creep

THE FLICKS: When it comes to “creature features,” movie critics can be just plain brutal. Other than Alien (which received its fair share of bad press when it was released...only later becoming the 500-pound gorilla of monster movies), the genre is often unfairly convicted without a trial – not to mention a jury of its peers. Such is the case with recent additions Creep and The Cave, two (admittedly) flawed films that still have a great deal to offer discerning fans of things that go bump in the dark. Why bother to lump both movies together, besides the fact that you’ll run into the titles alphabetically under the “horror” section? Well, they both take advantage of the horrors genre’s greatest asset; a tool filmmakers have been using since the days Roger Corman had to find a way to make his $20 monster costumes actually look frightening. They trap their expendable characters somewhere tight, cramped and out-of-the-way. Then they turn off the lights. Creep comes with a low-budget “video-nasty” pedigree and has the decided advantage of being shot in Britain (everyone knows that hokey dialogue is more believable when spoken with a British accent). First-time director Christopher Smith doesn’t even bother with character development. He lets the monster out of the bag from frame one – in this case, a malformed malcontent preying on unlucky passengers on the London subway. The first 45-minutes are an enjoyable tease, employing long-lens focus tricks straight out of John Carpenter’s repertoire and making the most of the subterranean setting. And while the “creep” remains hidden, you’ve got the makings of a lean, mean little horror film. But once actress Franka Potente (The Bourne Identity) finally gets a look at our titular terror, the camera suddenly can’t tear itself away. Yes, it’s a good make-up job and the bodily contortions are convincing, but the world doesn’t need another franchise monster a la Freddy Krueger. It needs more mystery. The Cave, the weaker film of the two, does manage to one-up Creep in the production design department, inviting a team of adventurous spelunkers into a Romanian cave system and trapping them with a trio of mutated monsters. Taken at face value, it is simply an Alien rip-off 1-mile underground. But look at it this way...it’s an Alien rip-off set 1-mile underground that’s still better than Alien vs. Predator. How’s that for a positive spin? Although it’s full of second-tier actors reciting recycled lines, the most common complaint critics had about The Cave was first-time director Bruce Hunt’s tendency to film the creature “attacks” in a blur of unrecognizable action (think of the lightning quick death suffered by John Hurt in the first Alien). Yes, it is confusing and, no, he isn’t breaking any new ground. But he is following rule number one...keep the monster (and the audience) in the dark as long as possible. When we do get a look at the flying, swimming, crawling creatures that inhabit the cave, they’re more familiar than frightening, looking like cast-offs from lead actor Cole Hauser’s last genre flick, Pitch Black. So what is the lesson learned here today? No matter how big your budget or how good your effects department, keep the lights off as long as you can. Just ask Roger. THE FEATURES: Both DVDs go further than most of the studio’s horror catalog releases, especially Lions Gate’s Creep which includes a commentary, three featurettes, an alternate beginning and ending, plus festival Q & A with the filmmakers and a bonus extended scene. The Cave adds two commentaries – one with director Bruce Hunt, another with the writers – and a couple of featurettes.