Directed By: Christopher Smith
Starring: Franka Potente, Sean Harris, Vas Blackwood
Tag line: "Your day ends here"
Trivia: Posters showing a bloody hand sliding down a train window were banned from the London Underground
While at a party, Kate (Franka Potente), a young woman from Germany working in London, discovers that her friend Gemma, who promised to get her into another party that actor George Clooney was attending, has already left without her. Hoping to catch up to her, Kate rushes to the nearest Underground station, where she falls asleep on the platform while waiting for the next train. By the time she finally wakes up, the entire station is empty and has been locked down for the night. Fortunately, one last train arrives, but when Kate hops on it, she finds her co-worker Guy (Jeremy Sheffield), who put the moves on her at the party, already on-board. Realizing he's been following her, a frightened Kate attempts to leave the train, only to be jumped by Guy, who tries to rape her. Before anything can happen, however, Guy is pulled off of her by an unseen person and dragged away kicking and screaming. Figuring a murderer is loose in the station, Kate seeks help from homeless couple Jimmy (Paul Rattray) and Mandy (Kelly Scott), as well as a night watchman (Morgan Jones), all of whom eventually fall victim to the mysterious killer. Desperately searching for a way out, Kate crawls into the sewer system, where she herself is abducted and carried off to an underground medical facility that her captor "Craig" (Sean Harris), a deformed mental patient, resides in. Will Kate free herself in time, or is she destined to become Craig's next victim?
Ever since I saw her in the wildly energetic 1998 German movie Run Lola Run, I've been a fan of Franka Potente’s, and I was glad she got to play the lead in Creep. Sure enough, the actress doesn't disappoint, infusing her character with a strength that borders on arrogance (clearly evident in the opening party scene). Then, after being attacked by both a would-be rapist and a dangerous psychotic in the same night, Potente shows she's just as good playing the vulnerable victim as she is the self-assured young professional. Along with its lead’s solid performance, Creep takes full advantage of its setting (there's something unnerving about a quiet, abandoned train station), and features a handful of creepy moments; the opening sequence, where two sewer workers (Ken Campbell and Vas Blackwood) encounter both the killer and one of his potential victims, gets the film off to a spooky start. Most impressive of all, though, is the monster itself, menacingly portrayed by Sean Harris. As tense as the first half of Creep is, it pales in comparison to what transpires once the action shifts to the underground facility Craig calls home, where Kate is subjected to horrors beyond her wildest dreams.
All of these elements come together wonderfully, making Creep a nifty little monster movie that’s sure to entertain.
