La criatura

I want to like CREEP; it's my kind of film. A, well, 'creepy' horror film set on and around the London Underground, with a pared-down story, sinister villain and a resourceful heroine fighting against the odds. And yet, by the end, it's turned out to be a disappointing experience, and the reason for that is that it's oh so painfully predictable.

Christopher Smith is definitely a better director than he is writer; case in point, I can't fault his direction, which is adequate by genre standards, but what I can fault is his staid waiting. After a mildly atmospheric set up, this turns into the usual dull cat-and-mouse game between heroine and killer, with extraneous characters being messily murdered (and worse) and even a bit of torture porn thrown in to sicken viewers. It's all very familiar and, unfortunately, not at all frightening.

It doesn't help that the bad guy is a bit lame, despite the sterling efforts of the ever-menacing Sean Harris. He looks exactly like Smeagol at the opening of THE LORD OF THE RINGS: RETURN OF THE KING, part-way towards becoming Gollum when he was still played by Andy Serkis in extensive makeup. He's a bit of a weirdo, a tragic figure more than anything else. Franka Potente's tough heroine is better, but the supporting actors are wasted (particularly the excellent Ken Campbell, whose skills would have enlivened this greatly).

It's worth remembering that this was done before – and much better – in the superior 1970s Brit chiller DEATH LINE, starring Donald Pleasence. What an engaging, atmospheric and, yes, terrifying movie that was! Sadly, despite its interesting setting, Creep is lacklustre by comparison.

Creep doesn't do what its title suggests, it isn't exactly creepy, but it is pretty violent and gruesome. The story is fairly linear and has no plot holes that i noticed and the acting and script are OK.

The problem with Creep is that it doesn't really do anything to set it apart from the rest of the Horror crowd, but when compared to some its not to bad.

With floods of horror movies in recent years (Toolbox Murders, Grudge, White Noise, Descent, Boogeyman to name but a few) Creep is left languishing in mediorcratity.

For horror fanatics, its worth watching and it can hold its own in the genre. For movie lovers in general there is not enough here to warrant your time.

6/10

"Creep" is a new horror film that, without a doubt, will please many genre fans simply because it's so down to the point and unscrupulous! It has many genuine shock-moments, a whole lot of repulsive gore-sequences and a rare claustrophobic tension. What it hasn't got is logic and a solid plot but, to tell you the truth, that didn't bother me for one second. When the end-credits start to roll, there are still many unanswered questions to ponder on but director/writer Christopher Smith (in his debut) seemly preferred to fully focus on tension and adrenalin-rushing action instead of long, soporific speeches and theories that could explain the existence of the "creep" in the London subway. The story revolves on the young and haughty Kate, who leaves her own party in order to go and meet the famous actor George Clooney who's in town to present his new film. She falls asleep in the subway, misses the last train and she finds herself trapped in the underground subway network. Things really get terrifying when she encounters a mad-raving lunatic who lives in the old tunnels and kills/kidnaps people to experiment upon. Even experienced homeless people, security guards or sewer-workers can't rescue her from this ravenous monster! I really dug the creep-character! He's nauseating, hideous and primitive but in a strange way fascinating. Christopher Smith only leaves us clues and hints, and it's merely up to the viewer to guess this vile creature's origin and background. I reckon this isn't very original, and I'm sure many people won't appreciate the lack of content, but I forgive Smith and I think it's better this way than going over the top completely, "Jeepers Creepers"-style (that particular film started out great as well, but as soon as the Creeper's identity was clear it turned into a very mediocre horror effort). The obvious aspect-to-love is the outrageous gore! There's some severe butchering going on in this film and the make-up, as well as the sound effects, are very convincing. The ominous setting of the abandoned London subway during night is effectively used. There also is some acting-talent present in this film, with Franka Potenta (Run Lola Run) returning to graphic horror nearly five years after the cool German film "Anatomie". Creep is terrific entertainment when you're in an undemanding mood and Christopher Smith definitely is a director I'll keep an eye on. Make sure you don't have to take the subway right after watching this film...

I had very high hopes for this film. And as the summary says, it wasn't bad, but it wasn't the best.

The main problem was it appears to have been cut too much, making it look like the film didn't know whether it wanted to be teen slasher or psychological horror. It had a couple of truly disturbing bits but also several, "oh look, we blew the budget on fake blood" moments.

All in all I'm glad I saw it, but I'm also glad I borrowed my mate's DVD and didn't go to the pictures to see it and therefore waste a fiver. Worth a watch if you're a horror fan though.

Kim xxx

After leaving a party one night, Kate heads to a London subway. But being a bit drunk, she nods off and when she finally awakes, she realises she's alone and has been locked in. Now she's panicking, but a train pulls up and to her surprise no one else is on board. After a few seconds the train comes to sudden halt and Kate comes to the realisation that someone or something is lurking down there, which has some nasty surprises waiting for Kate.

When watching "Creep", what entered my mind was that I was seeing the backwoods horror slasher "Wrong Turn (2003)" basically set in a subway, but only more bloodier and incredibly cruel. I get the train to work and back, but I'm just glad that there are no subway systems on my journeys. But there's no doubting public transport can be the pits.

Christopher Smith the writer and director of this slick British Indie subterranean horror flick presents one very tight and atmospherically Gothic feature that benefits highly from its relentless surge of twisted and ragged jolts. It's gruesome, mean-spirited and unflinching terror is mostly delivered in a serious manner, despite the script being sprinkled with quick-witted remarks. The damp, isolated and claustrophobic setting of the poorly lit tunnels makes a huge imprint on the disorientating cloud the audience and main protagonist face. Smith integrates some flashy and rapid techniques. The versatile hand held photography adds a real moody and intimate vibe amongst the very effective sound effects and creaky understated music score. Hitting the mark was the graphic and always on the ball makeup effects. The appearance of the hideously unusual subway dweller just lingers in your mind and when it came to the kills it didn't disappoint.

However, there are things that really do bring the film down. By the third act it starts to wear a bit thin with predictable jumps and wearisome clichés. The story is terribly vague from the get-go. Illogical patterns and stupid circumstances unravel throughout the string-like plot. Originality comes in minor doses, but in all, there's a nice sense of realism and a speeding train-like pace created to keep you mostly involved. Franka Potente gives a strong, flexible and quite capable performance as Kate and the amusing Vas Blackwood gets caught up in the gruel too.

A very nasty and dour slasher that won't blow you away, but it provides the nightmarish thrills and intensity one would hope for.