Review: ‘The Creep Tapes’ tries to reinvent Mark Duplass’s Peachfuzz to mixed results

The moment the killer Peachfuzz opens his cabinet to show a collection of VHS tapes and DVDs at the end of Creep, we are left wondering what horrors his other victims endured. The Creep Tapes reunites Mark Duplass and Patrick Brice to fill that curiosity gap with six deranged episodes.

Given the cult following of the Creep movies, The Creep Tapes has some big shoes to fill. Fortunately, the spinoff series reunites the same creative minds that first dreamt of Creep, with Brice back for director duties while splitting writing credits with Duplass. Duplass also returns as Peachfuzz, one of the most unsettling characters in horror history. On paper, The Creep Tapes has all the elements you need for a successful spinoff. However, while the show is highly entertaining, some of its creative choices are divisive, to say the least.

If we take budget as its sole metric, Creep might be the most successful horror movie ever. For Creep, Brice and Duplass paid a few hundred dollars from their pockets, just enough to shoot a found-footage feature about two strangers meeting up to make an unexpected movie. Since production revolved entirely around them, as they also play the movie’s two characters, Brice and Duplass tried multiple versions of each scene without a detailed script, improvising and rewriting the story on the fly. Creep was a passion project for the duo, and they wanted to ensure they had a high-quality material that represented their unique vision. All this work paid off.

While the idea of two characters talking for 80 minutes might not be too enticing, Creep gathered critical acclaim and became one of Netflix’s biggest viewership hits of 2014. Duplass is just mesmerizing as a serial killer passionate about cinema, testing how far people can ignore red flags in the name of politeness and some easy money. So, even if Creep is not the scariest movie out there, it’s still an entertaining take on the serial killer trope that subverts all expectations. Plus, you can feel Creep is a fruit of love and dedication, which is always refreshing in filmmaking. It’s no wonder it became a cult classic.

A decade later, Duplass and Brice have matured as artists. Yet, they approach The Creep Tapes with the same handcrafted philosophy that the lack of budget imposed for the first movie. Like the films that came before, The Creep Tapes is about creating zany but grounded situations for Duplass’s killer to push the boundaries of his new victims. There are no huge special effects, the camera tries to stick to the gimmick of found footage as much as possible, and most of The Creep Tapes’ runtime consists of people yapping — Duplass more than anyone else. Still, there’s something magical about this simplistic setting, as it extracts every inch of the talent of Duplass and his supporting cast.

While fans can be reassured that The Creep Tapes follows in the footsteps of the movies, the series has two very distinct parts, each with specific flaws. The first part of The Creep Tapes sticks to its premise, dedicating every new episode to one of Peachfuzz’s victims before his fateful encounter with Aaron (Brice). Peachfuzz’s trap follows the same guidelines in every case. He posts a weird ad online, promises to pay a lot of money for aspiring filmmakers, and gives a different excuse for people with cameras to be lured in. From that moment on, Peachfuzz tests his victims’ sense of self-preservation, becoming more unhinged as long as each shooting experiment lasts.

The first part’s biggest issue is how it clings to the same cycle, playing with ideas already established in 2014’s Creep. Sure, it’s always a pleasure to see Duplass on screen — on that note, a monologue at the end of the first episode is among his best acting. Furthermore, Brice and Duplass try to keep things as fresh as possible by constantly changing the setting and the persona Peachfuzz uses for each victim. Despite that, the first part of The Creep Tapes feels like a step backward after Creep 2 managed to flip the script so hard.

To be clear, The Creep Tapes is fun. The fact that the episodes are so short and set for a weekly release also helps fans have a deliciously devious moment with Peachfuzz without any significant commitment. However, the series just can’t shake the feeling you’ve seen a similar story before, a sensation that’s amplified as each episode somewhat goes through the same motions. There’s nothing wrong with that, as that’s precisely what The Creep Tapes promised to offer. Even so, fans expecting The Creep Tapes to be as ambitious as Creep 2 might be disappointed with its first part.

The second part of The Creep Tapes tries to overcorrect things. In this part of the series, the episodes are no longer dedicated to Peachfuzz’s victims but to the killer himself. The Creep Tapes wants to expand the franchise mythology, giving fans answers to some of the questions they have asked since 2014. That’s a dangerous approach that dispels some of the magic the killer conjures when he steps into the scene.

Part of what makes Peachfuzz so enthralling is that he’s a compulsive liar, constantly fabricating stories to see how his victims will react. We don’t know the killer’s actual name, what he does for a living, where’s his home, or why he kills people. Creep and Creep 2 do an excellent job of playing with the truth in a way that leaves you wondering if you can trust anything Peachfuzz tells his victims — and the audience — in these movies.

It’s easy to understand the appeal of giving some answers to the fans, as there’s just so much you can do to add new layers to Peachfuzz without glimpsing his true self. Nevertheless, this character thrives in ambiguity. So, regardless of what The Creep Tapes would choose to reveal, it could never surpass all the obscure thoughts that come into mind when horror fans are left alone to wonder. Sometimes, saying less is better than trying to explain everything.

While The Creep Tapes doesn’t reach the heights of the movies, the project remains a fine addition to Peachfuzz’s story. Above everything else, Brice and Duplass are determined to keep trying out new things, which is a commendable effort in itself. Best of all, The Creep Tapes leaves the door open for multiple seasons, and despite what didn’t work, the series leaves you wanting more. Hopefully, Peachfuzz will come back next year to shake his hips seductively and whistle his disturbing children’s song.