The Creep Tapes

I remember watching Creep on a whim, I hadn't heard much about it besides a few recommendations due to me enjoying the found footage genre. I knew Mark Duplass from The League and was seasons into recognizing him as Pete, but after watching it I was hooked and watched it 2x in the next 24 hours.

The 2nd movie I was a little apprehensive over, I thought 'could it be good if we know the twist?' The answer was a resounding yes, and I felt ridiculous for even doubting it. Flash forward to The Creep Tapes being announced, I have been hyped since the moment I read the words themselves and before I knew if it was a movie or show.

The way the franchise has managed to evolve while staying true to its unsettling, intimate tone is nothing short of brilliant. While Creep may not have revolutionized the found footage genre, it's carved out a unique space within it. Episode 1 titled Mike is simply insane, it shows you such a masterfully crafted performance by Duplass that you can't help but feel both captivated and deeply unsettled. The heart and soul of this franchise is Mark Duplass, and his portrayal of Peachfuzz continues to be a mesmerizing mix of charm, vulnerability, and sheer menace.

The Creep Tapes expand upon what we know in the best way, showing off Peachfuzz in full form with only 25 minutes of go time. He's a diva - manipulative, entertaining, and terrifying all at once. It's a rare and fascinating look at a character who thrives on making others uncomfortable while remaining utterly enigmatic.

The Creep Tapes episodes 1 & 2 set a high bar for the season, but if the show is able to maintain the level of tension, creativity, character exploration, and the pure brat that is Peachfuzz, they may end up elevating this franchise into a household name.

....this series is not, it is just rehashing the basic premise of the films and nothing new is happening here,

I have seen three episodes so far, with no real suspense or creepy dread as in the films, and I was getting bored by the end of the third. They are not funny either, which was part of the absurd charm of the two movies.

I wish Duplass had gone ahead with a third film instead of this series; it is hit or miss like Room 104 was, but that series was brilliant overall; it had different stories each time that were original and complete, while this series is just the same thing over and over again and just not as engaging.

Loved Creep and Creep 2, so was really excited for Creep 3. Never came.. But when I read that the Creep tapes had been created, I was beside myself with excitement. The due date was marked. Shudder subscription renewed and today we watched the first two.

I was curious with how the episodes would play. Episode 1 whetted my appetite (reminiscent of Creep) but Episode 2 was totally different.

Mark Duplass is a genius in my opinion. His acting skills and different personas plus mixing dark, horror and humour is something I really enjoy.

I can't not wait to see the next four. I only wish Shudder had screened all six all at the same time then my November weekend would have been sorted.

I love the first two Creep movies and I especially can't wait for the third movie, but until then we have this tv series and it was good.

Positives for The Creep Tapes (2024-): Mark Duplass still does a great job with his performance as Josef and he is very consistent in these 6 episodes. There are moments in these 6 episodes that are very effectively disturbing to watch. I also love the variety of different kills that we get in these episodes. And finally, the found footage aspect from the movie translates into the tv format very well.

Negatives for The Creep Tapes (2024-): While I liked Mark Duplass' performance in the series, Josef was a very irritating character. Now I get this is how the character works, but he is so unbearable to watch on screen that I just want to strangle him. The way how he is able to kill these people is really annoying and this is coming from someone who listens the things that he says and he sounds pathetic. It's to the point where I would leave at all cost and even if he tries to stop me, I would kick his butt until he submits like a baby. It's tis aspect alone that makes me question why this series exist aside from keeping peoples interest in this franchise until the third movie comes out.

Overall, The Creep Tapes (2024-) is a good tv spin off to this horror franchise and I'm still excited for Creep 3 whenever it comes out, but the character of Josef kinda tanked my experience with the series.

I found out about this through dead meat and wow.. as a fan of the league I've not seen Mark Duplass in much but this is definitely a great starter. I had no idea of how good of an actor he is as well as how quickly he can shift from one emotion to another in a snap. This character is very very interesting especially after the final two episodes, it helps flesh it out more than just a creep who kills. The friend I was watching it with said that the last two episodes ruined it for him because he didn't 'understand it' but I don't think that matters. The first film was filmed as a character study and that's what this feels like. A character study of a weird creepy guy showing how he gets his social interaction. The only main gripe I have with this show is the duration of the episodes, some of them are great at 20-25 mins such as the first episode, however I hope if we get a season two some of the episodes can be extended to around 40 minutes. I feel this would really help build more suspense and give a greater pay off because some episodes felt a little rushed due to the shorter runtimes.