Mind The Gap

Like most London commuters I have a love/hate relationship with the Underground 'Tube' system. It's expensive, often overcrowded, full of pimply European students with brightly coloured backpacks, people not moving down inside the carriages, not letting people get off, ear-splitting announcements pissing people off by telling them that there is a 'good service running on all lines'. I could go on. Despite these annoyances, it's generally an efficient way of getting around. Add to this mysterious things like the 'Kings Cross Triangle', Ghost Stations, the Black Tube Mice and that warm wind that blows through the bowels of Tottenham Court Road station and I've got to admit that I like riding on the Tube. It is part of my daily life so I might as well enjoy the rough with the smooth.

The Tube has always been under represented in movies, especially in the horror genre. Only Quatermass and the Pit, Death Line and An American Werewolf in London spring to mind. Wait a minute, stand behind the yellow line, a new film has just pulled in. Creep is a reasonably entertaining British/German co-production that takes advantage of London's maze of underground tunnels to good effect.


It is the tale of young woman (Franka Potente) who whilst waiting for the last train at Charing Cross, dozes off and awakens minutes later to find she has not only missed the train but is also locked inside the station. At first it appears she is on her own but she soon discovers that there is someone lurking in the shadows - the bloodthirsty disfigured Creep of the title. This is quite a sick gory thriller that is not for folks who hate the sight of the red stuff. Anyone who is Creep'd upon is likely to end up on the end of some sharp jagged metal implement.


At just about 80 minutes Creep is short, mainly because there is only so much time you can spend running through the underground before it becomes boring. A nice surprise is seeing Ken Campbell make an appearance as a sewer worker who encounters some nastiness at the beginning. The Creep itself is quite effective until the last third of the film when he comes out of the shadows and you get to see a bit too much of him. So, it's not great cinema but I found it fun to watch. The atmospheric Tube location is the real star here and as such I recommend Creep to all fellow London commuters.


Please stand clear of the closing doors.