One Of The Most Underrated Horror Franchises Is Getting A Series
[UPDATE: Variety has confirmed that "Creep 3" is actually "The Creep Tapes," a new series! This article has been updated with additional information.]
Babe, wake up! New "Creep" sequel news just dropped! 10 years ago, Mark Duplass and Patrick Brice unleashed the found footage film "Creep," in which an aspiring filmmaker named Aaron (Brice) answers an ad posted on Craiglist by an allegedly terminally ill man named Josef (Duplass) looking to make videos for his unborn child to watch after he's passed. Aaron arrives to record Josef's "day in the life" videos believing he's doing something noble, but quickly realizes that there's something seriously wrong with the man who hired him for the job.
The film arrived seven years after the success of "Paranormal Activity" inspired an explosion of found footage horror, which at this point had jumped the shark in terms of practical believability. "Creep" dropped on Netflix and became a huge hit through word of mouth, inspiring a sequel, "Creep 2," and revitalizing the found footage horror subgenre in the process.
For the last few days, Mark Duplass has been posting ominous messages on social media, before finally uploading a video to X and TikTok of someone standing on a beach shore at night. Richard Strauss' "Also sprach Zarathustra" plays over the footage (the "2001: A Space Odyssey" song or Ric Flair's entrance music) as the camera pans up to reveal ... PEACHFUZZ! Josef in his wolf mask dives at the camera as the footage cuts to black with "Coming soon..." covering the screen. One of the most underrated horror duologies is becoming a franchise, and considering director Patrick Brice (who also directed "There's Someone Inside Your House" for Netflix) shared the video with equal excitement, it's safe to assume he's coming back as well.
Creep 3 has been in the works for a decade
When "Creep" was originally announced in 2014, it was intended to be a trilogy. "Creep 2" wasn't as big of a hit as the first film and Duplass was very transparent about how the crew had to work themselves ragged for the film to be as good as it was, but felt "like it wasn't as good as it could have been." Now, I'm not here to tell anyone how to feel about their work, but I found "Creep 2" to be even more effective than the first film, but perhaps it was the choice to switch to a woman protagonist, who I'll always have an easier time identifying with. That film centered on a YouTuber named Sara (Desiree Akhavan), who answers an ad from a man named Aaron (Duplass' character now using the name of his previous victim) who is looking for a videographer in a remote cabin. Aaron reveals himself as a serial killer, throwing Sara into a fight for her life.
Brice had mentioned back in 2017 that a third "Creep" film would round out the trilogy, but that was seven years ago, so it makes sense that folks would have either forgotten about the new installment or assumed it had died in production hell. But a series? That's even better. Per the official description:
"The series is based on a collection of video tapes in the secret vault of the world's deadliest and most socially uncomfortable serial killer, who hires his victims to film him for the day under false pretenses. Each episode exposes a new victim from one of the fabled 'Creep Tapes.'"
Duplass and Brice serve as co-creators on the new series with Brice directing all episodes. Consider us ready for more tubby time.