[Editorial] Sara in Creep 2 (2017)

Sara is host of a failing web series entitled Encounters which shows her meeting a range of offbeat people through personal ads. Creep 2 makes an interesting early point that most men are not weirdos or in fact, serial killers as we see her alone with a number of different subjects who pose no threat to her safety.

An inquisitive and insightful person by nature, Sara admits to herself (on camera) that her career is in crisis and is in great need of some pepping up. It is just at this time that she spots an advert for a videographer to take part in a project which includes an invitation to ‘go deeper together’. This leads her to Aaron, a frenetic and eccentric man who may or may not be a serial killer. 

From the get-go Sara is presented as fearless; when asked by Aaron (via text messages before they meet) if she is afraid, she responds, ‘no’. Through the use of her camera which she has on at all times, we see much of the action through her perspective. In addition to seeing what she does, we are also given access to her private speeches and on the occasions when Aaron takes the camera, we can see her reaction. In this respect, we are given both the privilege of sharing first-hand in her experiences and are able to observe her responses. Driving to Aron’s address she admits to the camera that the location is: ‘a lot more remote than I anticipated’ before confessing that she would not normally put herself in this kind of situation. This time it would seem, things are different; the stakes have been raised for Sara and she is not afraid to take on whatever this make-or-break project has in store. 

Despite being alone in a remote cabin in the woods with a complete stranger, she is an immediate even match for Aaron who is notably surprised at her lack of reaction to his outlandish claims and behaviour. She remains completely silent and unmoved when he tells her that he is in fact a serial killer who is experiencing a midlife crisis. Whether Sara perceives this as bullshit or if the fact that they have both hit a crucial moment in their lives is something that resonates is unclear, but both possibilities are certainly thought-provoking. Once he has told Sara about his crimes, she is totally game: ‘I’m into it’; drawn towards the spice and unpredictability of her new subject, she is ready for what lies ahead.  

Sara first establishes and then maintains the power balance between herself and Aaron who is constantly trying to scare, provoke or unnerve her. However, when he shows her a video of him taking an axe to his friend’s head, we hear her nervousness arise (although importantly this is a private moment that only we, not Aaron, gets to see) as she declares: ‘fuck’. Sara navigates a series of intense and awkward situations and often challenges Aaron’s behaviour with her responses. While Aaron is not what Sara expects, Sara is also not what Aaron expects. 

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In the brief, private moments with the camera, Sara reveals that she is taking care of her safety and is carrying a knife in her boot. She also talks to herself by raising hands to listen to two sides of an argument as to whether she should stay or not. This shows that she is able to think things through logically, even though she may not always make the most logical decisions. Whilst out driving, Aaron dons the famous Peachfuzz mask of the first film, a zany choice that Sara ignores, much to his annoyance. Just when he gives up on probing into what she thinks of his mask, she sends him a curve ball once more by providing him with an answer he was not anticipating: ‘I think it’s cute’. 

When Aaron tells her to go because: ‘it’s going to be a bad, bad night’ she follows her curiosity and instinct by electing to stay. When taking a shower (a task which we expect will make her vulnerable), Aaron pulls back the curtain only to find that Sara jumps out and scares him. Here it is Sara who is wearing the mask (albeit a feminised, beauty mask) and is able to provoke something from Aaron that he has not been able to get from her; a scream. 

Although for much of the film, Sara keeps her cool, everyone has a breaking point and she becomes visibly angry and prepares to leave when he stages a suicide attempt. However, when he reveals he was wearing a harness she acquiesces, with the threat now minimised again and the whole thing appearing as a setup, she relaxes a little and lightens up. This could serve to disarm Sara, but instead, she keeps on her guard as we move to the denouement. 

In a twisted game of kill or be killed Aaron steals her knife as she is pursued through the woods before dragging her into a grave. But, if there is one thing about Sara that we have learnt, is that she is strong, determined and never willing to back down. We watch as she rises from the grave and takes a spade to Aaron’s head, like a possessed spirit coming back from the dead she crawls out of the grave he made for her and escapes the scene. The shot fades out and then in again to Sara walking through a busy city to a tube station before she meets eyes with an unknown voyeur. Notably changed now, Sara might have become the prey once more but her ability to pick this person out shows that she is on her ‘A Game’ and the final stare tells us that she is ready to do whatever it takes to survive.

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