There have been many horror films based upon the heinous exploits of Ed Gein and Jaffrey Dahmer, but how many of those can boast of having an actual nymphomaniac in the cast? Tim Ritter's independent slasher classic CREEP not only is a notorious low budget gore-fest - but also stars Kathy Willets, who made national news as an exotic dancer who prostituted herself to local bigwigs because of her compulsion to have sex "10 times a day" (and of course went on to do porn). A combo like that is certainly hard to beat, campers!

CREEP opens with a flashback detailing the verbal and physical abuse heaped upon Angus Lynch and his sister by their perverted scum parents. After the psychedelic credits (a warning to the epileptics reading this), the story shifts to modern day. There's a car accident involving a prison transfer that allows the adult convict Angus to escape. He gets the drop on his pursuer and strangles the unfortunate officer. Meanwhile, tough female cop Jackie, who's been suffering disturbing flashbacks about her mother's murder when she was a child, spies a creep poisoning baby food jars in the local 7-11. She makes the chump eat the tainted product himself - that's justice for ya, baby! Her father, police chief Dave Ketchum (!), has to suspend her for her action. However, he still offers fatherly support concerning Jackie's tragic memories.

Meanwhile, Angus stumbles on to a couple screwing in a car way back in the woods; naturally he cuts them both up and steals their vehicle. Arriving at a local strip club, Angus meets his sister Kascha, one of the dancers. Delighted to see her brother out of the joint, Kascha takes Angus to meet her creep of a husband, Donny. Jackie has a turn for the worst when she walks in on her boyfriend Graham screwing some hooker in his hot tub - the girl can't catch a break! Angus makes short work of Donny after the pig verbally abuses Kascha and tries to whore her out. He tells his sister "That's what you do to people who mess with you." The feds follow Angus' trail, they believe Dave's life may be in jeopardy because he had been the cop to bust Angus in the first place. He contacts Jackie and they agree to meet at the family cottage to get away for a while; Jackie can use the time to deal with her flashbacks and Ketchum can be safe from Angus. But nothing seems to slow down the Angus killing machine. Driven by the haunting memories of his abused childhood, Angus lashes out and continues his killing spree, now aided by a willing Kascha. What follows is a tangled web of betrayals and murders that culminate in an unexpected twisted blow up that leaves...well now, you'll just have to watch and see for yourself.

CREEP is pretty much what you'd expect from a low budget slasher film - lots and lots of innovative ways to kill off characters. Tim Ritter must be given props for actually writing a story, that while not a 'masterpiece' does have enough twists and turns in the plot and a really good climax that ties everything together. The lead actors - most veterans of Ritter's previous films - give overall fine performances, while the minor roles are filled in by members of the production team. Willets' acting is what you'd expect from a porn star - her boobs, fake as they may be, are clearly her only attribute. The music by Goth band Alucarda is in the Dario Argento/Italian slasher film vein and gives the movie an extra kick. Production-wise, the film is shot with a variety of cameras - 16mm, High-D Video 8, and Beta to name a few. Because of this, the picture and sound quality fluctuate quite a bit. In his commentary, Ritter explains - it was more important to get the film done with whatever source was available than try to have a 'uniform' style. Having been exposed to this technique before ("Natural Born Killers"), I found the changes in picture were not much of a distraction to the story. However, the differences in the audio track are very pronounced, and the noise distortion did detract from some of the scenes. However, the editing is very tight (and abrupt in several transitions) so those problems are kept to a minimum.

Sub Rosa has released CREEP in a letterboxed, extended director's cut version with lots of extras. Foremost, there is a lengthy 'behind the scenes' feature that is required viewing. Ritter narrates the story of CREEP from start to finish, including a lot of production outtakes, interviews and other wonderful bits - like a radio interview with Herschell Gordon Lewis (and if you don't know who he is, you are not a true MONSTER!) There are three separate audio commentaries. Ritter's is very detailed about the production, while actors' Joel Wynkoop, Asbestos Felt, and R.M. Hoopes give a more casual discussion with many anecdotes on their work in CREEP. The third commentary track is mainly a talk by Tom Karr on the history of serial killer Ed Gein and his own work DERANGED, plus isolated score work by Alucarda.

Anyone with a bucket of fake blood and extra time on their hands can make a cheap slasher flick these days. However, Tim Ritter weaves a complex story into the barrage of grisly deaths to give CREEP it's place as one of independent films' horror classics. So get ready for plenty of blood, boobs and bombshells because CREEP is on the loose and coming after you!