The Creep Tapes — The Creep Tapes( Blu Ray)
In 2014, one of the more original/simply plotted yet creative found Footage horror films appeared, Creep. It regards Arron( Patrick Brice), a young videographer, taking a job filming Josef ( Mark Duplass)- who he believes to be a dying man, but as things unfold, it becomes clear that Josef is not dying & he’s a cunning killer, and Arron is his next victim. The film blended awkward and dark humour, with some effective jumps, and several unsettling moments. In 2017, there was a second film, Creep 2- which managed to keep the spirit of the first film, and add to it. And then in 2024, we got The Creep Tapes, a six-part series on Shudder, which found us being presented with the tapes of victims from the killer's cupboard. Here from Acorn Media International is a Blu-ray release of the series, including commentary tracks for all six episodes, and a short interview with actor Duplass & director Brice.
After being a huge fan of both Creep films, I‘ll have to say when I saw they had done a series, I was more than a little nervous- firstly how where they going to approaching each episode/ would there be enough variation, and would they manage to introduce victims well & finishes them off in the twenty five to twenty seven runtime. So I’m most happy to report that, for the most part, this first series is a huge success, with Duplass managing to subtly shift/ play with his look, there’s a good selection of well-acting victims, and an entertaining mix of humour and horror. So let's get into this first series.
Episode one is Mike- it regards a videographer turning up at a cabin to supposedly film an acting reel. Here we get a campy replaying of scenes from Interview With A Vampire, and Misery. It’s a fine enough start to the series with the neat snow-bound setting, and creepy/ amusing notes leading Mike into the property.
Episode two is Elliot, it's set in the flat and wild countryside, where a geeky nose wiping guy is out looking for a rare bird, and comes across a moustachioed just-landed parachutist. This one had some great dark chuckles, and a use of a plastic bag
Episode three is Jeremy- and I’d say this is my favourite of the episodes. It regards a geeky/ smug Where’s Wally ( Waldo) looking vlog maker who uncovers corrupt preachers & the like. This again has a great setting with these long steps, dotted with gnomes leading up to a house- it’s filmed at nighttime, with creepy wolf/ other noises. Our killer plays a priest- this episode is both funny and creepy, with some great jumpy moments.
Episode four is Brad- and I rate this one highly too. It regards a washed-up/ not having had any work in a time true crime documentary maker. He arrives at a daytime set/ rundown house and is asked to solve a crime. We have an amusing repeated joke about 'the burps', and a neat twisting & turning plot.
Episode five is Bradt- which finds our killer in a motel room, awaiting his next victim. This one regards a heart-to-heart between our killer and the Peach fuzz mask, which may be connected to a real person?. For me, this episode was clever enough- with a few chuckles/ scares, though I found this the least satisfying of this first series.
Lastly, episode six is Mom( nd Albert)- here our killer goes around to his mom’s house- the pair are getting ready to have a night together, then Albert turns up, his mom’s new grey-bearded boyfriend. This one has a neat/intriguing idea behind it, and the most gore of the six episodes. I’d say this is the fine/middling episode of this first series.
On the extras side, we get a commentary track for each of the six episodes- this is with actor Duplass, director Brice, and editor Christopher Donlon. I played the track on the first episode, and it’s a great chatty/ informative commentary. We find out our killer doesn't have a name, though he used many, including Josef. They discuss how they had to change to Vampire monologue slightly from the original script, so as not to have copyright issues. They discuss how they made the series completely independently, then looked for someone to release it. They talk about the killer's liking of awkward hugs, and how this trope has appeared in both the films & series. They chat about how they had to pick carefully the actors to appear in the episodes, as they wanted someone who both understood all the aspects of the filming, as well as actually acting in it. And more- I had a little skip play on the other tracks, and these sounded equally interesting. Otherwise, we get around a minute and a half interview with Duplass & Brice.
It’s always great to see something you enjoyed in one form successfully shift into another, and that’s exactly what has happened with The Creep Tapes. So, I’m very excited to check out series two when it appears. I’d say you’ll at least have seen/ enjoyed the first Creep film to truly get/ understand what’s going on here- but I can see it also appealing to those who enjoy a mix of often awkward/ dark humour & horror.