My favorite horror duology is one of the best things on Netflix

When a horror film gets a sequel but not a trilogy, you might think that the second film was a critical or commercial failure. It’s actually not easy to find a two-part horror series that completes a full narrative arc and ends with a satisfying ending.

Mark Duplass and Patrick Brice’s double feature Creep and Creep 2 – now available on Netflix – was a resounding success, however, offering an entertaining and chilling first film, followed by a sequel that took the franchise in a completely different direction.

In the first Creep, Brice (in his directorial and acting debut) plays Aaron, a struggling cameraman who takes a chance gig at a remote cabin in Crestline, California.

Work? It’s about making a video diary of a man named Josef (Duplass) who claims he’s dying of a brain tumor and wants to leave a message for his unborn child. From their first meeting, Aaron realizes that something is wrong with Josef, and the creeping fear grows inch by inch until their last meeting.

Inspired by both My Dinner with Andre and Misery, Creep is a two-hander, which means the film consists almost entirely of two characters – Aaron and Josef – working through an incredibly awkward (and sinister) relationship. (Duplass’s wife, Katie Aselton, makes a brief but memorable appearance as Josef’s sister on the phone.)

As the tension between the two characters increases, Josef becomes more and more nervous, often in hilarious antics or antics that show how far someone can go before the other person finally breaks and says, “I’m leaving.” Aaron, desperate for work and caught in an awkward situation where he doesn’t want to offend or lose a paying customer, endures more and more weirdness until the figure of Peachfuzz shows up and all hell breaks loose.

The film is shot with Aaron’s camera, so we see the action from his perspective, allowing Duplass to freely play the role of a sophisticated and unconventional comedian. I wasn’t a huge fan of Duplass before this movie, but this character fits him perfectly. I can’t think of anyone else who could balance the banality and strangeness of evil as well as he did.

Some critics complain that Creep doesn’t leave the audience enough leeway to think that Josef might not be a serial killer. I would argue that the ending of the film is left in doubt until the final scenes, when we are given a satisfying and enlightening conclusion.

In the sequel, Creep 2, the script is flipped – less “The Mind of a Monster” and more “Portrait of a Serial Killer in Midlife Crisis.”

Josef is back, but now named “Aaron” after his favorite victim. He hires another desperate freelance camerawoman – Sara (Desiree Akhavan, director and screenwriter of The Miseducation of Cameron Post), who makes her living as a YouTuber filming random encounters with men on Craigslist.

Instead of repeating his usual behavior, Aaron is honest with Sarah from the beginning. He tells her that he is a serial killer and that he will let her live if she makes a documentary about him. Turn? She doesn’t believe him, and every attempt Aaron makes to scare Sarah ends ridiculously badly.

Sara and Aaron grow closer each day, forming the quirky relationship Sara craved after her failed interviews on Craigslist. Aaron decides to make the final resolution for the day and Sarah isn’t interested, leading to an exciting conclusion that leaves people in doubt again until the last minute.

The ending leaves open the possibility of another film imagining someone new behind the camera, but it also resolves the Creep franchise with a fascinating final scene that further confuses the cameraman and subject dynamic. (Duplass announced a 30-minute TV special titled Creep Tapes, which will focus on Josef’s past victims.)

If you’re looking for a pair of indie horror films that avoid the most common found-footage clichés and tropes, Creep and Creep 2 certainly fit the bill and are more fun than many horror films with much larger budgets.

If you’re looking for more scary movies, check out the best horror movies to watch on Max.