Film Review: Creepers (2014)

SYNOPSIS:

Creepers – Horror Anthology Movie Volume Two features four tales of terror from contemporary authors Joe R. Lansdale and Jeff Strand and classic horror writers Edgar Allan Poe and Lafcadio Hearn. Directed by filmmakers Jeremiah Kipp, Gregory Lamberson, Christian Walker and Mike T. Lyddon.

REVIEW:

The genre of horror never ceases to amaze me. We get studio releases all the time that never manage to do more than fill my evening with 2 hours of wasted viewing energy. This means that when a uniquely effective film comes around, it is quite the surprise and bonus. I was not expecting “Creepers” to floor me with as much pizzazz as it ultimately projected. “Creepers “is a winner that deserves more than just a casual release. For starters, it arrived on bluray,  a rare quality for first time independent releases. Though even with high definition raising the bar for it, that doesn’t necessarily means that the film will hold up.

“Creepers” holds up wonderfully offering a analogy-style presentation to potential viewers. For starters the footage is crisp, the shots are well framed and the FX are harrowingly creepy. Well positioned framing is usually a giveaway as to the camera experience and expertise behind it. That combined with well edited decisiveness makes for a product that shines. Storytelling rounds off the product scoring points across the board on original concepts and fresh ways of articulating them.

The film is wrapped with a umbrella story about an accountant and his client. As the accountant awaits dinner (his client promised him) he is entertained with several short stories. This begins our film.

The first story “Of a Promise Broken” is by far my favorite about a dying wife who requests her husband bury her in the garden once she passes. Upon remarriage and a time after his wife’s death, the husband welcomes his new wife to the very same house before leaving on business for 3 days. During this time, the spirit of his passed wife terrorizes his newlywed culminating in a most frightening ending. This piece (needless to say) is quite harrowing and effective. The camera work, timing, and overall footage is right on the money making for a great introduction into this anthology film. Based upon the short story by Lafcadio Hearn, director Christian Walker should be proud!

Adding to the bunch is a short piece called “Berenice” and a comedy piece by Greg Lamberson about a computer spirit that dies and leaves before the user can save his prized masterpiece, a novel he has been working on. The short which is called “Gave up the Ghost” (by Jeff Strand) is really a poke-fun-kind of piece that loudly says that not every book published is worthy of “being” published (or should be). The idea is approached with a light hearted and fresh take that has our computer spirit begging to stay in the after life. Ritual black magic pulls the spirit from beyond but ultimately ends on a message about poorly written crap…..good stuff indeed.

The final piece visits the idea that was inspired by the film “Magic”, yep a ventriloquist doll that becomes possessed. While the piece is down well, the idea is a bit redundant in many respects but still manages to leave a few chills in its wake.

The piece “Berenice” is a product of the Edgar Allen Poe short story of same name. I confess that while I did enjoy the story I didn’t really get the ending. Knowing that the piece was discussed in more detail on other sites, I looked elsewhere to get the gist of the ending. Upon review the short was revealed as being an obsession about teeth. Egaeus and Berenice become quite the pair suggesting that Egaeus had fallen in love with her. Though it is revealed in the story’s ending that in fact it was Berenice’s teeth that Egaeus was infatuated in, not Berenice herself. Ok…now it makes sense….

“Creepers” collects its selections forming a solid anthology film that offers some great moments. The announcement that its debut would be on bluray makes for an even more impressive beginning to this product. If I were to guess, it would be that “Creepers” will follow with more sequels collecting some of the best shorts out there. Short films on the whole can be very powerful. When they are grouped together as a bigger presentation they can be quite the product (if the pieces all offer something to the viewers). In the case of “Creepers”, I can say that the film is frightfully intense and harrowing. Keep your eyes of “Reel Progress LLC”

More info on Creepers – http://www.creepersfilm.com/