''Creep 2'' is a 2017 American
found footage psychological horror film
Psychological horror is a subgenre of horror and psychological fiction with a particular focus on mental, emotional, and psychological states to frighten, disturb, or unsettle its audience. The subgenre frequently overlaps with the related subgen ...
directed by
Patrick Brice
Donat Patrick Kack-Brice (born April 23, 1983), known professionally as Patrick Brice, is an American film director, actor, screenwriter and cinematographer. He is known for directing ''Creep'' (2014), ''The Overnight'' (2015), '' Creep 2'' (201 ...
and written by Brice and
Mark Duplass
Mark David Duplass (born December 7, 1976) is an American filmmaker, actor, writer, and musician. With his brother Jay Duplass, he started the film production company Duplass Brothers Productions in 1996. Duplass has written and directed films, i ...
. It is a sequel to Brice's 2014 film ''
Creep'', which was also written by Duplass and Brice. Duplass reprises his role from the first film as a serial killer who lures unsuspecting videographers to their deaths, with
Desiree Akhavan
Desiree Akhavan (born December 27, 1984) is an American filmmaker, writer and actress. She is best known for her 2014 feature film debut '' Appropriate Behavior'',[Sitges Film Festival
The Sitges Film Festival ( ca, Festival Internacional de Cinema Fantàstic de Catalunya, links=no) is an annual film festival held in Sitges, Spain, specialized in fantasy and horror films, of which it is considered one of the world's foremost in ...]
on October 6, 2017, and was released on October 24, 2017, by
The Orchard
The Orchard may refer to:
* The Orchard (company), American music and entertainment company
* The Orchard (band), Canadian country music duo
* ''The Orchard'' (Lizz Wright album), 2008
* ''The Orchard'' (Ra Ra Riot album), 2010
* The Orchard (t ...
. Like its predecessor, ''Creep 2'' was also critically acclaimed, with much praise focused on the film's writing, atmosphere, dark humor, and the performances among the leads.
Brice confirmed that a third film was in development.
Plot
A prolific
serial killer
A serial killer is typically a person who murders three or more persons,A
*
*
*
* with the murders taking place over more than a month and including a significant period of time between them. While most authorities set a threshold of three ...
, using the name "Aaron" after a
previous victim, finds himself dissatisfied with his killings and undergoing a
midlife crisis
A midlife crisis is a transition of identity and self-confidence that can occur in middle age, middle-aged individuals, typically 40 to 60 years old. The phenomenon is described as a psychological crisis brought about by events that highlight a pe ...
. When his latest ad for a videographer lures
YouTuber
A YouTuber is an online personality and/or influencer who produces videos on the video-sharing platform YouTube, typically posting to their personal YouTube channel. The term was first used in the English language in 2006.
Influence
Influent ...
Sara to his remote cabin, Aaron changes his approach by admitting he is a serial killer who will let Sara live for the next 24 hours if she records a documentary on his life. Sara, doubting his revelation, agrees to film Aaron in the hope that the video will popularize her unsuccessful web series about eccentric
Craigslist
Craigslist (stylized as craigslist) is an American classified advertisements website with sections devoted to jobs, housing, for sale, items wanted, services, community service, Gig worker, gigs, résumés, and discussion forums.
Craig Newmark ...
clients.
Over the course of the day, Aaron struggles to intimidate Sara, who plays along with his various eccentricities. While Sara continues to doubt that Aaron is a serial killer, Aaron informs her that he intends to conclude the documentary by having her kill him. He eventually manages to horrify Sara by staging a suicide attempt, which almost causes her to leave. However, after Aaron reveals that his life was not in danger, she remains to hear Aaron share intimate details about himself, culminating in the two sharing a kiss.
Aaron brings Sara outside to announce that the documentary will end with them committing suicide together. Sara attempts to escape when she sees Aaron stab himself in the stomach, but Aaron stabs her and drags her into an open grave he dug. As Aaron gives a closing monologue, a still-alive Sara emerges from the grave and strikes him in the back of the head with a shovel before fleeing.
Afterwards, Sara is recorded in public by an unidentified individual whistling a tune heard in Aaron's videos. When Sara notices the individual filming her, the camera abruptly cuts away.
Cast
*
Mark Duplass
Mark David Duplass (born December 7, 1976) is an American filmmaker, actor, writer, and musician. With his brother Jay Duplass, he started the film production company Duplass Brothers Productions in 1996. Duplass has written and directed films, i ...
as Aaron
*
Desiree Akhavan
Desiree Akhavan (born December 27, 1984) is an American filmmaker, writer and actress. She is best known for her 2014 feature film debut '' Appropriate Behavior'',[Karan Soni
Karan Soni (born January 8, 1989) is an Indian-American actor and comedian. Often appearing in comedic roles, he came to prominence for playing Dopinder in the films ''Deadpool'' (2016) and its sequel ''Deadpool 2'' (2018).
