Review of Creep 2 (2017) by Gbg_Jason — 02 Nov 2017

I would like to start this review out noting that there are massive spoilers for Creep, the film’s predecessor and first entry in a planned trilogy. The first film is currently available on Netflix, and if you have not seen it, I recommend doing so before moving forward with this review, or your life for that matter.

Creep 2 picks up at an unknown amount of time after the events of the first movie, and follows Aaron (formerly known as Josef in the original Creep), played by Mark Duplass (The League, Safety Not Guaranteed), as well as his alter ego Peachfuzz, and his new “friend.” If you’ve watched the first, you know Duplass plays a killer who befriends or hires people to do various tasks for him, usually involving a video recording of some sort; stalking them and killing them. His friend Dave, played by Karan Soni (Deadpool, Ghostbusters) has received a strange package containing a stuffed wolf, which happens to have a camera hidden in it, and a strange DVD. For those of us who’ve seen the first entry, we know the movie is not Sesame Street. This scene is shown entirely through the view of the stuffed animal, which he moves on occasion while conversing with his friend, not wanting any potential future audience to miss a single moment of what is coming. He even looks at the camera a number of times during an exchange with Dave, almost breaking the fourth wall, because we the viewers know Dave isn’t going to see his next breakfast.

After Dave’s kitchen/dining room is redecorated, we meet Sara, played by Desiree Arkhaven (Girls, The Slope). Sara spends her life making documentaries about men she finds online with strange quirks on a YouTube show she produces called Encounters. After receiving a less than stellar response, she seems to be ready to throw in the towel, until she finds a strange post on Craigslist requesting a videographer for a day, and is into Interview with the Vampire. After a few strange texts back and forth, Sara sets out to meet Aaron with no idea what she is in for.

With little introduction, Aaron tells Sara that he is the world’s most prolific, yet unknown serial killer, with a body count approaching the 40s. He is losing the joy he once found in killing and hopes making a documentary will spark his love of killing once more. This begins a dangerous game of cat and mouse played by our unlikely duo.

Aaron comes across as a highly intelligent, charismatic mass murderer one moment, and a sociopathic man child that didn’t get enough attention from his mother the next. Sara’s stoic responses and questioning makes a great dynamic and makes their relationship feel genuine. While this film, like the original, has a slower pace, the tension becomes palpable early in when Aaron, and to some extent Sara’s, lies start being revealed. At this point, both characters facades start to crack and deteriorate quickly.

While most found footage films make me feel sick or give me light headaches, Creep 2 does not feature much of the jarring camera shaking, with the exception of a few times that Aaron is in control and you can easily picture him making the exaggerated motions while holding the camera and adds to the performance. Unlike most of my favorite horror films, there is very little violence or gore which is refreshing to see; since the mid 2000’s we’ve seen more and more directors going for shock value opposed to creating legitimate fear.

This film is not going to be for everyone, with its haunting pace that pushes you to the edge of your seat with tension one moment and has you bursting out with laughter the next. Creep 2 has moments where it almost feels like a comedy or a romance opposed to a horror film. If you’re tired of the repetitive horror tropes that plague the genre currently, give this one a shot. You won’t be disappointed.