Editorials
‘Creep’ and the Horror of the Subtle Psychopath
One of the most disturbing villains in recent memory is not a masked lunatic or a nefarious demon, but rather a seemingly innocuous Craigslist user. His name is Josef, and he can be found in Patrick Brice’s deeply unsettling found-footage movie Creep. Played by Mark Duplass, the character does not do anything overtly malicious for the majority of the picture’s runtime, but his unusual behavior and passive-aggressive comments become as terrifying as the actions of a chainsaw-wielding maniac. Through Josef, the film examines the horror of the subtle psychopath.
In Creep, Patrick Brice plays Aaron, a freelance videographer who responds to a Craigslist ad for a one-day assignment in a remote mountain town. That sounds like the setup for something sinister, and Aaron is skeptical from the get-go, especially when he shows up at the prearranged time to an empty house. Soon enough, though, Josef arrives, and he’s not some sort of obviously evil man running towards Aaron with an ax. Rather, he comes across as a normal dude getting back from a run, although there’s something off that we can’t quite identify. One of the first comments Josef makes to Aaron is, “You have a really nice, kind face.” Huh. That’s kind of bizarre to say to a stranger, right? Is Josef super friendly but a bit awkward, or should Aaron be worried? We expected his intentions to be pronounced straightaway, but so far that is not the case.
Our initial apprehension fades away after a few minutes with Josef, who explains that he’s a cancer survivor who was recently diagnosed with a brain tumor and has two months to live. His wife is pregnant, so he has hired this videographer to record a tape for his unborn son. In case he is not able to successfully combat the tumor, Josef wants his son to know what his father was like; he and Aaron will spend the day together capturing as much footage as possible. This situation is compared to the 1993 film My Life, in which Michael Keaton plays a terminally ill man making home movies to be given to his child. When Aaron decides he’s down for the job, Josef smiles and says, “I thought you were going to run away.” We feel bad for ever doubting Josef’s motives, and we want to give him a hug and tell him it’s all going to be okay.
Moments later, everything gets weird again. Josef says he’s going to get into the tub, and he invites Aaron to come in with him. Hang on…what? He wants a total stranger to film him taking a bath? Maybe he’s just an incredibly open person who doesn’t understand why that would make Aaron uncomfortable. Could that be it? Our opinion swings right back around as Josef says that he used to take baths with his dad as a child, and we breathe a sigh of relief. The initial invite into the bathroom was awkward, but when put into the context of a dying father who realizes he may never give his baby boy his first bath, it makes more sense.
This first act of Creep is a constant tug-of-war of emotions, as Patrick Brice revels in ambiguity and ensures we never know what to make of Josef. Is he literally about to break out an ax and chop Aaron’s head off? Or is he a lonely guy looking to make friends before death but who sometimes unintentionally drives them away? Both scenarios are equally plausible, so even during seemingly unimportant dialogue sequences, we never feel fully secure. Many found-footage movies waste the audience’s time with excruciating filler, but every millisecond of Creep speaks volumes.
As we soon learn, one facet of Josef’s peculiar personality is what he describes as his strange sense of humor. He’s always scaring Aaron just to amuse himself, such as when he sinks into the tub pretending to contemplate suicide before jumping up and screaming. Who does that? Later, he runs away from Aaron in the woods, only to sneak up behind him for a scare. This could be interpreted as the actions of a psychopath who is testing exactly how far he can push his victim before they snap and who is working himself up to finally strike. But it could also be that Josef merely has poor people skills and does not register that Aaron isn’t enjoying the humor. Because Josef appears to be so unassuming, Aaron can’t justify voicing major objections, and the cycle continues.
Josef also really overshares throughout the film, creating uncomfortable situation on top of uncomfortable situation. It starts with the bath scene, but there’s also the fact that he’s frequently making physical contact with Aaron when they don’t know each other. He often goes in for hugs, and during one dialogue scene, he begins rubbing Aaron’s arm, a gesture that’s really only appropriate in a close relationship. At lunch, when Josef apologizes for secretly taking pictures of Aaron, he says he wouldn’t have done it if he knew Aaron then the way he knows him now. He’s speaking as if they are suddenly friends of several decades rather than two people who met literally one hour ago. The hesitation in Aaron’s voice is easily perceptible, but he holds back and does not want to hurt Josef’s feelings.
