Netflix can't keep up with me in bed. Honest to God, every night, I lie there, scrolling endlessly for a new horror movie to watch. I've watched them all, and they send a new one our way perhaps once a week, once a fortnight during a particularly dry spell. Despite its periodic impotence, Netflix continues to do good for indie movies and original series, offering a widely visible platform for their hard work. I have seen some obscure movies thanks to Netflix...
Willow Creek to name a terrible one...
Devils Backbone Texas to name a moderately better one,
Afflicted to name a very decent one. And following these three titles in their found footage style, comes a movie far more daring and bold in its approach, in the form of
Creep.
Not to be mistaken with British picture made in 2004 with
Run Lola Run's Franka Potente and
Harry Brown's terrifying Sean Harris, which is a far more disturbing experience than this, but only because it really goes there with the physical violence. This Creep really likes to play psychological games though, and on the most vulnerable of people. The movie taps into the widely held fear of strangers from the internet. As almost any freelancer could surely tell you (and I can certainly vouch for this), while scoping for suitable jobs to lend your skills to, you are liable to come across a bit of a weirdo every now and then.
Creep's freelancer is Aaron, a cameraman, who has answered a Craigslist ad for a $1000 working day at some remote (albeit fucking fabulous) house up in the mountains.
Now just as much as $1000 for a maximum of 24 hours of your time is a pretty tidy sum, it is also almost so much that you rather expect you'll be fellating some hunchbacked hermaphrodite in a dirty basement by the end of the day for it. I mean, at least when Nev Schulman goes poking around with internet weirdos at their very own houses, he takes Max with him for backup (not to mention the considerable MTV crew, but still...). This cameraman goes it alone, and although this particular error doesn't see him to his fate, it seems a stupid move for a seemingly intelligent, college-educated fellow like Aaron (Patrick Brice). His personality, his sensibility and sensitivity are what escort him to an early grave, when that classic puzzle of Etiquette vs Instinct kicks in.
Up at the beautiful house in the mountains, Aaron finds nobody home. He is suddenly snuck up on by a weird looking fella played by Mark Duplass who, for better or worse, was adorned by the Lord with the face of the world's most prolific child molester. He reminds me somewhat of Michael Shannon's darker roles, but with the deadpan hardness of Ted Levine. One look at the dude, in his gorgeously sculpting running lycra, and we are certain who our titular Creep is. He is Josef, and he is weird. He is instantly very hands-on, hugging Aaron, insisting that this is by far the least weird thing that will happen today. Very encouraging. He swiftly invites the cameraman in, and hands him his $1000, thereby ruling money out of the equation, and making the encounter a 'relationship.' Further encouraging.
Josef explains that he is a cancer survivor, whose illness has returned in the form of an inoperable brain tumour, and he has little time left to live. Thing is, his lovely wife, who remains absent throughout, is expecting their first child, and so he wants to make a video diary of a day in his life, for his son to watch when he is older, in memory of the father he never knew. Very touching, and a pretty decent premise. For Aaron is no street-smart yob who throws a curse out every second word, he is sensitive and discreet, so he is never going to tell this poor dying man that this idea is very creepy and that he'd rather leave the premises post haste. He is going to suck it up, and sit tight, camera in hand, no matter how bizarre it gets. Cos let's face it, guilt stings worse than a knife wound.
It starts off as an 'Uncomfortable' reading on the Weirdometer. Josef strips off and bathes, holding his imaginary son in his arms and playing with him in a manner that would instantly look innocent were there an actual baby present. They go for a hike in the woods, during which Josef continuously runs off and jumps out at Aaron. He seems to get off on shitting people up. When they get back to the house, Aaron is talked into staying for a drink, despite his intention to leave. During this time, Josef makes a very queer confession. The cameraman has pulled one of those "oh yeah, the camera's definitely off" tricks. A while back, he found his internet browser history full of bestiality porn, and conceded that his wife had some sick fetish, which she flat out denied to him. So he went away under the premise of a work meeting, then broke into his house that night, wearing a fearsome wolf mask (Josef names it Peachfuzz, and brandishes the thing throughout the movie) and raped his wife, much to her delight. But when he returned from his 'business trip', she never mentioned anything, and was suddenly happy, and the internet history was clear again. By now, the Weirdometer is registering a solid 'Fearing for one's orifices'.
