The Creep Tapes season three is an interesting but uneven six-episode series about Peachfuzz, his characters, and his victims, now streaming on Shudder.
Peachfuzz and his victims return for a third season of The Creep Tapes, the Shudder-hosted sequel to the two excellent Creep films (from 2014 and 2017). I’m continually to highly enjoy the distillation of the films into what works best: sharper-focused stories of Mark Duplass’s killer wearing down and trolling victims until dispatching them.
The strength in this series is how “Peachfuzz” will pick up and embody different characters for whole new reasons to pull in a camera person to poke and prod at for what amounts to 22 minutes for the viewer (economical, but like I said in Season 2’s review, I think 40 might be the sweet spot). The Creep series works within what makes the Speak No Evil movies effective: how far will you allow someone else to push you? Where is the line to say “nope, too much” and peace out? As we’re 18 episodes and two movies in, apparently that line is further than you’d think (and I’d bet in real life you’d follow along far longer than you as a viewer says STOP). With every episode written by Mark Duplass and Patrick Bryce and directed by Bryce, the pair have turned it into a finely tuned horror machine, cutting in quickly and deep to the subject at hand, even if it doesn’t always work. 
Season one was solid, taking a minute to reshape the films into a series as much as Peachfuzz reshapes himself. Season 2 soared, with incredibly strong episodes that fully committed to the nature of the series, shifting into a just-meta-enough evaluation of the killer and his methods, with some incredibly clever uses of the conceit. Season 3, our reason to be here today, is more on par with season 1. There’s some strong stuff, but it feels like the heart is a little out, stretched to keep it fresh. Some climaxes are a little lacking, too. But it’s still good, just not quite Season 2, with plenty of missed opportunities.
At the center, Mark Duplass continues to amaze as our killer, reforming as the episodes need, playing on the multiple levels at play. We know he’s an insecure, mentally broken sociopath who really wants people to believe his characters and play by his rules, but he can’t show that immediately to the victim, so he must set up a new persona to have it break again. What makes the Creep series work is the sheer want of connection. Yes, we know where he’s going to go, but it’s fascinating how. (BTW, for a twisty, strange, underseen Duplass film, I highly recommend The One I Love).
Let’s look at each episode.
Episode 1 – Crystal
Today’s guest victim is Kate Siegel, from Mike Flanagan’s life (as his wife) and projects, and also directing a segment in V/H/S/Beyond and an episode of Carrie. She plays a videographer hired to hang out on a boat with a washed-up wrong star wanting to make a sex tape to bring back his fame. Dammit, Crystal, never go on a boat with a stranger… the implications (thank you, It’s Always Sunny). It’s solid, very much in the mold of the films of a more straightforward “present an obvious lie and see how someone reacts.” In that way, it seems familiar, but Seigel is amazing as always; she’s an underappreciated actor.
Episode 2 – Mo
In an interesting turn, instead of a carefully chosen victim, Peachfuzz goes random. He picks a guy in the park who seems interesting or lonely, Mo, played by James Earl. So Mo gets a stalker, as Peachfuzz will not let go, even when Mo turns down $1,000 to follow him for the day. It’s a fantastic back-and-forth as they snipe and battle for what they want, make connections, fall apart, and find it all again. A lot to pack into the short runtime. Earl is utterly fantastic, and we also get a short funny bit with Chris Gethard that runs too true to real life.
Episode 3- Anisha
Whoo hoo, Dropout star Recka Shankar! The second Dropout castmate after Josh Rubin appeared in season 1. Rubin is a horror face himself with Heart Eyes, Scare Me, and Werewolves Within. Anyways, she’s hired to interview a CEO about to reveal all sorts of secrets while on a private plane. Sadly, this one is flat. Doesn’t really go anywhere and has a strong ending; Reckha has nothing to do. She’s nearly a nothing while a catty air host, played by Jeffery Self, gets more to work with.
Episode 4 – Nobody
Well, here’s a big disappointment. Again, I love Mark Duplass as an actor, and this is only him, since the other side is unseen and only speaks at times. An idea gets dragged to nothing by the end and, in many ways, undermines the show with its implications. Duplass can command by himself, but this episode feels forced and listless.
Episode 5 – Greg
Another Peachfuzz-filmed episode, an indictment of our current phone-obsessed culture. Greg, played by Nicholas Hamilton, is a homebody who barely pays attention to anything, so when he gets an unwanted roommate with our killer “phrogging” Greg’s apartment, it doesn’t work well for him. Here’s another case where the idea is better than the execution; it just gets going and stays pretty surface, although it has a decent amount to say about the connections we ignore while others try, remembering that this season has a lot to think about for the connections Peachfuzz clearly wants.
Episode 6 – Jody + Brie
I wondered when we’d do this; other episodes have brought up Peachfuzz’s past with his sister/wife? and mother, but now we move to 1994 to a first kill. Peachfuzz has a new camera and stays behind it since Mark Duplass is definitely not a teenager, as Jody + Brie would be. Terrifier 2 and 3’s Elliot Fullam plays Jody, and Duplass’s daughter, Ora, plays Brie. They are teens in an empty house. Jody wants to drink and more. Ora wants to watch Texas Chain Saw Massacre. Peachfuzz wants to play too. I really liked this one, with a great push and turns. It’s different but still a Creep Tape.
Final Thoughts
The Creep Tapes Season 3 is, ultimately, uneven and a step down after the strengths of Season 2. But I’m impressed by how much material and how many shifts Mark Duplass and Patrick Bryce have pulled from the basic setup. They are trying their damned butts off to keep it fresh; even if it doesn’t always pan out, it’s a great push. I can’t wait to see what Season 4 might bring us.
The full season of The Creep Tapes is now available on Shudder.