Nordic Watchlist reviews The Creeps by Finnish director Marko Mäkilaakso
Do you love films from the 80s? Who doesn’t, right? And even if you’re not a fan of the cinematic decade that gave us Highlander, Gremlins, and Knight Rider, you can’t help but be charmed by how much the Finnish director Marko Mäkilaakso loves it.
This film is essentially a love letter to 80s films, starting off with referencing Ferris Bueller’s Day Off with American actor Chris Cavalier talking to the audience. The first few scenes do a good job of setting the vibe and expectations for the rest of the film, telling the audience not to take this too seriously, instead just enjoy the ride. (And take a shot every time the film references an 80s film, though for health reasons don’t do it, as no one would survive that drinking game.)
The editing and pacing may not be this film’s strong suit, but it makes up for it with its special effects and fun creature designs. I always appreciate the use of practical effects instead of CGI, so when there was actual fake blood running on the actors and puppets used as the little snowman monstersn, I was very happy. The design of “the Creeps,” which are the little snowman monsters that reference the Gremlins, was unique and fun enough that for a while I forgot they were Gremlins references. I even think that this film would have benefited from focusing more on the little monsters.
The 80s film references, as fun as they are, start to take over the story of the film. There are scenes that feel unnecessary for the story, but are more for the audience to go, “Oh look, it’s Joe Dante!” And when a film starts to focus too much on the side gimmick, it then becomes hard for the audience to focus on the actual story. Having said that, most of the bigger references are intertwined with the story in a comedic effect, like the Knight Rider car or Christopher Lambert, who plays quite a big role in the film.
When the film ended, I was left with a few unanswered plot questions, but I did not feel too bothered by it. Simply because it’s not that kind of film where the plot is the most important thing, and I mean that honestly as a good thing. The Austin Powers films, Hot Tub Time Machine, Dude, Where’s My Car? all have the same thing in common, yet people keep watching them (me included).
The film, I feel, is made for the US audience. There is even a joke at the start about dubbing being bad. And the lead character is an American teenager, so I guess it does make sense the film is in English. But I do wonder if they would have had more success (at least in Europe) if it had been spoken in Finnish as well as in English. Maybe it would have reached a wider cult following like Død Snø (Dead Snow). But these are obviously just speculations of the reviewer, and I will give the film credit for using Finnish words here and there, and even putting the dictionary term for them on the screen.
Dazzler Media presents The Creeps on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, DVD & Digital Download from 1st December
