By Jack Bottomley
The deranged and dream-troubling spirit of John Erick Dowdle’s under-seen 2007 Found Footage classic The Poughkeepise Tapes lives on in films like Isaac Rodriguez’s fantastic Mister Creep, just with added dashes of The Gallows and Sinister.
Detailing the efforts of a group of college students to broaden their CV with a student film about missing persons, soon they turn their hand to something greater, something that won’t just get a grade but could make American history. As they delve into the Internet urban legend of a masked serial killer who killed around 200 people and filmed strange videos with their bodies. Thought to have been executed 20 years ago, authorities have supposedly hidden any trace of his crimes. So they search for not only the secret location of his tapes but try to uncover the buried history of this hidden killer.
The concept is perfect for the found footage format, and Rodriguez delivers his story effectively, using the low budget along the way. While his cast works with him in offering realistic and strong performances that help the film flourish. Especially the brilliant Amber Lee Solis, who becomes central to this group of characters as their filmmaking journey and investigation descends into some grave depths.
Mister Creep feels authentic and atmospheric, suspensefully building its own lore and making its believable dark web-baiting internet mythology stand out, even when some well-worn horror tropes are present and correct.
The settings are well chosen and equally well shot, and despite the token aesthetic found footage distortion tactics, Rodriguez allows his cinematography to muster a chill, never hiding it fully behind the static and conjuring some truly nightmarish imagery to flash onscreen, and using darkness, photography and background superbly, to offer some shocks and frights that are far less loud in nature.
Integrating a supernatural element to the story, alongside its themes of the murderous darkness behind the American dream and our unsettling fascination with it, and the pursuit of legend and renown in the crowded field of film. Mister Creep tackles rather a lot in its brief 76 minutes. Admittedly, it may sometimes lose focus at points or stretch realism but never loses its plot. Continually, the film delivers an effective horror experience that is a most pleasant surprise, with an appropriately creepy central masked figure. Not to mention a nasty little doll!
Mister Creep is a raw, concentrated, found footage horror experience with some seat-jumping scares. Don’t adjust the aerial!
Mister Creep is on digital now.
