5/3/2022
*Contains Spoilers*The fact that this movie was written, directed and stars only 2 people is amazing in itself. The fact that it's actually a good movie and works with all its limitations is astounding. Indie film veteran Mark Duplass co-wrote this film with Patrick Brice who also directed the movie and plays the character of Aaron. Duplass plays the thoroughly disturbing character Josef. Released in 2015 this film belongs to the found footage sub-genre of horror. This is also surprising since found footage films now have been overly used and exploited. Aaron answers a craigslist ad from Josef who is in need of a freelance videographer to follow him around for a day. The pay is good and Aaron takes the job. He heads out to this big house in a densely wooded area and things are just a little strange right from the beginning. When Aaron doesn’t find anyone home, Josef jumps out and scares him in a somewhat playful manner. Josef is very fond of the cliched jump scares but for this movie it just kind of works. Josef confesses that he has terminal cancer and his girlfriend is pregnant. He wants to make a video for his unborn child to remember him. Josef is a very charismatic and normal-looking guy but something about him just isn’t right.One of the first things Aaron films is of Josef “taking a tuby” (a bath). Awkward does not begin to describe this interaction. Josef is fully naked and pretending to take a bath with a baby. The whole emotional tone of the film is rather schizophrenic, going from very dark personal stories to laughing and joking around. Josef then introduces him to “peach fuzz” a scary Halloween werewolf mask. Then they wander off into the woods to find this therapeutic healing river. Josef takes off running and leaves Aaron to wonder what the hell is going on here. They eventually find each other again and come upon a hidden pond in a rock formation of a heart.
Aaron really needs the money so he keeps playing along with Josef’s peculiar behavior. They get food at a diner and have so more deep conversations about things they’ve done in their pasts. Back at Josef’s place, he compels Aaron to stay for a drink while he tells him a rather graphic story about his wife. This kicks up the awkward tension to a new high. Desperate to leave Aaron is once again convinced to stay. Although Aaron drugs Josef’s drink to knock him out. While asleep Josef’s phone vibrates and Aaron answers it, it's Angela his so-called pregnant wife. This is where Josef’s story falls apart. Angela is actually his sister, she is not pregnant and Josef is an extremely lonely single guy with severe mental illness. She warns him to leave immediately. Josef then appears behind him wearing the Peach Fuzz mask. Aaron does escape and is back home but the stalking and paranoia have just begun. He keeps receiving packages and videos in the mail. One of these is Josef explaining why he is like this and becoming very emotional and honest about how lonely and depressed he is. He begs Aaron to meet with him one last time so he can properly apologize. He agrees and they are set to meet at a public park bench. The last scene is a grainy video of the back of Aaron waiting on the bench. We then see Josef slowly creeping up behind him and drawing an ax over his head and bringing it down hard into Aaron's skull. The movie ends with another infamous Josef jump scare into the camera.
“Creep” for what it's worth is an effectively creepy and socially awkward movie. It was so good in fact that a couple years later the sequel “Creep 2” came to Netflix. This time with a woman going toe to toe with Josef’s antics. Both films are rather short making it easy to watch them back to back in one sitting.