(2004/UK/GERMANY)
REVIEWED BY-STEVE GENIER DIRECTED BY-CHRISTOPHER SMITH CAST-FRANKA POTENTE, SEAN HARRIS, VAS BLACKWOOD, JEREMY SHEFFIELD, KEN CAMPBELL and PAUL RATTRAY. SOURCE-PATHE/FOX DVD (PAL REGION 2)
Trapped in the London Underground, fleeing the scene of where her co-worker was brutally attacked, Kate tries to find a way out. No such luck, as the entire system is locked down, all 400 KM of it. Still, she must find a way out, for there is something lurking in the darkness about to attack her. She hooks up with a homeless pair, Jimmy and Mandy. Jimmy agrees to help Kate find the station security for help. In the meantime, that strange presence in the darkness leaves a trail of death, one that is surely headed right for Kate.
*****This section is from the preview during the Toronto Film Festival September 2004*****
This was certainly not at the top of my list of films to catch during the fest, and in fact I was nearly 15 minutes late for it’s showing. Right off the bat, echoes of Gary Sherman’s 1972 thriller DEAD LINE aka RAW MEAT. Dark, dismal, not to mention a very creepy score that added quite the atmosphere. Still, the ambience was short lived into boredom really. There was certainly no love loss for any of the main characters as well as the acting. There was no real tension provided, no roller coaster effect, nothing to really give you a good scare. There was plenty of gory details spilled across the screen from time to time, but only really suggestive. What really blew was the lack of any real build-up to the end, which really didn’t matter for it was a pretty dull and flat conclusion. Still, all in all this was much more entertaining then was much of the Hollywood crowd is pumping out these days, though wait for a rental.
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That was of course my general feeling of seeing CREEP for the time during last year's Toronto Film Festival. I have since and just caught back up with this Christopher Smith film via it's UK Pathe PAL DVD release and must say things have certainly changed. Of course changed in a small way, as the long lay off from last seeing this to it's new venue in the privacy of my home and on my big screen television has certainly made me eat some of my words spoken earlier. For the most part nothing has changed in terms of the heavy RAW MEAT feel to it, but I have developed a liking to CREEP'S main characters. During the festival, CREEP gave off this rushed feeling, a sense of being incomplete. That is where things have changed in my thoughts and opinion of this film. The characters are actually well laid out as you do tend to develop a relation with most of the main characters especially that of Franka Potente's strong willed character Kate and that of Sean Harris' monster Craig, who you actually start to feel his pain as you near the end of the film. These factors are what changed greatly after viewing this a second time, and with a straight head. Striking how things can change with passage of time and a different venue for viewing a film.
Christopher Smith also homes a strong start to a directing career with pounding out elements he had grown up with. The genre of horror, like many of us played a huge role in his early childhood and developed greatly during those torrent 80's and it's waves of slashers that poured blood across the screens. His ability to create an atmosphere so creepy, well given the film's main set piece being the London tube or underground with all it's history and legends. Certainly makes Smith's job a hell of alot easier. Still, using both imagery and sound to their fullest, he brings us a chilling tale of torture in many different levels. Throwing us many different aspects during the film that cast foreshadows for things to come during the course of the film. Through it's buckets of blood and gore there is very stylish journey much like that of Beauty and the Beast with a twisted sense of reality. Exposing man's never ending quest with experimentation and all it's side-effects. Both the cinematography and the very effective use of lighting through the film really adds to the film's overall emotion and feel. Very gloomy, deeply darkened and stained like a tobacco like yellow in many of the lit scenes in the underground. I wouldn't be surprised as these aspects become Smith's trademarks in future projects.
The UK Pathe/FOX DVD release is certainly a nice addition to a fine film. With it's seemingly endless amount of extras to it's showcasing of an excellent main feature presentation, this disc is certainly worth the bucks. Presented in a crystal clear wide-screen 16x9, aspect ratio of 2.35:1 along with an English Dolby Digital 5.1 audio track that bellows out with clarity. Along with the audio you can choose to have Christopher Smith's commentary explaining the film's various aspects throughout the whole film. It's rather interesting listening to him peg the several different films that influenced him as well as the film. The special features as in great abundance here indeed. Starting off with a very in-depth look at the making of the film as well as behind the scenes. In addition to that there are two separate featurettes on the film's production design as well as CREEP'S make-up design. Then we are treated to the Frightfest Q&A session with both Christopher Smith and Franka Potente, as well as one of the festival's organizers Alan Jones. There is also a section where director Christopher Smith goes through step by step using storyboards of the unfilmed alternative beginning and ending. In ending the disc also harbors alternative titles, the UK trailer for CREEP and TV spots.
STORY/FILM-3 BITCH SLAPS PICTURE-4.5 BITCH SLAPS AUDIO-4.5 BITCH SLAPS EXTRAS-5 BITCH SLAPS OVERALL DVD-4 BITCH SLAPS To Purchase this DVD, visit X-Ploited Cinema
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