Film Review: Creep (2005)

A chase film with a difference! Creep is the debut feature length directorial by little known Englishman Christopher Smith. (Fast becoming a horror heavy weight thanks to his second offering Severence) (2006).

The film tells the story of Kate, a young career driven woman whom after attending a party heads to the underground in an attempt to catch the last train of the evening to meet up with a friend. Being slightly intoxicated Kate shuts her eyes for a quick rest while waiting on the train platform and soon awakens to find the station devoid of people, trains and adding insult, all exits have been locked for the night. And so begins her saga, an invain attempt to raise knowledge of her incarceration to the outside world. What Kate doesn't yet know is that she is far from alone, for amongst the labarynth of dark train tunnels and empty sterile neon light corridors and stations, there is a sinister presence lurking with an insatiable urge.

Im not sure what they've been putting in the water in the ol' mother land but Britain has been producing some real nasty (thats nasty in a good way) surprises of late in the genre of horror. With a first rate cast including Franka Potenter (Run Lola Run, The Born Identity) & Vas Blackwood (Lock Stock & 2 smoking barrels) running like a well oiled machine, Creep consistantly scores knock out blows with its refreshingly crisp style and story. The dark eye straining maze of tunnels and blinding lights of corridors works wonderfully on camera providing dramaticly impacting contasts of light and shaddow. One minute the main character is bounding along pure white and steel, an instant later she'll be struggling to make out objects with her fastly fading flash light beam in the darker recesses of the underground, pure genius on film.

Creep is genuine unadulterated horror with gore aplenty and authentic soil your pants moments en mass. With echoes of Hostel, a splash of Jeepers Creepers and even a sprinkle of The hills have eyes, to name but a few, I'm not saying Creep is the most original film of this style but it is leagues ahead of the pack. With a forboding setting, nice pacing, serious scares and a non transparent plot, if horror is what the doctor ordered, then you'll certainly be far from disappointed.