like Smeagol at the opening of THE LORD OF THE RINGS: RETURN OF THE KING, part-way towards becoming Gollum when he was still played by Andy Serkis in extensive makeup. He's a bit of a weirdo, a tragic figure more than anything else. Franka Potente's tough heroine is better, but the supporting actors are wasted (particularly the excellent Ken Campbell, whose skills would have enlivened this greatly).
It's worth remembering that this was done before – and much better – in the superior 1970s Brit chiller DEATH LINE, starring Donald Pleasence. What an engaging, atmospheric and, yes, terrifying movie that was! Sadly, despite its interesting setting, Creep is lacklustre by comparison.
Eerie atmosphere and sinister killer into London subway
ma-cortes13 April 2007
Kate (Franka Potente) a young girl leaving his acquaintances during a night party goes to London underground . Kate takes a nap but she's slept and losing the last train . It's the beginning a terrifying night with incredible terror , claustrophobia and killing pursuit by a dangerous being . After a subway train passes Kate encounters his friend Guy (J. Sheffield) . Later on , she encounters drug addicts and a homeless couple . They are stalked and pursued by a horrible creature starving of blood and drags his victims away . She flees throughout the obscure tunnels and along with another young man (Blackwood) will battle the loony mysterious murderer with disfigured face .
The picture contains creepy scenes, eerie horror , scary mystery, suspense and lots of blood and gore , including : Throat slitting, stabbed in the crutch , slicing , tortures and impalement ,among others horrible images . From the beginning to the ending , terror , action and tension is unstopped . The film take parts from the classics ¨Texas chainsaw massacre¨, ¨The hills have eyes¨ and borrowing on recent pictures just like ¨Wrong turn¨ or ¨House of 1000 corpses¨. The movie gets a spooky atmosphere with adequate cinematography and eerie musical score by The Insects . The motion picture was well directed by Christopher Smith . The flick isn't apt for little boys neither squeamish . The story will appeal to horror movies fans.
The picture contains creepy scenes, eerie horror , scary mystery, suspense and lots of blood and gore , including : Throat slitting, stabbed in the crutch , slicing , tortures and impalement ,among others horrible images . From the beginning to the ending , terror , action and tension is unstopped . The film take parts from the classics ¨Texas chainsaw massacre¨, ¨The hills have eyes¨ and borrowing on recent pictures just like ¨Wrong turn¨ or ¨House of 1000 corpses¨. The movie gets a spooky atmosphere with adequate cinematography and eerie musical score by The Insects . The motion picture was well directed by Christopher Smith . The flick isn't apt for little boys neither squeamish . The story will appeal to horror movies fans.
Nasty Little Underground Thriller...
MetalGeek7 December 2010
Once again, I've discovered a pretty cool, unknown (at least here in the U.S.) horror film thanks to the DVD bargain bin! A British/German co-production, "Creep" was a fast moving, claustrophobic little thriller that reminded me at times of "Midnight Meat Train" and "The Descent," maybe with a pinch of "Mimic" for good measure.
"Creep" is set in the dark world of London's Underground system. Our heroine is Kate (Franka Potente of "Run Lola Run"), an attractive socialite/party girl whose mission on this particular evening is to hit a celebrity soiree in the hopes of meeting actor George Clooney, who is rumored to be in town. Unfortunately she has a bit too much to drink at a prior engagement and falls asleep on a bench on the subway platform while waiting for her train. When she wakes up hours later, she's alone in the deserted station as the Underground has closed up for the night. While trying to find her way out of the locked station, she encounters a drunken co-worker who'd followed her from the party, who tries to put some moves on her. When the guy is suddenly dragged off and mauled by an unseen attacker, she understandably freaks out and runs off into the maze of tunnels. Eventually she meets a homeless couple living in an unused maintenance alcove and she offers them money to help her reach the surface. Naturally, wherever they go, the unseen attacker is waiting for them, and bloody mayhem ensues. For a while "Creep" is your basic chase film, with Kate and her new homeless friends running through seemingly endless dark tunnels before she's finally captured and caged by the "Creep," a horribly deformed humanoid creature of some sort. Allying herself with George, a London sewer worker who's trapped in the next cage, Kate breaks out and again tries to head for the surface, leading to a final showdown in the creature's hidden lair, deep underground.
