Mark Duplass' Creep Trailer Makes Unsettling Nightmares Feel All Too Real

You never know what you’re going to get when you respond to a classified ad. Maybe you’ll meet some nice individual who wants to sell you a gently worn couch, or maybe you’ll wind up working for a deranged Mark Duplass, which appears to be the plot of his new found footage horror movie Creep, which just dropped this new trailer.



When Aaron (director and co-writer Patrick Brice) answers an ad looking for someone with filming experience, a job that promises $1000 for the day, with a little discretion thrown in for good measure, it seems like too good and opportunity to pass up. What he finds, however, is Josef (Duplass, who co-wrote the script with Brice), a man dying of brain cancer who wants to make a video diary for his unborn son. That actually sounds rather sweet, though, as you can see in this trailer, it does not remain that way for long. As they film throughout the day, things get progressively creepier and creepier.

This has potential to be a cool, tense two-hander from low-budget genre factory Blumhouse Productions (The Purge, Paranormal Activity) imprint BH Tilt. Brice and Duplass are the only credited actors, and with the found footage conceit, it looks like it’s just them, as there aren’t many other folks listed in the credits. All in all, the production don’t have a lot to work with, but it appears they’re doing everything they can with what’s available. Sometimes a good idea and a couple of strong actors are all you need.

From this trailer, which Brice himself shared, Creep looks like a relatively straightforward horror thriller where things are not exactly as you initially think. But from reviews, word of mouth, and descriptions, the film is frequently called a comedy as well—you have to love that pull quote that compares it to What About Bob? and Fatal Attraction, two movies you don’t usually hear referenced in the same sentence.

There are certainly a few laughs to be found in this footage, but they’re more of the awkward variety that still manages to be creepy and send shivers up your spine. It’s one of those situations where you have to laugh because the alternative is sheer terror and discomfort. Then again, that seems to be the style and aesthetic they are going for, so, mission accomplished boys.

Creep made the festival rounds last year, landing at South by Southwest and the Seattle International Film Festival, among others, but it is finally getting released to the public in the next little bit. It will be exclusively available on iTunes starting later this month on June 23. A few weeks after that, however, you’ll be able to watch it on Netflix starting on July 14.