‘Creep Encounters’ VOD Review
Stars: Natalie Biggs, Darren Randall, Kansas Bowling, Charlotte Wallis, Adam Probets, Sadie Kime, Jon-Paul Gates, Kitty Sudbery, Sophie Bullock | Written and Directed by Jason M.J. Brown
Creep Encounters opens at the site where a UFO has made a crash landing. The government is claiming that it’s a small plane that crashed and is trying to clean things up as quickly as possible. That becomes a bit more complicated when a spider-like alien escapes and bites a few soldiers before disappearing into the woods.
Meanwhile, at nearby Creek High, most of the students haven’t shown up, apparently because their parents believe the rumour going around that it was a UFO, not a small plane, that crashed. As if that wasn’t strange enough one of the teachers, Helen (Natalie Biggs; Shine a Light, Who We Are), finds an odd case by the front door. A case that, when science teacher David (Darren Randall; Tainted Blood, Dark Vale) gets it open contains, among other things, a container of what appears to be worms and a video of a woman (Kansas Bowling; The Third Saturday in October Part V, Psycho Ape!) talking about an encounter with aliens.
It’s not long before they’re all having encounters of their own with not just the alien arachnids, but a strange figure in a biowarfare suit and a possessed schoolgirl, Maxine (Charlotte Wallis; Manhunt, The 7 Signs).
Writer/director Jason M.J. Brown (Ghost Track, A Date with Ghosts) has set himself the unenviable task of staging an alien invasion of Earth on a bare-bones budget. He wisely keeps the sets to a minimum as everyone, human and alien alike, gets locked in the school. That leaves the humans trying to stay alive and escape before the aliens can kill or possess them.
The main characters are a handful of school staff including Rudy Ledbetter (Adam Probets; Arthur & Merlin, Birthday Blood), drama teacher Emily Winters (Sadie Kime; City of Decay, A Date With Ghosts) and the maintenance man (Jon-Paul Gates; Bring Me a Skin for Dancing In, Nightmare on 34th Street). There are also a few students, such as Evie (Kitty Sudbery; The Evil Fairy Queen, Christmas with the Pups) and Alice (Sophie Bullock; Repeat, A Very Quarantwinned Christmas) to round out Creep Encounters’ collection of potential aliens and/or victims.
Unfortunately, Creep Encounter’s low budget does undercut it when it comes to the film’s effects. While the alien spiders are passable, things like muzzle flashes and a possessed human getting their head blown off are pretty weak. The severed neck and spurts of animated blood are almost comical, and a good reminder of why using digital gore is almost never a good idea.
Actually, between the filming being mostly confined to one location and the cheesy effects, Creep Encounters occasionally resembles an old, think Tom Baker era, episode of Dr. Who with some gore and swearing added in. And if you grew up on those episodes, you’ll probably enjoy the sense of nostalgia.
Despite running a quick ninety minutes, Creep Encounters could have used a little trimming. The film’s last ten or so minutes feel tacked on and out of place. The film would have ended stronger without them, and they feel as if they’re just there to get the running time up to an hour and a half for contractual reasons. They’re not dull, just dragged out and rather pointless.
Overall, Creep Encounters is a film for those who can appreciate a microbudget film for what it is. This is a film for those, as I mentioned, who fondly remember Dr. Who’s earlier years. Or those who remember films like The Alien Factor or Laserblast popping up on Saturday afternoon TV. Taken on those terms, this is an enjoyable way to pass some time.
*** 3/5
Devilworks has released Creep Encounters on Digital Platforms.
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