Creep (2004)

GENERAL INFO:
Director: Christopher Smith
Studio: UK Film Council
Starring: Franka Potente, Ken Campbell
Tagline: Ever missed the last train?; Your Journey Terminates Here
MPAA Rating: R
Genre: British, foreign, slasher, insane killer, deformed killer
Scare score: B
Rating: C

Plot overview: During a night of partying, the posh and self-centered German-English Kate (Potente) falls asleep on a train platform in the tube station at Charing Cross.  When she awakens, she realizes that she has not only missed the last train, but that she is completely locked inside of the station for the night.  She soon finds that one of her coworkers, Guy (Jeremy Sheffield), has followed her with hopes of taking her home for the night.  High on cocaine, Guy tries violating Kate, only to suddenly be pulled off of her and onto the train tracks by an unknown presence.  Kate runs away as Guy's cries for help echo down the train tunnel.  Thus begins a night of terror as Kate makes her way through the London Underground trying in vain to escape from a deformed and deranged killer.

The idea of someone getting trapped anywhere overnight while a killer runs loose is always pretty interesting.  When the chosen location happens to be one of the world's largest transportation systems, and when that system is furthermore underground and filled with dark, labyrinthine tunnels and passageways, the plot becomes even more exciting.  Not that this could happen to anyone in real life (security measures, common sense, etc), it's still good technique for a horror movie to take something so normal as the Tube and add a little terror.  I've always said that using something that isn't typically scary, something that people use every day, and then making it terrifying is a surefire way to frighten an audience (some people still don't go in the water after Jaws, right?)

*SPOILER ALERT*

It is an interesting tactic to present the audience with a protagonist who is not so likable.  While Potente's acting is pretty admirable, Kate herself is not.  There is an obvious criticism happening at the beginning and end of the film regarding society and how we look at (or don't) those who are homeless, mentally disabled, and, of course, deformed.  From the outset, Kate is a middle or upper class woman who is preoccupied only with herself.  As her endeavors begin below ground, she must rely on the help of homeless people and drug addicts to help her survive the night.  When calling for help, a security supervisor refuses to help her until he realizes that she is not some crazy woman.  At the end of the film, Kate exits the winding tunnels and takes refuge on a train platform as we see businessmen starting their work day: although invisible to some, one man leaves a few coins at her side, thinking she is homeless. Pretty good acting for the lead female in a slasher, though I think some of the time Kate was simply not scared enough considering her situation or that she alternated too greatly and too often between terrified and calm.

The killer is a high point of the film.  It takes a while for us to actually see what is lurking in the dark, which always adds some suspense to a movie.  At first there is merely an unknown forces wreaking havoc, and then there are two unsightly, pale, scabby, greenish arms, and then finally the face behind it all (that scene isn't as scary as it should be).  The make up is pretty good, and we are left dealing with some sort of deformed human/ possible botched medical patient who has adapted to life in the London Underground (his adapted condition being reminiscent of The Descent, as a friend of mine mentioned). From the gross scars and poor condition of his skin to the eerie, animalistic cry he often makes, this "creep" is pretty freaky.

My complaint about this film is that is does begin to drag on a bit, and we are left with too many questions due to poor editing and what seems to have been confusion on behalf of the creative team.  First of all, when Kate first comes face to face with the creep the film takes a strange turn, forgetting about everything that had been happening so far and just having the audience follow the creep around his lair.  I had no idea what was going on, but I assume we had to be shown that the creep is weird, sadistic, and even cannibalistic in what seems to be his fetish for blood.  The entrance to some sort of abandoned surgery room/ abortion clinic was too bizarre, and attempting to present a backstory to the creep (I'm sorry- Craig), his condition, and how he came to live/ kill here was never fully realized.  Was he some sort of medical patient?  Was his father a doctor?  Don't try and add some side plot or depth if you don't give enough information, and don't add anything just for show (bloody clinic, etc).

Other inconsistencies I noted that took away from the film for me: we saw at least two trains running in the middle of the night when we were told that no trains were running until morning; Kate and city sewage worker George (Vas Blackwood) break through a bricked-off doorway and still end up at a sort of "bedroom" in the creep's lair- I understand he knows all the shortcuts and that there is more than one way to get around, but it just seemed odd that it was closed off but obviously accessible and used by the creep; we never see Kate take her heels off, but suddenly she is barefoot (Horror Buff is being picky); and I guess in general I'm still angry about all the time spent showing us the strange photos, surgical tools, etc without proper explanation.

Lastly, the title of the movie could have been a lot better.  Yes, the guy is a creep, but otherwise it doesn't have a lot to do with the rest of the film.

Final critique: I really liked the idea behind this film, but in the end the delivery was just not there.  I wouldn't be too surprised to see, perhaps, an American remake in New York City or DC's metro.  Kate was annoying (but good work Potente), and ultimately I found myself not caring whether or not she survived her ordeal.  The gore is alright although sometimes random, and the dead bodies are aplenty.  Again, I was happy with the creep himself except for when we were forced to watch him lurk about his lair, and then when he randomly speaks when fighting with George.  I had a spot of trouble with the British/ German-British accents but hey that's what you get when you try to be cultured.  I don't recommend this film for people who scare too easily because you will certainly be "creeped" out, and the image of the killer and some of the murders will stick.  For the horror movie lovers out there, if you find the time to watch this film it will at the very least provide you with 81 minutes of an imperiled heroine, a bit of suspense, lots of screams, and a tiny scare.