Creep Review

Anyone who regularly has to use the London Underground know that, thanks to a terrible service and horrific prices, that it can be a pretty scary place. Well for "Run, Lola Run" star Franka Potente the Tube is about to take on an even more sinister tone. Potente stars as Kate, a model agency booker, who falls asleep while waiting for the last train one night. Waking up to find herself locked in and being stalked by something very nasty indeed, Kate's in for a long night.

Filmed on a fairly limited budget, "Creep" is one of those films that succeeds in places and just plain sucks in others. First time director Christopher Smith certainly creates a palpable atmosphere, especially early on before we come face to face with who or what is tormenting Kate and those unlucky enough to be trapped with her. Making excellent use of sound and one's natural fear of the dark, Smith will have you on the edge of your seat for the first forty five minutes or so but then things take a turn for the worse as it all gets a bit weird. I don't want to go into too much detail about what's lurking in the dark but you get the feeling Smith may have come up with much of his plot while at University 'cos it's got a bit of a studenty feel to it. Also, while we're teased with a few hints about the baddies origins, it's never really satisfactorily explained. As such what could have been a tense thriller descends into cliché with an over reliance on blood and gore.