• Consequence
  • Music
  • Film
  • TV
  • Heavy
Menu Consequence
Menu Shop Search Newsletter
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Features
  • Live
  • Podcasts
  • Videos
  • Cover Story
Advertisement
  • Reviews
  • Film Reviews

Film Review: Creep 2

Patrick Brice and Mark Duplass reunite for this equally unsettling sequel

B

Directed by

  • Patrick Brice

Starring

  • Mark Duplass
  • Karan Soni
  • Patrick Brice
  • Desiree Akhavan

Release Year

  • 2017
Michael Roffman
October 24, 2017 | 12:53am ET

    “I think I might be deeply untalented,” Sara (Desiree Akhavan) weeps into the camera early into Creep 2. Who is Sara? Why is she crying? She’s a would-be video artist, struggling to find her own voice in an endless sea of voices. Aren’t we all? Perhaps that’s what’s so relatable about Patrick Brice’s followup to his unnerving 2015 found-footage horror film. We all feel like Sara at times: stranded, vacant, hopeless, and lost. Think about those random nights you’ve spent flipping through Instagram, or Facebook, or Twitter, wondering if anyone gives a flying fuck what you might think, or say, or do. When you’re an artist, someone who’s actually trying to say something, that feeling is even worse. Unfortunately for Sara, she feels her “calling” is connecting with lonely men on Craigslist, a thankless task until, naturally, she stumbles upon our favorite titular psychopath.

    Yes, Mark Duplass is back as Aaron, wielding axes, knives, and, of course, that terrifying Peachfuzz mask that had everyone laughing awkwardly while they sheepishly escaped to a nearby bathroom to clean their pants. Well, he’s even more terrifying this time around, unpredictably oscillating from being the Nice Guy or the Total Nutbar. Now, since we already know he’s mentally unhinged — ahem, ever since we watched him plunge an axe into Brice’s head at the end of the original — one might think most of the tension is gone. Not so, as it would appear that Aaron has met his match in Sara, who isn’t frightened upon discovering he’s a self-proclaimed serial killer, but 100% on board with the idea of filming him. After all, this is a chance of a lifetime, a way for her to not only find her voice, but say something with purpose. The juice, as they say, is worth the squeeze.

    On paper, it would be so easy to say, “You know where this goes from here,” but really, you don’t. That’s the genius of this followup. Brice and Duplass have assembled a completely new mind game for fans, pairing two sycophants together, both of whom are uniquely strange and mysterious. Much like Aaron in the original, we don’t really know Sara, so her intentions could very well be as ill-advised as his, and that’s just one of a dozen questions that float through your mind as you watch them delicately dance together. It helps that Akhavan is similarly well adept at Brice’s organic filmmaking, going toe-to-toe with Duplass as they try to out-weird one another in all kinds of compact spaces, be it narrow hallways or stuffy living rooms. One particularly haunting scene takes place in a hot tub, where Aaron confesses some disturbing deeds to Sara.

    Advertisement
    Related Video

    She hardly breaks a sweat, though. That’s the beauty of this relationship; we’re always in the dark. But that’s where Brice likes to keep his audience, teetering at the edge of their seat as they wonder whether they should laugh, or cry, or turn away. He nailed that feeling with the original and even managed to bring that uncomfortable tension to his highly underrated 2015 comedy, The Overnight. With Creep 2, you’re never truly convinced the narrative is going the way you think it’s going, and while that may be frustrating to some (aka, those who don’t understand the concept of psychological thrillers), it’s almost enchanting for those looking for one good scare. Seeing how it’s Halloween season right now, and everyone’s starving for some good ol’ fashioned horror, you’d be wise to invite Aaron and Sara into your home. Just don’t take your eyes off them.

    Trailer:

     

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Reddit

More on this topic

  • creep 2
  • Desiree Akhavan
  • Horror
  • Mark Duplass
  • Patrick Brice
  • Sequel

Sign up for updates

Subscribe to our email digest and get the latest breaking news in music, film, and television, tour updates, access to exclusive giveaways, and more straight to your inbox.

Advertisement

Popular Stories

Latest Stories

A-
werewolf by night review marvel disney plus special presentation halloween special

Werewolf by Night Is a Marvelous Monster Mash: Review

October 6, 2022

B
Hellraiser Review Jamie Clayton Hulu

Hellraiser Review: A True Reboot That's Pretty Darned Good

October 5, 2022

C+
david o russell amsterdam film first look release date

Not Even An All-Star Cast Can Save David O. Russell's Amsterdam: Review

October 4, 2022

B+
White Noise Review

NYFF Review: Noah Baumbach Delightfully Skewers Our Fear of Death in White Noise

October 3, 2022

B+
Till Review Danielle Deadwyler

Till Digs Into a Deeply Shameful, Deeply American Tragedy: Review

October 1, 2022

B-
Master Gardener Review Paul Schrader

Paul Schrader's Master Gardener Treads Very Familiar Soil: Review

October 1, 2022

A-
Decision to Leave Review

Chan-wook Park's Decision to Leave Is a Sizzling Romantic Thriller: Review

September 30, 2022

D+
Greatest Beer Run Ever Review

The Greatest Beer Run Ever Is a Pretty Likeable Movie, and That's a Huge Problem: Review

September 30, 2022

Advertisement

News

  • Music
  • New Music
  • Album Streams
  • Upcoming Releases
  • Tours
  • Film
  • TV
  • Pop Culture

Reviews

  • Music Reviews
  • Film Reviews
  • TV Reviews
  • Concert Reviews
  • Festival Reviews

Features

  • Editorials
  • Interviews
  • Cover Stories
  • Lists
  • Guides
  • CoSign
  • Song of the Week

Live

  • Tickets
  • Festival News
  • Tour Dates
  • Photo Galleries
  • Music Instruments & Gear

Heavy

  • News
  • Interviews
  • Concerts

More

  • Podcasts
  • Videos
  • Wellness
  • Giveaways

Other sites

  • Heavy Consequence
  • Consequence Media
  • Modern Drummer
  • About
  • Privacy policy
  • Advertising
  • Work For Us
  • Terms
  • Contact
  • Copyright
  • Do Not Sell My Personal Information

Download our app

  • Get it on the App Store
  • Get it on Google Play
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitch
  • Tiktok
Consequence
Current story

Film Review: Creep 2

Menu Shop Search Newsletter
Consequence
News
  • News
  • Music
  • New Music
  • Album Streams
  • Upcoming Releases
  • Tours
  • Film
  • TV
  • Pop Culture
Reviews
  • Music Reviews
  • Film Reviews
  • TV Reviews
  • Concert Reviews
  • Festival Reviews
Features
  • All Features
  • Editorials
  • Interviews
  • Cover Stories
  • Lists
  • Guides
  • CoSign
  • Song of the Week
Live
  • Tickets
  • Festival News
  • Tour Dates
  • Photo Galleries
  • Music Instruments & Gear
Podcasts
  • The Opus
  • Kyle Meredith With...
  • Stanning BTS
  • The Story Behind the Song
  • The What
  • Going There with Dr. Mike
  • The Rome and Duddy Show
Videos
  • Interviews
  • Two for the Road
  • First Time I Heard
  • When I Made
  • Battle of the Bandmates
  • Peer 2 Peer
  • Essays
  • Fan Theories
Heavy
  • News
  • Interviews
  • Concerts
  • Premieres
  • Culture
  • Beyond the Boys Club
  • Mining Metal
Shop
  • Shop
  • Giveaways
Hometowns

Follow Consequence

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitch
  • Tiktok
Close
Close