As far as “found footage” films go, this is of the better ones. That’s because Mark Duplass (Safety Not Guaranteed, The One I Love) and director/co-star Patrick Brice seem to be acknowledging that this particular way of movie-making is a little ridiculous.
Per usual, characters in great peril continue to film the perilous goings-on when it would be much better to just drop the camera and run. Duplass and Brice make this scenario kind of funny, even if they are telling a horror story, of sorts.
Brice plays Aaron, a cameraman who answers a personal ad asking for somebody to come film him for a day. When he arrives at the home of Josef (Duplass), he finds out the guy is dying and wants to film a day in his life for his future child, just like Michael Keaton in My Life.
Josef takes Aaron on a long hike, where he pulls pranks and scares him. Later that night, things get stranger and stranger as more about Josef’s strange personality is revealed. The second half of the film is better than the first, and works up to an ending that is actually quite inspired.
Yes, this is a found-footage movie, so I really can’t love it. But I do like it—mostly because Duplass and Brice treat it all like a sick joke.
Creep is available on iTunes, and is coming to Netflix on July 14.