I won't reveal much more because I don't want to violate the Spoiler Warning rules, but I will say that the scene where Kate and George discover the lair of the "Creep" (which appears to be a disused hospital/laboratory) is a bit muddled and therefore the supposed revelations found there aren't very well defined, so the big "moment" turns out to be a bit anti-climactic. Up until then, the film was a top notch suspense/thriller. Gorehounds will have a field day with this one, as the kill scenes are all quite nasty throughout (even though I understand the U.S. version I saw supposedly has a few of the more extreme bits cut out), the cinematography is excellent, and the performances are great. "Creep" was a nice surprise, considering that I honestly wasn't expecting much from it when I first pressed "play." Here in the U.S. the film can be found on a budget priced DVD with three other low-budget horror flicks ("Tamara," "Drive Thru" and "Boy Eats Girl"), and "Creep" is definitely worth picking up. "Creep" does what it sets out to do: give you the creeps.
"Creep" is set in the dark world of London's Underground system. Our heroine is Kate (Franka Potente of "Run Lola Run"), an attractive socialite/party girl whose mission on this particular evening is to hit a celebrity soiree in the hopes of meeting actor George Clooney, who is rumored to be in town. Unfortunately she has a bit too much to drink at a prior engagement and falls asleep on a bench on the subway platform while waiting for her train. When she wakes up hours later, she's alone in the deserted station as the Underground has closed up for the night. While trying to find her way out of the locked station, she encounters a drunken co-worker who'd followed her from the party, who tries to put some moves on her. When the guy is suddenly dragged off and mauled by an unseen attacker, she understandably freaks out and runs off into the maze of tunnels. Eventually she meets a homeless couple living in an unused maintenance alcove and she offers them money to help her reach the surface. Naturally, wherever they go, the unseen attacker is waiting for them, and bloody mayhem ensues. For a while "Creep" is your basic chase film, with Kate and her new homeless friends running through seemingly endless dark tunnels before she's finally captured and caged by the "Creep," a horribly deformed humanoid creature of some sort. Allying herself with George, a London sewer worker who's trapped in the next cage, Kate breaks out and again tries to head for the surface, leading to a final showdown in the creature's hidden lair, deep underground.
I won't reveal much more because I don't want to violate the Spoiler Warning rules, but I will say that the scene where Kate and George discover the lair of the "Creep" (which appears to be a disused hospital/laboratory) is a bit muddled and therefore the supposed revelations found there aren't very well defined, so the big "moment" turns out to be a bit anti-climactic. Up until then, the film was a top notch suspense/thriller. Gorehounds will have a field day with this one, as the kill scenes are all quite nasty throughout (even though I understand the U.S. version I saw supposedly has a few of the more extreme bits cut out), the cinematography is excellent, and the performances are great. "Creep" was a nice surprise, considering that I honestly wasn't expecting much from it when I first pressed "play." Here in the U.S. the film can be found on a budget priced DVD with three other low-budget horror flicks ("Tamara," "Drive Thru" and "Boy Eats Girl"), and "Creep" is definitely worth picking up. "Creep" does what it sets out to do: give you the creeps.
Claustrophobic, Scary and Gore Run, Kate, Run
claudio_carvalho25 April 2006
While inspecting the sewage system of London, two workers are attacked by a weird creature. Later, Kate (Franka Potente), decides to leave a party trying to meet the actor George Clooney that is in London. She waits for the last subway train, but after drinking many alcoholic beverages, she takes a nap on the platform bench losing the train and being trapped in the closed subway station. Later, a train going to the yard passes she gets and she meets her acquaintance Guy (Jeremy Sheffield), who tries to rape her in the wagon. Guy is hardly attacked by the creature, and Kate escapes through the tunnel. This is the beginning of her claustrophobic, scary and gore night running through the underground of London.
"Creep" is a good horror movie. The story is scary, the eerie creature is horrible, his screams are frightening and I believe that the fans of the genre will like this flick. It is not possible to feel empathy for the character of Franka Potente, which is very arrogant. Further, her yellow dress is absolutely awful, but at least exposes her beautiful legs. My vote is seven.
Title (Brazil): "Plataforma do Medo" ("Platform of the Fear")
"Creep" is a good horror movie. The story is scary, the eerie creature is horrible, his screams are frightening and I believe that the fans of the genre will like this flick. It is not possible to feel empathy for the character of Franka Potente, which is very arrogant. Further, her yellow dress is absolutely awful, but at least exposes her beautiful legs. My vote is seven.