Born in New Delhi, S ...]
as Dave
Additionally, Kyle Field,
Caveh Zahedi
Caveh Zahedi (; born April 29, 1960) is an American film director and actor.
Early years
Zahedi was born in Washington, D.C., to Iranian immigrant parents. He studied philosophy at Yale University. Upon graduation, Zahedi moved to Paris, Fran ...
, and Jeff Man portray Wade, Randy, and Alex, subjects featured in Sara's web series. Director
Patrick Brice
Donat Patrick Kack-Brice (born April 23, 1983), known professionally as Patrick Brice, is an American film director, actor, screenwriter and cinematographer. He is known for directing ''Creep'' (2014), ''The Overnight'' (2015), '' Creep 2'' (201 ...
reappears in his role as Aaron (referred to in the credits as "Old Aaron") through archive footage from the
first film.
Production
In March 2014, it was announced Duplass had plans on making the film into a trilogy, with
RADiUS-TWC
The Weinstein Company (usually credited or abbreviated as TWC) was an American independent film studio, founded in New York City by Bob Weinstein, Bob and Harvey Weinstein in March 2005. TWC was one of the largest mini-major film studios in North ...
producing and distributing the films and production taking place later in the year. In February 2015, Duplass stated production hadn't begun due to scheduling issues. In August 2016, Duplass began trying on costumes for the film. That same month, Brice confirmed the sequel was moving forward.
Filming
Principal photography
Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production.
Personnel
Besides the main film personnel, such as actor ...
on the film began in September 2016.
Music
Julian Wass
Julian Wass (born November 10, 1981) is an American television writer, director, film composer, producer, and electronic musician from Los Angeles, California. He is the son of actors Janet Margolin and Ted Wass.
Music for films
Julian Wass first ...
composed the soundtrack for ''Creep 2.'' The song that plays in the end credits is "Botanica de Los Angeles" by
Xiu Xiu
Xiu Xiu ( ) is an American experimental band, formed in 2002 by singer-songwriter Jamie Stewart in San Jose, California. Currently, the line-up consists of Stewart (the only constant member since formation) and Angela Seo. The band's name co ...
, taken from their album ''
Angel Guts: Red Classroom''.
Release
It had its world premiere at the
Sitges Film Festival
The Sitges Film Festival ( ca, Festival Internacional de Cinema Fantàstic de Catalunya, links=no) is an annual film festival held in Sitges, Spain, specialized in fantasy and horror films, of which it is considered one of the world's foremost in ...
on October 6, 2017. The film was released through
video on demand
Video on demand (VOD) is a media distribution system that allows users to access videos without a traditional video playback device and the constraints of a typical static broadcasting schedule. In the 20th century, broadcasting in the form of o ...
on October 24, 2017. It was released through
Netflix
Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...
on December 23, 2017.
Critical reception
On
review aggregator
A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services (such as films, books, video games, software, hardware, and cars). This system stores the reviews and uses them for purposes such as supporting a website where users ...
website
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
, the film has
an approval rating of 100% based on 26 reviews, with an average rating of 7.6/10. The site's consensus reads, "''Creep 2'' has everything that made the original work and more - more laughs, more awkwardness, more unsettling terror." On
Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...
, the film has a score of 75 out of 100, based on reviews from 5 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".
John DeFore of ''
The Hollywood Reporter
''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...
'' wrote: "The sequel will impress any fan of the original. It's fresher than most of the low-budget thrillers gracing theaters lately." Kimberley Elizabeth of Nightmare on Film Street called the film "hypnotically unsettling", giving the film a 4 out of 4 rating. Mike Sprague of
JoBlo.com
The JoBlo Movie Network includes a website, JoBlo.com, which focuses on news, film reviews, and movie trailers; and YouTube channels that focus on trailers, movie clips, celebrity interviews, original content, and as film distribution.
Early da ...
said the film was "just as unsettling and entertaining as the original" and awarded it an 8 out of 10 rating.
Sequel
In 2017, Brice confirmed that a third film, titled ''Creep 3'', was in development, with Brice and Duplass returning as director and star respectively.
Notes
References
External links
*
{{Jay and Mark Duplass
2017 films
2017 horror films
2017 horror thriller films
American sequel films
American psychological horror films
American psychological thriller films
American horror thriller films
Found footage films
Films produced by Jason Blum
Blumhouse Productions films
Films directed by Patrick Brice
2010s English-language films
2010s American films