For the majority of Creep, every unacceptable action Josef takes has an alternate explanation that makes us reluctant to judge. He scares Aaron in the bathroom, but then that’s because he was trying to lighten the mood. He takes pictures of Aaron without his knowledge, but then he profusely apologizes and says he did so because he was nervous about meeting a stranger. There is always just enough to rope Aaron back in and prevent him from running away.
It finally becomes clear that Aaron is in danger when he speaks with Angela over the phone, and the film reveals Josef’s entire story has been a lie. Angela, who is actually Josef’s sister and not his wife as previously stated, explains that her brother “has a lot of problems.” Even now, then, Aaron isn’t confident in what he’s dealing with. After Aaron escapes, Josef begins sending him packages in the mail, one of which contains a heart locket with pictures of the two of them. Josef is now quite definitively an unstable man who has gone full stalker, but does he have murderous intentions? To what extent is Aaron at risk?
The situation is horrifying regardless, and that is precisely because of the uncertainty. Villains are scarier the less we know about them, which is why it’s best to keep their backstory vague. Yet even with an enigmatic character like Michael Myers in the original Halloween, it’s still obvious that he’s the antagonist. We can point to the killer as being objectively evil and more like a monster than a man. Creep is so frightening because it suggests that identifying real-life monsters is rarely as easy as it is on screen. They don’t provide us unmistakable warning signs or bare the mischievous appearance of a Disney witch. In our world, outside the context of a three-act narrative and self-evident character roles, determining who might wish to do us harm is distressingly tricky.
In fact, most of us probably know someone like Josef in the first act of Creep. They’re outgoing and friendly, but they’re also a bit too open and they frequently invade the personal space of others without sensing resistance. They make jokes that leave their peers feeling extremely uncomfortable, justifying this as an example of their “weird sense of humor.” They’re always pushing people to see how much they will tolerate, instantly offering an apology when the behavior is questioned while never altering it in any way. Are we describing someone who is difficult but harmless, or someone who is dangerous and should be avoided at all costs?
We may not know the answer until it’s too late, as is the case with Aaron. Josef’s final move is to send Aaron a tape explaining that he has been pretending his whole life and has burnt every bridge, but all he really wants is a friend. In reality, this is merely yet another act of manipulation on Josef’s part, but Aaron isn’t convinced that this is the case. Despite dozens of red-flags, he wants to believe that Josef is kind at heart, and so he arrives at Lake Gregory willing to give him another chance. Ultimately, this trusting nature is his downfall.
No matter how cynical we might purport to be, most of us are very much like Aaron. We want to believe that others are fundamentally good in spite of their flaws. That person who has been treating me badly, we tell ourselves, is simply confused and imperfect, so they deserve a second chance…and then a third chance, and a fourth chance. We need to be cautious of the kind of over-the-top nutcase on display at the cinema, but not of seemingly average people. Right?
Unfortunately, real villains don’t wear crazy costumes or masks; they blend seamlessly into society, and their motives are just ambiguous enough for our guard to be lowered. That doesn’t mean we should live in a constant state of paranoia, but as Creep concludes, we ought to be as wary of emotionally abusive, toxic individuals as we would be of a Freddy Krueger or a Jason Voorhees. If only they were as easy to spot.
Editorials
‘Leprechaun Returns’ – The Charm of the Franchise’s Legacy Sequel
The erratic Leprechaun franchise is not known for sticking with a single concept for too long. The namesake (originally played by Warwick Davis) has gone to L.A., Las Vegas, space, and the ‘hood (not once but twice). And after an eleven-year holiday since the Davis era ended, the character received a drastic makeover in a now-unmentionable reboot. The critical failure of said film would have implied it was time to pack away the green top hat and shillelagh, and say goodbye to the nefarious imp. Instead, the Leprechaun series tried its luck again.
The general consensus for the Leprechaun films was never positive, and the darker yet blander Leprechaun: Origins certainly did not sway opinions. Just because the 2014 installment took itself seriously did not mean viewers would. After all, creator Mark Jones conceived a gruesome horror-comedy back in the early nineties, and that format is what was expected of any future ventures. So as horror legacy sequels (“legacyquels”) became more common in the 2010s, Leprechaun Returns followed suit while also going back to what made the ‘93 film work. This eighth entry echoed Halloween (2018) by ignoring all the previous sequels as well as being a direct continuation of the original. Even ardent fans can surely understand the decision to wipe the slate clean, so to speak.