Title (Brazil): "Plataforma do Medo" ("Platform of the Fear")
Not too bad, but not really too good either
dragonspiderlady6 August 2005
I had very high hopes for this film. And as the summary says, it wasn't bad, but it wasn't the best.
The main problem was it appears to have been cut too much, making it look like the film didn't know whether it wanted to be teen slasher or psychological horror. It had a couple of truly disturbing bits but also several, "oh look, we blew the budget on fake blood" moments.
All in all I'm glad I saw it, but I'm also glad I borrowed my mate's DVD and didn't go to the pictures to see it and therefore waste a fiver. Worth a watch if you're a horror fan though.
Kim xxx
The main problem was it appears to have been cut too much, making it look like the film didn't know whether it wanted to be teen slasher or psychological horror. It had a couple of truly disturbing bits but also several, "oh look, we blew the budget on fake blood" moments.
All in all I'm glad I saw it, but I'm also glad I borrowed my mate's DVD and didn't go to the pictures to see it and therefore waste a fiver. Worth a watch if you're a horror fan though.
Kim xxx
A strong 7 ...
scfitandfabulous27 January 2023
This is the first review I've taken time to write but this film really is worth it. I've watched pretty much every horror there is with a rating over 6 and are finding it quite hard to find a good movie with a decent rating. My general rule is to never even bother wasting my life watching a film with a rating below a 6 but I went with the public review opinion on this one and I'm really glad I did!
First twenty minutes were touch and go, low budget and pretty poor acting but thereafter an absolutely brilliant horror. It reminded me of The Decent in lots of ways, accept this was in the London underground. I'm a woman and the loneliness of the underground made this film really relatable and definitely gave me pretty bad anxiety.
Ignore the 5 rating it's worth a watch!
First twenty minutes were touch and go, low budget and pretty poor acting but thereafter an absolutely brilliant horror. It reminded me of The Decent in lots of ways, accept this was in the London underground. I'm a woman and the loneliness of the underground made this film really relatable and definitely gave me pretty bad anxiety.
Ignore the 5 rating it's worth a watch!
More UK Film Council rubbish
Lobsterpot7 May 2007
Yet another example of the complete waste of UK Lottery money. Just how commercial did this film prove. The Film Council ,who funded this miserable garbage should be stranded, on one of the London Undergrounds disused stations, for allowing this clichéd, dismal specimen to be committed to film, a half mutant thing made up of all the horror movies the director has seen and felt fit to imitate, most notably Deathline. Amongst its many sins is the quite obvious failure to make the lead character remotely sympathetic until the last minute. It's a little bit too late then! Surely all those development executives, at the UK Film Council, could have noticed this at the script stage. Add to this the terrible acting and the laughable appearance of the creature and you get a prime example of how not to scare.
All aboard the murder train!
Darkside-Reviewer7 February 2021
Creep (2004) is a British-German Horror film that was first shown at a the Frankfurt fantasy filmfest in August 2004. The movie is both written and directed by Christopher Smith.
Creep tells the story of a young woman named Kate (Franka Potente) who after a late night party finds herself trapped in the London Underground subway station. Kate soon finds herself the victim of a deformed killer who begins killing off anyone unlucky enough to be trapped in the Underground after it is locked up for the night. Kate tries to escape and find help but with the killer stalking the dark tunnels looking for victims to skin and feed to the horde hungry sewer rats that follow him around. She is forced to travel deeper into the subway tunnels to try and reach the next station in the hopes that there will be a guard to help her but she unknowingly ends up walking right into the lair of this deformed and deranged killer.
The idea of being trapped in the London Underground subway tunnels makes for an interesting film. The dark and closed in walls of the Underground tunnels are scary during the day let alone at night when every sound is amplified echoing down every tunnel. The quiet and atmospheric feel of the London Underground at night is very accurately depicted in this film. I first saw this film on DVD when it was released in 2004 I was just a teenager but the movie stayed with me as I grew up and even now as an adult I think of this movie whenever I get the London Underground at night needless to say I make sure never to miss my train.
