Wednesday, October 25, 2017

I'll Show You A Creep (Too)

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One of my favorite sub-genres of horror films is the one where the horrible awful person who thinks they're like so bad finds out that no no no, silly, you ain't seen nothing yet. Lucky McKee's masterpiece May is probably the finest example there is - Jeremy Sisto's character thinks he's totally edgy the way he fetishizes creepy shit but then he meets May and finds out, too late for his life's liking, that real honest-to-goodness creepy shit is a little much for him.

Patrick Brice's original Creep in 2014 flirted with that idea a little bit, but the sequel Creep 2, out on demand right now, takes it on full-tilt. Both star a terrifically un-shy Mark Duplass as the titular creep named Aaron, a man who invites strangers into his intimate places only to speed into "too too intimate" at lightning quick speed. The first film had some fun subverting the slasher tropes it was toying around with by making the object of Duplass' obsession a dude - Creep borders on and then blunders straight into homophobia, but I found it a fascinating dance, watching a couple (presumably) straight dudes bat around at these (presumably) straight dude insecurities. They're not unaware what they're doing, at least.

The sequel remembers that about Aaron and it sits at the fringes, but his partner in creepiness this go-round is female - Desiree Akhavan (from Appropriate Behavior) steps up to the plate as his unsuspecting foil Sara, who under duress finds wells of weirdness she never realized existed. In that way it's much more of a Slasher Movie than the previous one - just instead of Laurie Strode finding the strength inside of her to stab a madman with a knitting needle we have Sara sneaking up on Aaron in the shower and scaring the bejesus out of him.

It also reminded me of Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon, 2006's stellar and somewhat forgotten slasher inversion, and if you're reminding me of that gem then you're doing something right indeed. Creep 2 builds on and improves the Creep world, and in the grand tradition of these kinds of things it points its rusty blade towards an even broader future ahead. I look forward to more creepiness, cubed. (Watch Creep 2's trailer right here.)
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