Leprechaun Returns “continued the [franchise’s] trend of not being consistent by deciding to be consistent.” The retconning of Steven Kostanski and Suzanne Keilly’s film was met with little to no pushback from the fandom, who had already become accustomed to seeing something new and different with every chapter. Only now the “new and different” was familiar. With the severe route of Origins a mere speck in the rearview mirror, director Kotanski implemented a “back to basics” approach that garnered better reception than Zach Lipovsky’s own undertaking. The one-two punch of preposterous humor and grisly horror was in full force again.
With Warwick Davis sitting this film out — his own choice — there was the foremost challenge of finding his replacement. Returns found Davis’ successor in Linden Porco, who admirably filled those blood-stained, buckled shoes. And what would a legacy sequel be without a returning character? Jennifer Aniston obviously did not reprise her final girl role of Tory Redding. So, the film did the next best thing and fetched another of Lubdan’s past victims: Ozzie, the likable oaf played by Mark Holton. Returns also created an extension of Tory’s character by giving her a teenage daughter, Lila (Taylor Spreitler).
It has been twenty-five years since the events of the ‘93 film. The incident is unknown to all but its survivors. Interested in her late mother’s history there in Devil’s Lake, North Dakota, Lila transferred to the local university and pledged a sorority — really the only one on campus — whose few members now reside in Tory Redding’s old home. The farmhouse-turned-sorority-house is still a work in progress; Lila’s fellow Alpha Epsilon sisters were in the midst of renovating the place when a ghost of the past found its way into the present.
The Psycho Goreman and The Void director’s penchant for visceral special effects is noted early on as the Leprechaun tears not only into the modern age, but also through poor Ozzie’s abdomen. The portal from 1993 to 2018 is soaked with blood and guts as the Leprechaun forces his way into the story. Davis’ iconic depiction of the wee antagonist is missed, however, Linden Porco is not simply keeping the seat warm in case his predecessor ever resumes the part. His enthusiastic performance is accentuated by a rotten-looking mug that adds to his innate menace.
The obligatory fodder is mostly young this time around. Apart from one luckless postman and Ozzie — the premature passing of the latter character removed the chance of caring about anyone in the film — the Leprechaun’s potential prey are all college aged. Lila is this story’s token trauma kid with caregiver baggage; her mother thought “monsters were always trying to get her.” Lila’s habit of mentioning Tory’s mental health problem does not make a good first impression with the resident mean girl and apparent alcoholic of the sorority, Meredith (Emily Reid). Then there are the nicer but no less cursorily written of the Alpha Epsilon gals: eco-conscious and ex-obsessive Katie (Pepi Sonuga), and uptight overachiever Rose (Sai Bennett). Rounding out the main cast are a pair of destined-to-die bros (Oliver Llewellyn Jenkins, Ben McGregor). Lila and her peers range from disposable to plain irritating, so rooting for any one of them is next to impossible. Even so, their overstated personalities make their inevitable fates more satisfying.
Where Returns excels is its death sequences. Unlike Jones’ film, this one is not afraid of killing off members of the main cast. Lila, admittedly, wears too much plot armor, yet with her mother’s spirit looming over her and the whole story — comedian Heather McDonald put her bang-on Aniston impersonation to good use as well as provided a surprisingly emotional moment in the film — her immunity can be overlooked. Still, the other characters’ brutal demises make up for Lila’s imperviousness. The Leprechaun’s killer set-pieces also happen to demonstrate the time period, seeing as he uses solar panels and a drone in several supporting characters’ executions. A premortem selfie and the antagonist’s snarky mention of global warming additionally add to this film’s particular timestamp.
Critics were quick to say Leprechaun Returns did not break new ground. Sure, there is no one jetting off to space, or the wacky notion of Lubdan becoming a record producer. This reset, however, is still quite charming and entertaining despite its lack of risk-taking. And with yet another reboot in the works, who knows where the most wicked Leprechaun ever to exist will end up next.
Horror contemplates in great detail how young people handle inordinate situations and all of life’s unexpected challenges. While the genre forces characters of every age to face their fears, it is especially interested in how youths might fare in life-or-death scenarios.
The column Young Blood is dedicated to horror stories for and about teenagers, as well as other young folks on the brink of terror.
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