The film stars Franka Potente who just two prior to starring in this film Co Stared alongside Matt Damon in the hit action film (The Bourne Identity) (2002). Franka Potente gives an amazing performance throughout the entire film. There are a number of scenes that involve her character being head deep in horrible looking sewer water aswell being covered in blood, sweat and grease. Obviously the water was safe and she was covered in makeup but when watching the film the effects look great and the makeup effects are very well done. I have to give Franka Potente credit though doing those kinds of makeup heavy scenes in a confined space, some of them in being water that looks like genuine hot sewer water takes a lot of commitment and dedication to do and she definitely deserves praise for that.
There's a fair amount of violence and gore in this film most of the violence happens during the last twenty minutes of the film. There's still plenty of blood and action throughout the rest of the film but the good stuff mostly happens offscreen until the end of the film.
If your a fan of Horror movies and are looking for something different from the usual masked killer slasher genre. Then I highly recommend giving Creep (2004) a chance you won't regret it.
Creep tells the story of a young woman named Kate (Franka Potente) who after a late night party finds herself trapped in the London Underground subway station. Kate soon finds herself the victim of a deformed killer who begins killing off anyone unlucky enough to be trapped in the Underground after it is locked up for the night. Kate tries to escape and find help but with the killer stalking the dark tunnels looking for victims to skin and feed to the horde hungry sewer rats that follow him around. She is forced to travel deeper into the subway tunnels to try and reach the next station in the hopes that there will be a guard to help her but she unknowingly ends up walking right into the lair of this deformed and deranged killer.
The idea of being trapped in the London Underground subway tunnels makes for an interesting film. The dark and closed in walls of the Underground tunnels are scary during the day let alone at night when every sound is amplified echoing down every tunnel. The quiet and atmospheric feel of the London Underground at night is very accurately depicted in this film. I first saw this film on DVD when it was released in 2004 I was just a teenager but the movie stayed with me as I grew up and even now as an adult I think of this movie whenever I get the London Underground at night needless to say I make sure never to miss my train.
The film stars Franka Potente who just two prior to starring in this film Co Stared alongside Matt Damon in the hit action film (The Bourne Identity) (2002). Franka Potente gives an amazing performance throughout the entire film. There are a number of scenes that involve her character being head deep in horrible looking sewer water aswell being covered in blood, sweat and grease. Obviously the water was safe and she was covered in makeup but when watching the film the effects look great and the makeup effects are very well done. I have to give Franka Potente credit though doing those kinds of makeup heavy scenes in a confined space, some of them in being water that looks like genuine hot sewer water takes a lot of commitment and dedication to do and she definitely deserves praise for that.
There's a fair amount of violence and gore in this film most of the violence happens during the last twenty minutes of the film. There's still plenty of blood and action throughout the rest of the film but the good stuff mostly happens offscreen until the end of the film.
If your a fan of Horror movies and are looking for something different from the usual masked killer slasher genre. Then I highly recommend giving Creep (2004) a chance you won't regret it.
Good idea goes down the tubes
skymovies17 December 2004
Run Lola Run meets Halloween with a touch of Jeepers Creepers on the underground. And on a budget. A patchy schlocker with a smattering of tension but no real scares, Creep loses its way once the killer is revealed, flailing around much like its female protagonist. That her character is not particularly likable is not Franka Potente's fault, but I had more empathy for the secondary characters she bumps into and they, of course, are all doomed.
The film's major flaw is that the villain's raison d'etre is hinted at but never really explained and therefore he's just another freak with a homicidal streak. It's short enough not to irritate, but when it ends (albeit with a nice little irony), my only thought was "So what?"
The film's major flaw is that the villain's raison d'etre is hinted at but never really explained and therefore he's just another freak with a homicidal streak. It's short enough not to irritate, but when it ends (albeit with a nice little irony), my only thought was "So what?"
Finally a modern day horror film that worth shouting about!!!
babydave20118327 February 2005
Iv read pretty much all the reviews on this film before i went to watch it, and lets face it i wasn't expecting much after reading the one's on IMDb, but I'm glad i trusted my judgement and ignored them because this film is a defo must see film for any horror nut (alot of people would'nt know a good horror film if it slapped them in the face)!!! This film has the all main ingredients to what a successful horror film requires, GOOD STORY LINE, GREAT ATMOSPHERE, CREEPY PSYCHO KILLER, GRAPHIC AND GORY SCENES AND ITS RAW.I tell you what if more horror films were brought out like this then the genre would be the most popular by far. I consider myself to be very critical when it comes to horror films as they are my best genre of films and lets face it, they don't make them like they used to, but i really enjoyed this film and am very glad i watched it, and will be purchasing it when it makes its DVD release. So i would advise anyone who likes a good horror film that delivers frights, atmosphere, gore and a dumb blond running away from a psycho to watch it,,,,,you will not be disappointed.
