Creepers (2008): Reviewed by Bryan Schuessler
Creepers (2008), directed by Nick Thiel was a gem! This short, 18-minute horror film packed more punch than most feature-length films. It was non-stop highly-paced action and intensity. It had some blood and gore, but the key to this film was the minimal pointless dialogue and scenes of “dead air” so to speak. The editing was crisp and not one scene was boring or something that should have been left lying on the editing floor.
This film is about an alien attack that has hit the city, filming having taken place in LA, California, and two complete strangers trying to stay alive. There is not much more to it and any more details would tell one everything that will have occurred.
CJ Johnson wrote the screenplay from a story by Nick Thiel. CJ Johnson, you may recall, stars as Thompson in Creepers and also was producer in this film and in The Signal (2006) (not to be confused with the 2007 independent film of the same name directed by David Bruckner, Dan Bush, and Jacob Gentry-see my review) playing the part of Agent Nathan Lamb. Nick Thiel also played Agent Nick Thiel in The Signal. Visual Effects specialist, Chris Buorngino (along with CJ Johnson and Han Le) did a very nice job on the creatures eyes. There were 28 special effects in total. Sarah Ashley was the other main character, playing opposite CJ Johnson, as Bridget and you may also remember her performance in The Signal as Sarah.
One part of the film that stood out in my mind was the creepy and tenseful musical score. Scott Buckley composed some really cool music and that parred with the quick and precise editing made for a very enjoyable horror film to watch. All in all, I am excited to see what these filmmakers will make in the future and hope that a studio will back them so they can put together a full-length feature!
