Hopefully will be back here -things have been ... strange since I was last posting reviews!
Hopefully will be back here -things have been ... strange since I was last posting reviews!
Member since:17.02.2006
Reviews:17
Members who trust:2
I was quite excited about the release of Creep; afterall, the British film industry is fairly catatonic at the moment. A British horror film, set in an underground station? Perfect. Oh how wrong I was.
The narrative of the film revolves around Kate (Franka Potente - Bourne Supremacy/ Identity), a young London socialite who, on a quest to escape a boring party and run into the arms of George Clooney, ends up at Charing Cross station. Unfortunately after a night of drinking; the little bottles of vodka sneaked on the station concourse and a couple of tokes on a spliff at the party - Kate drops off and misses the last train from the station. She's trapped. There's no-one around to help her. The scene is set.
As she runs around the station in ridiculously high stilletos - you start wondering - how likely is it that an underground station is left entirely unmanned at night? I know for a fact (as my friend's dad used to do it when he worked on the undergrounds in the
maintenance department) that there are men stalking the tunnels, cleaning out all the hair that clogs up the tracks as it's yanked out of your head by the force of the train. So I'm sure there must be other maintenance people around - still I agree to abandon my disbelief when I turn a film on - so I stick with it.
Thankfully a train rumbles into the station, we 'sigh' some relief. "Phew" ... she's going to get on near the driver and all is saved - unfortunately she is met by Guy (Jeremy Sheffield - Renault Clio advert - you know the one: "Blackpool Tower" - "Eiffel Tower"), a creepy guy from the party. He's coked up to the eyeballs and wants to get down and dirty with her. Fortunately, as he clambers on top, something grabs his legs and pulls him off the train - we hear his screams - and the 'Creep' of the film is revealed (although, in true horror film form, we don't see it until much later).
The premise of the film, in places is good. Afterall, as many reviewers before me have pointed out, the Underground IS a creepy place at night, and who knows what goes on down there when the drunken revellers disappear into their homes. Unfortunately what Christopher Smith and Jane Linfoot have done here, is create a film with little or no tension. Characters that are so horrid that you don't care if they live or die, and a monster so ridiculous that in the 'operating theatre' scene he reminded me of the creepy doctors on the comedy series Absolutely (if anyone remembers that).
Kate is horrible. I really really really didn't care whether she lived or died. The fact that she was in the Underground in the first place was so ridiculous - to go and try to 'snare' George Clooney? PUR-LEASE. She was dressed in her mother's curtains, fishnet tights and Whitechapel market stilettos (they're probably Jimmy Choos for all I know - but they looked cheap and tacky) -actually, I know who she reminded me of, Julia Davis in Nighty Night - now that's not a good look! It wasn't just that - I didn't care why she was stuck there. It wasn't like she was in a sympathetic position - wanting to get off with a world famous film actor ... hmmmmm. To add insult to injury, Franka Potente looked like she couldn't be bothered to even be there. I wouldn't say she's the greatest actress in the world, but she was so wooden, so unconvincing that I was begging the Creep to kill her and get her off my screen.
The attempt by Smith to give the Creep a back story was bizarre. I can see what they were getting at, but it just didn't come off - and don't even get me started on the 'operating theatre' scene. Ok then, do ... Horror films are renowned for their misogyny, but this scene really takes the biscuit. There is no reason for it - chop her head off or something - but this? I was actually repulsed - which for me - is pretty major (I like my horror films!).
There were a couple of things I liked. I do like cinema verite style in films - to give it a sense of realism - there was some good examples of this, especially with some classic hand held camera work running down corridors - loving the use of vanishing points. There was also a sense of the film being over-exposed and over-saturated at points - this detracted from the realism but worked in places.
I was just simply disappointed. Afterall, Sean Harris is a great actor - he played Ian Curtis in Winterbottom's 24-Hour Party People -and he is reduced to this monstrosity (not the character, the film). I just hope it was because he needed to pay some bills.
As you can tell, I disliked this film intensely. To the point that I haven't even bothered watching the extras - but there are some:
>Commentary with the director/ writer - Christopher Smith >Making of Featurette >Costume Featurette >Make-up Featurette
They might be good - I don't care! Sorry!
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Production Year: 2000 - Horror - Director: Keenen Ivory Wayans - Original Language: English - Classification: 18 years and over - Starring: Carmen Electra, Anna Faris, Kurt Fuller, James Van Der Beek, Keenen Ivory Wayans
I actually found this film really scarey and disturbing (it didn't help that the creep looked like Lee Bowyer)
kitty17 28.02.2006 01:12
A good review, Ellie.
ThePolarOne 27.02.2006 19:01
I've heard very few good words for this film. I think the last time they tried to do an underground set horror was 'Death Line' in the 70s. That was as bad as this sounds. Ho-hum. I enjoyed your review. I'll probably still watch this when it finds it's way to regular TV though, as I'm a horror addict.
Ever missed the last train?London, midnight, on a cold evening. Unable to find a taxi, ... more
Kate (Franka Potente 'The Bourne Identity/Supremacy') heads for the Underground. She takes a seat away from the crowd of late-night revellers and waits for the last ...
Your journey terminates here. London midnight on a cold evening. Unable to find a taxi ... more
Kate (Franka Potente) heads for the Underground. She takes a seat away from the crowd of late-night revelers and waits for the last train. Before long she drifts...
Postage & Packaging: £0.00 Availability: 3-5 working days
Advantages: Cushing and Lee at the height of their horrific powers. Splendid story. Excellent direction. Disadvantages: The creature when fully revealed, but isn't on screen that long anyway.
paramanjara 24.07.2007 (24.07.2007)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of The Creeping Flesh (DVD)
![Creep [DVD] [2004]](http://picnicb.ciao.com/uk/78882709.jpg "Creep [DVD] [2004]")
Feb 27th, 2006
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