Just seen Creep
Ingledew_Moxton3 February 2005
I have just seen this movie. It has genuine suspenseful moments, there are some totally unreal moments and lots of gore.
Mainly, the lead character played very ably by Franka Potente is marvellous, but then I would say that as I have liked her ever since I saw her as a bright red-headed runner in Lola Rennt (Run Lola Run).
Definitely atmospheric. Tube stations late at night are big, empty, echoey and have large patches of light and dark and I can't think of anything worse than being locked in one overnight. Although the ending was a bit strange.
I thoroughly enjoyed this movie
Mainly, the lead character played very ably by Franka Potente is marvellous, but then I would say that as I have liked her ever since I saw her as a bright red-headed runner in Lola Rennt (Run Lola Run).
Definitely atmospheric. Tube stations late at night are big, empty, echoey and have large patches of light and dark and I can't think of anything worse than being locked in one overnight. Although the ending was a bit strange.
I thoroughly enjoyed this movie
Just awful
spookshowbaby7829 July 2005
I was expecting something a bit more sophisticated than this American style "horror".
I'm usually a scared person (heck, I was even scared by Scream!) and love to be scared, but the villain was so poorly unbelievable, I just got bored and wanted it to end. I think they wanted it to be like Jeepers Creepers, with bizarre freaky killer, but I would have been happier if it was a mad homeless person, rather than the freak of nature, so unbelievable, it just didn't work.
I was hoping for me to be so scared , that I would have been scared to go on the tubes for a while, but sadly no. This horror freak was not impressed.
Nice idea for a film, just a shame they spoilt it.
I'm usually a scared person (heck, I was even scared by Scream!) and love to be scared, but the villain was so poorly unbelievable, I just got bored and wanted it to end. I think they wanted it to be like Jeepers Creepers, with bizarre freaky killer, but I would have been happier if it was a mad homeless person, rather than the freak of nature, so unbelievable, it just didn't work.
I was hoping for me to be so scared , that I would have been scared to go on the tubes for a while, but sadly no. This horror freak was not impressed.
Nice idea for a film, just a shame they spoilt it.
A run of the mill horror movie which doesn't impress
lollyshaun25 January 2008
I'll keep this short as a movie like this doesn't deserve a full review.
Given the setting, this movie could have been something really special. It could have been another "28 days later" or even a "Blair Witch Project"
The first 20 or so minutes of the movie I was really excited, directer did a decent job with cinematography and suspense, although I don't think He managed to capture true eeriness of an empty London Underground.
Characters were a big let down. Our "heroine" in this movie is a worthless piece of crap, and you really don't care if she dies or not. As many people have said before, I was rooting for the homeless people and the black guy, who managed to give me a chuckle or two(whether intentional of the writers or not).
The main villain, is kept in the dark for the first half of the movie, but when he is revealed I was really disappointed. I won't spoil it but lets just say my 10 year old sister could probably beat him in a wrestling match.
All in all this is just another mediocre horror film which falls into the trap of following a simple Hollywood formula. This film had a lot of potential but really failed to hit the mark.
Just to highlight how lame this movie was, the characters in this movie had at least FIVE TIMES to finish off and kill the main villain. INSTEAD THEY RUN AWAY.
Given the setting, this movie could have been something really special. It could have been another "28 days later" or even a "Blair Witch Project"
The first 20 or so minutes of the movie I was really excited, directer did a decent job with cinematography and suspense, although I don't think He managed to capture true eeriness of an empty London Underground.
Characters were a big let down. Our "heroine" in this movie is a worthless piece of crap, and you really don't care if she dies or not. As many people have said before, I was rooting for the homeless people and the black guy, who managed to give me a chuckle or two(whether intentional of the writers or not).
The main villain, is kept in the dark for the first half of the movie, but when he is revealed I was really disappointed. I won't spoil it but lets just say my 10 year old sister could probably beat him in a wrestling match.
All in all this is just another mediocre horror film which falls into the trap of following a simple Hollywood formula. This film had a lot of potential but really failed to hit the mark.
Just to highlight how lame this movie was, the characters in this movie had at least FIVE TIMES to finish off and kill the main villain. INSTEAD THEY RUN AWAY.
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