Going into Creepy, I wasn’t sure what to expect. It’s one of those films with highly divergent critical and popular opinions, which are always interesting to watch. After finishing it, I lean more towards its glowing critical reviews rather than its mediocre IMDB score.
It’s not a perfect film nor is it Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s best. Cure is undoubtedly a better film, although this film serves as a nice companion piece with its thematic similarities. Its characters also occasionally make frankly baffling decisions, even considering the implied supernatural elements. But it does rank among the better recent J-horror films, beautifully shot, impressively acted, and disturbing on multiple levels. As usual with this director, expect a slow burn, as much like Cure, the film starts as a standard police procedural before gradually descending into an abyss of existential horror.
This release received some negative buzz on various forums for supposedly altered color timing. I’m not an expert on the subject, and the commenters were comparing it to the older region B release rather than the OCN, so I figured I’d just mention this without offering an opinion on the matter. In my uninformed opinion, the picture quality on this release is perfectly watchable.
The special features are few in number but high in quality. The booklet essay was interesting and well-written, and the commentary was well-spoken, entertaining, and informative. And I really like the art on the slipcover.