In Creep 2 (2017) Patrick Brice and Mark Duplass return with a sequel to their tiny-budget thriller. It's more bizarre than its predecessor, and much more fun too.

I could bet that when Patrick Brice and Mark Duplass started writing their thriller about Joseph the psycho killer, they didn't suspect it would grow into more than just one movie. However, the success of Creep (2014) planted the seed in their minds - what if we could continue the legacy of Joseph?

In Creep 2 (2017), Joseph calls himself Aaron, which is a rather sinister wink to Patrick Brice's character in the first movie. Aaron, now bearded, pops into his friend's apartment (a tiny part played by Karan Soni), only to commit just another violent murder in front of a hidden camera. This time, he seems widely distraught, and displeased by the act.

That's the change of the narrative in comparison with Creep (2014). Joseph-turned-Aaron finds another potential victim online, but upon her arrival - he's straightforward about his intentions. The deal is simple - I will not kill you the next 24 hours, but you keep on filming. The new protagonist is Sara (Desiree Akhavan), and apparently, she has a rock-solid reason to fall for Aaron's madness.

Within the Creep-verse, there weren't many turns to take - seemingly. The trick was how minimum resources were needed to conjure up the frights and an inventive, riveting thriller. Brice also kept the viewers guessing whether Mark Duplass' character was, indeed, a murderer.

Creep 2 (2017) brings in a YouTuber to get caught in the web of Aaron. That's close to home when compared to Creep (2014), however Sara has her own stakes in the game. While Patrick Brice's character struck as a wrong guy in a wrong place, Sara wants to meet such people. And that creates a whole different dynamic for the audience.

Since Sara's not an easy target, the methods of Aaron change accordingly. As a result, the goofy, squeamish character, that's been introduced in Creep (2014), is no more. Joseph grew, and became more deranged. There are new layers to what Duplass brings, such as doubt, and confusion. At the same time, the actor doubles down on his manipulative tone, facial expressions and those drilling, frightening eyes. Whenever Aaron would stare into the camera, to tell one of his blood-chilling stories, I had goosebumps. The beating heart of Creep (2014) is alive and well.

Paradoxically, I also liked how the audio-visual indie quality didn't get a makeover. Creep-verse feels very consistent in that way. Aaron have traded a secluded cabin for... a secluded chalet, and he still enjoys hikes in the woods. The hand-held cinematography solidifies an all-authentic approach too. And by confining this tiny universe to several locations only, Brice and Duplass tighten the noose, leaving no escape route for whoever finds Aaron's ad online.

The logic of making a sequel is fairly simple - what worked once, could potentially work twice. However, most sequels don't do the trick. But against all the odds, Creep 2 (2017) does. Patrick Brice and Mark Duplass implemented a bunch of clever twists, while also putting their main asset to work. It's crazier, it's more odd and more entertaining too.

Normally I would tremble - and probably criticize - an idea of dragging a tiny thriller into sequels, but I gotta say - Creep 3 is gonna be just as sharp as Aaron's knife. I'm sure of it.