Creep [DVD]

 

 

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I seem to be in the minority here saying i thought this film was quite scary. Saying that though i did watch it by myself at like two in the mornin and dun-dun-dun in the dark.
Having been to the London underground and having seen how dark the tunnels are i thought this film was very scary.
There was a point where i had to change the channel because i couldnt watch the screen during a certain experimentation scene.
I would say however that the main character (herion) can be very annoying at times as she does have alot of oppertunities to kill the "baddie" but saying that i doubt your brain works logically when being persued by a monster.
The actor who portrayed the "baddie" did a very good job of making him very creepy.

I read through the reviews here before getting this film. All the reviews that blast this as a worthless piece of cinema and the few that like it. Not surprisingly, I was somewhat put off by that, but even so, two factors made me buy it anyway. The first was that the few good reviews here painted enough of a picture to make me think that it might be worth a look. Second was that I just could NOT resist the idea of a story set on the London underground. That weird underworld of London that we only get faint glimpses of in our normal lives riding the unfriendly tube.

Having actually seen it, I am now a bit puzzled why everyone has taken against it so sharply. Or, more accurately, I am puzzled what people expected that wasn't there. I think it is a great film. Sure it has a few flaws (the rather cute rats are a bit of a shame). Sure, it is not quite `factually accurate' in some ways (and yes - all horror movies are factually accurate, aren't they!). But overall it seems to work very well and succeeds admirably in being what it sets out to be - a horror movie at its simplest. Not supposed to be real. Not supposed to make you think too much, but instead out to give you a trip and to make you feel both fear and a sense of the strange and unusual. Unreal, but with its own bizarre logic. And why not? That's what horror is for, isn't it? I bought this at the same time as The Descent, which many people compare it to unfavourably. But of the two I sort of prefer this film. Perhaps that is because The Descent tries to be a deadly serious film, which ultimately leads to it failing to convince with its improbable make up jobs and unlikely underground monsters. I am not saying that Creep is not a `serious' film. It is not a satirical film as such, but it is a film that knows what it is and is fully content to be that, to revel in the fact that it is unreal and improbable and fantastical and to just go with it. Which makes the suspension of disbelief - essential for a horror movie - easier rather than harder, I think. The result is a film that views more as a fantasy than a reality. Something closer to Neverwhere than to Blair Witch (to call up two very disparate examples). It is a voyage to somewhere else. Some strange subterranean world where improbable things are much easier to accept. This subterranean setting is magnificent, I think. And it is not so far from the truth either. London is a strange place with lots hidden below the surface. The `lost rivers' of London for instance, which now flow through forgotten tunnels caught up in the sewage system. Also, the store room that she climbs into quite early on in the movie is real I think. I cant remember where it is precisely (near Camden perhaps?), but I think it was once a wartime bunker or shelter and was also intended to be part of a tube line. It was given over to storage for businesses documents etc. instead though. I cant swear that the actual sewer tunnels and old passageways are really there under london, but these things do exist and the ones in the film are certainly far from improbable. The interconnectedness of this underworld might be stretching reality a bit, but even so the general tone is quite `acceptable' - if not totally realistic - even if you have a little knowledge of what is actually down there.

The movie is full of other nice touches as well. That awful woman who refuses to help with change near the start of the film perfectly captures the arrogant and unhelpful citizens of a city with a very cold heart. All the actors do a great job in fact. Even the Creep himself is not too bad. Perhaps a bit overblown in the makeup considering that he is actually a human being, but even so, the performance itself is good, with his high-pitched call and sometimes almost elegant movement.

And most magnificent of all is Franke Potente's wonderful performance, moving from the odious smart-set girl at the start (who you almost want to see get a kick in the pants from something raw and horrific, just to wake her up a bit) to the broken, fragile and very human thing left at the end. And that last scene of all - I wont reveal it here - but I think it is a little piece of genius. Such a perfect way to round this all off.

Now - if they'd just left the rats out of it . . .

Creep is written and directed by Christopher Smith. It stars Franka Potente, Paul Rattray, Kelly Scott, Ken Campbell, Vas Blackwood, Sean Harris and Jeremy Sheffield. Plot finds Potente as London party girl, Kate, who falls asleep while waiting for the last tube train home. Locked in for the night Kate finds there is something sinister lurking down in the dark depths of the London Underground system.

I'm a bit late to the party as regards writing a review for this film, but I'm pleased to see that on internet movie sites the film is actually rated about right. Average. Lifting from many a horror picture along the way, director/writer Smith can't be accused of originality, but for two thirds of the movie he at least has a good sense of mood, pace and creeping unease. Premise is a good one and the locale is ready made for some quality stalk and menace monsterings, with Potente, sporting an odd look for her, doing a nice line in shriek-panic-and frantic running. But then not only does Potente turn into a generic dopey lass, the Creep of the title grabs too much screen time (so not worth the wait) as Smith completely throws away the atmospherics and, erm, creepiness. Choosing instead to pander to gooey conventions in a seemingly desperate need to shock for the blood craving movie watcher.

Still, there's enough here to totally not dismiss it as a failure, while it's always nice to see Vas Blackwood getting work, but Smith should have trusted himself to make an unnerving chiller and not shift the tone so dramatically for the weak final third. 5/10

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4.0 out of 5 stars good! quite freaky!
i really wasnt expecting this film to be this good. but it was!. the killer in it is quite freaky and it puts you off train staions!. Read more

Published 8 months ago by zombie1

4.0 out of 5 stars Original and a great plot.
I was surprised that this had so many bad reviews. I consider myself a horror fan, though I usually look for a good story over shock value. Read more

Published 11 months ago by ZBarrett

5.0 out of 5 stars I really liked it!!
I read the synopsis for this and thought it sounded good but was put off by the bad ratings. Having watched it now i have to say i really enjoyed it. Read more

Published 13 months ago by Mo

2.0 out of 5 stars Belongs underground
Yesterday I completed a short underground journey late in the evening. I passed six "help points", all of which have automatic fire alarms. Read more

Published 18 months ago by Gaffer_75

1.0 out of 5 stars Creep = Fluke?
This is a truly awful film for all the reasons listed in previous reviews, wooden acting, no meaning or direction to the (entirely implausible) plot, zero character development,... Read more

Published on 18 Aug 2009 by JH

2.0 out of 5 stars Another British potential down the tubes....
I nearly titled my review 'Craap' but thought this a bit harsh - the film is an original (ie. not a remake) and British after all. Read more

Published on 29 July 2009 by O Hooligan

3.0 out of 5 stars A satire on vivisection?
A vivisector haunts the London Underground and the heroine has the misfortune to be trapped there after closing time. Read more

Published on 18 Jun 2009 by Mr. A. K. Walker

3.0 out of 5 stars funny horror
This film could be summed up in one sentence: great concept, deteriorating delivery.

The concept of being stuck in the London underground is the perfect setting for a... Read more

Published on 21 April 2009 by matt 13

4.0 out of 5 stars THE BEST OF BRITISH HORROR
Don't listen to the knockers, this film is scary. I watched this the way horror should be: on my own late at night. Read more

Published on 5 Feb 2009 by S. Clarke

5.0 out of 5 stars Dark and unsettling but has a lot of art
This is one of the few modern horror films that provides the art that horror films are supposed to justify themselves with. Read more

Published on 24 Sep 2008 by DH Dixon

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