Creep – the gay horror Craigslist stalker found footage film that stays in the closet

Aaron answers an ad for a job to film the last days of a dying man named Josef. From the very first second of filming, anyone with any kind of gaydar would realize that Aaron has fallen into the trap of a gay psycho, despite the fact that Josef mentions a pregnant wife.

Josef, wearing spandex biker shorts as he welcomes Aaron into his house up in the mountains in the middle of nowhere, doesn’t hesitate in giving off the creepiest vibe ever (hence the title) thanks to actor Mark Duplass’s fantastic performance. After subjecting Aaron to an awkward, intimate hug that he says will be a natural occurrence within a day, he brings Aaron up to the bathroom, gets naked, and has Aaron film him bathing.

Now, I don’t know what Aaron’s sexual orientation is, but any straight guy would have been out of there the minute Josef took him up into the bathroom for a bath. But Aaron hangs in there (filming gay for pay?), even after Josef stars to masturbate while passed out, saying the nickname he’s transferred from a werewolf mask to Aaron. And that nickname? PEACH FUZZ. Not to mention, as Aaron offers Josef a shot of liquor, Josef expresses his excitement at Aaron’s choice of words: bottoms up.

Of course, as in all found footage films, Aaron just continues filming Josef’s increasingly psychotic behavior, from the fucked up stories he tells to his continuous efforts to spook Aaron. Even after Aaron’s keys go missing and he drugs Josef to get the hell out of there…he continues filming. Fuck found footage films. So fucking stupid. But it sure is creepy when Aaron finds Josef blocking the door wearing a werewolf mask.

The horror and gay stuff doesn’t end in Josef’s house. Oh no. Aaron finally does get the fuck out—and then starts to receive gifts (stuffed animal, heart locket with their pictures in it) and videos from Josef at his own house. And he films all that. He films himself sleeping at night (which makes for some intense moments). He films himself talking about his dreams of Josef, which include them in a hot tub together. Yo. Aaron is GAY, even if he doesn’t know it. And I think he’s just as lonely as Josef, for no matter how much the psychological abuse continues, he keeps giving Josef more chances. That’s why Josef loves him so much. He actually says he loves him.

Looking past the annoyances that come with found footage horror in general, Creep pulls another dirty trick to deliver chills; the script ensures that every time you start griping about the stupid decisions that are made, the movie owns up to it, as if that makes it forgivable. You say, “Why the fuck didn’t Aaron call the police?” He then calls the police. You say, “Why the fuck does he sleep with all the lights off every night if he’s so paranoid?” He then runs around the house turning them on while saying something like, “That’s it. All the lights are going on.” In the end, even Josef calls Aaron out on making a really stupid, stupid decision that NO ONE would make EVER in this situation. EVER.

To top it all off, Josef gives us the final “jump scare” by pretty much jumping in front of the camera and screaming “BOO!” There is only so much dramatic license (aka: cheap tactics) I can forgive in a horror movie, especially a gay one with such a cool, closeted concept. And finally, let’s get to the most ridiculous aspect of the film—what are the chances you’d post an ad for a guy to come to your house to film you bathing and he’d show up and be as fricking cute as actor Patrick Brice?

I’ll admit it. I’m just bitter because Brice and Duplass (who co-wrote the script together) never actually have sex. At least…not in the movie. In real life, I’m not so sure. But I can guess whose bottom is up.

I would just love to observe a bunch of straight guys watching Creep and see if they actually get it. It does kind of play right into the idea of gays as predators, doesn’t it?