Creep 2

Creep 2 is currently streaming in Australia on Netflix, and in the US on Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, and its case-by-case structure never gets in the way of the bigger story. The length is exactly right for the story it is telling — nothing rushed, nothing dragged out. A 6/10 rating says what the writing already makes obvious: this one works. Mark Duplass sets the tone, and the ensemble matches it scene for scene. There is no real reason to keep putting it off — it is right there on Netflix.

Creep 2 is not trying to be everything to everyone, and that focus is exactly what makes it work. At its heart, Creep 2 understands what makes crime drama work — character first, plot second. After finding an ad online for “video work,” Sara, a video artist whose primary focus is creating intimacy with lonely men, thinks she may have found the subject of her dreams. She drives to a remote house in the forest and meets a man claiming to be a serial killer. Unable to resist the chance to create a truly shocking piece of art, she agrees to spend the day with him. Mark Duplass and Desiree Akhavan lead a cast that brings real weight to the material. It was released in 2017. Creep 2 is at its best in the quiet scenes between the plot beats, where the character work actually happens. It delivers reliably on what it promises, which is more than most of its competition manages.

Crime and mystery fans will find exactly what they are after in Creep 2. It stands on its own even without an obvious comparison point. The complete film is available and best experienced without too much prior knowledge of where it goes. Watch Mark Duplass work — it is a masterclass in the genre. Few crime dramas earn their twists this consistently.