This isn't the first time this has happened; won't be the last.
The Creep Tapes is the revival of the Creep franchise from 2015 by Patrick Brice and Mark Duplass. In the found footage subgenere, there are a handful of films that are held in high regard. Creep is one of those films. After nearly a decade since the initial film, we are once again witnessing this unhinged serial killer lure his victims to their final moments with a few laughs along the way, until the final episode which is one of the most unhinged things I've seen in a long while.
The series is only six episodes, each of which are less than 30 minutes. Mark Duplass' character somehow again is able to manipulate multiple different men with various filmmaking stories only to find out that this man is not who they thought. It's pretty much the same format as the Creep films which starts to get stale by episode four. Even with a change of scenery throughout the series, Duplass' Peachfuzz is very much the same.
Photo Credit: Shudder
Each episode is titled with the name of the person he encounters, starting with "Mike" who shows up at the cabin trying to make some quick cash by filming a man who wants to get into acting school. This episode is almost a rehashing of the films and is a fun reintroduction of the world that Brice and Duplass created in 2015. After keeping "Mike" engaged in filming him in ridiculous scenarios over the runtime of the episode, he is able to lure him outside one final time. The subsequent episodes switch up periodically, but about even at less than half an hour, most of the episodes reach a moment where I am waiting to get to the end.
The best part of The Creep Tapes is Mark Duplass' portrayal of Peachfuzz. His dark humor, random moments of singing, and moments of pure sanity are what we are here for. And he doesn't fail to deliver. For those who may have ever wondered, "How does he keep getting away with this?", The Creep Tapes give us the insight into how he has been able to continue being such an unsuspecting villain. Fans of the franchise will enjoy getting to see more of him in action.
The Creep Tapes brings back what we loved most about Creep and take us on a new adventure. Getting to the root of who the character is, and even exploring how he might have grown up. I can see an opportunity to expand this universe in a second season but they would need to switch up a little more to make it work.
Here is the series schedule:
Episode 1 & 2 Premieres Friday, November 15 on Shudder and AMC+
Episode 3 Premieres Friday, November 22 on Shudder and AMC+
Episode 4 Premieres Friday, November 29 on Shudder and AMC+
Episode 5 Premieres Friday, December 6 on Shudder and AMC+
Episode 6 Premieres Friday, December 13 on Shudder and AMC+
All episodes were screened for this review.