Creepy is very much an unnerving thriller.

 

Kiyoshi Kurosawa is one of the best directors when it comes to psychological thrillers, especially slow paced horror-esque movies. Back in 2016, he directed an adaptation of author Yutaka Maekawa's novel, Creepy and it garnered a mixed reaction. I wanted to take a look at the movie and judge it for myself. 

During a break, a serial killer that detective Takakura was in the middle of questioning escapes. The escape results in the death of an innocent lady and injury to Takakura as he is stabbed with a fork. The incident results in Takakura resigning from the force, opting to become a criminal psychology lecturer at a university. It also results in him and his wife, Yasuko, moving into a new neighbourhood. Yasuko wants to greet their new neighbours, but everyone seems to treat the pair with suspicion and come across as abrasive. The stand out among them however, is the very bizarre and creepy, Nishino who leaves next door. As Takakura gets invested in an old case from a few years ago involving a family going missing and then subsequently being murdered, he meets Saki, the sole survivor. As he loses himself in the case, drawn headlong into solving it, Yasuko seems to be dealing with psychological issues of her own and keeps bumping into Nishino. 

Much like is Kiyoshi Kurosawa's forte, Creepy slowly rachets up the tension as it progresses with the not so frequent dialogue helping to give the movie that extra boost in eeriness. As mentioned, the build-up is very slow, the pace of the movie almost dragging in certain places, but it is purposeful in putting the pieces in place for the finale. Also aiding the tone and vibe of the movie is the haunting yet subtle soundtrack and the usage of crickets in the sound design to really make it an uncomfortable viewing, in a good way. The cinematography also aids the creepy tone as the camera often tracks the people in frame almost claustrophobically at times, especially within the dingy, bleak and almost lifeless interior of Nishino's residence. 

My favourite aspect of the cinematography is the very subtle credits and title card. It's a very understated and yet brilliant approach that keeps one immersed within the setting of the movie as the credits appear between the bars of the window in the police station.  

Hidetoshi Nishijima has proven to be a reliable and capable leading man with a charisma that is understated and yet palpable. As Takakura, he manages to portray a whole range of emotions, going from charming husband to overbearing ex-detective who might go overboard in order to solve a case. There are a few issues with the writing when it comes to the character, such as him neglecting to mention the fact that Mio stated that Nishino is not her actual father to his wife. He also didn't mention the fact that he pointed his old partner to Nishino when he had the chance to inform the superior investigator, which got his old colleague and the superior killed.

The late Yuko Takeuchi also delivered a fine performance as Takakura's wife, Yasuko. She goes through a whole range of emotions as she starts off just simply trying to be friendly and getting to know the neighbours before getting suspicious of Nishino and then being psychologically manipulated. Again, there are some issues with the writing such as her willingness to engage with Nishino despite being rightfully creeped out by him after their interactions improve ever so slightly. She does not listen to her husband despite the fact that their seems to be no real issues in their relationship and Takakura seems to be a good guy. 

The real stand out here however is the excellent Teruyuki Nagawa. The man makes a convincing creep and shady, sleazy villain and has the face to match. He gets quite a large amount of screen time and makes the most of every second. 

Overall, despite the writing being severely flawed and characters behaving incredibly stupid, the movie might be worth a recommendation due to the atmosphere and expert tension building. It is much like a lot of Kiyoshi Kurosawa's work, a delightful lesson in a slow paced, tension build that doesn't have to rely on cheap scares or over the top gore.