After Josef's shaking revelation, Aaron can't find his keys, and starts to get agitated, as he has been trying to leave for quite a while now. Josef plays it cool, and convinces Aaron to stay the night, but the poor stranded one drugs the weirdo's whiskey, and he passes out. While he's unconscious, Josef's phone rings, and the woman on the other end warns Aaron to get the hell out, as her brother is crazy, and there is no wife or child. This is the glorious 'Oh Shit' moment that sends the rest of the movie into its delicious downward spiral. Every good horror movie needs at least one of these moments: the impact that provokes a physical reaction in you, where you feel a thud in your chest, or a prickling in your stomach. I think to enjoy a lot of movies, we must temporarily resign our consciousness to that of the film, in order to fully receive its intended effect. When a picture lacks this artistic climax, it can fall dismally short of its potential.
As Above, So Below is a recent demonstration of this.
From here, Aaron finds himself the subject of a dreadful stalking, which is handled in a sensitive and surprising manner. Many a horror victim have found themselves hunted from afar, but it is unusual to see a lone male stalking another lone male, with zero supernatural influences involved. The movie starts to steer towards the
Fatal Attraction route, in which the perfectly plausible actions of an unstable human can be not only scary in a jump-out-of-your-seat, in-the-moment way, but also in the slowly-building-sense-of-menace way. It achieves what the better horror movies do; it's like the film version of clitoral and vaginal orgasms: they are quite different, singularly enjoyable, but best used in well-crafted combination. That we can be jumped out on and given the rushes of adrenaline whilst viewing, and later be haunted by a sense of real-life dread that could follow us home, is horror movie magic.
Found Footages are not usually known for their artistic camerawork; they are more of an excuse for the sloppiest and most negligent of production values. But movies such as Creep effortlessly demonstrate the making of an effective movie with minimal requirements. The one camera which records the story is used thoughtfully, and maintains a perfect balance of potent and meaningful shots, and spontaneous realism. When the camera (or Aaron, or us...it's all basically the same) finds itself suddenly in some symbolically-constructed scene, it is believable as coincidence, or accident. We are never reminded of our passive safety as an audience, not even when this stunning money-shot is thrown our way...
Duplass and Brice wrote the movie as a duo, with Brice directing, and it seems like acting in their own creation was a good move, both artistically and financially. Brice appears to be your typical Film School grad, with this being his first feature length credit. Duplass has far more works to his name, but they make a formidable team. Brice's academic and practical expertise help to make the entire picture look and feel beyond its means, and Duplass' acting experience lands him a role which he seems to be remarkably comfortable in. I say this, not to flippantly suggest that he has an extracurricular penchant for stalking or murder, but to emphasise the realism he achieves. Serious horror antagonists must be handled as such, not as a character to pretend to be, but as a being who we are to believe exists, and so has regular, human feelings and emotions. Ted Levine's Buffalo Bill is a great example. He is ridiculous, monstrous...and yet we know him. He could be that scruffy guy you see shuffling around the supermarket sometimes. More terrifyingly, Duplass could be your kid's school principal.
I believe professionalism is the key to Creep's success. It is not treated as a thrill ride, with a jump quota to fill and millions to make in box office dollars. It is treated (thank you, Mr Brice) as a serious, compelling story. Minimalist and realist. No need for effects, fancy equipment or even a cameo by Robert Englund. This, as a former academic film student myself, is what we strive to achieve in the field. It's got 'it'. Now, you see that long white bar across the top of the screen upon which you read this? Click it, type in Netflix.com, and thank me later.
