The Creep Behind the Camera (2014) (With The Creeping Terror) (Blu-ray Review)

The Creep Behind the Camera (2014) (With The Creeping Terror) (Blu-ray Review)
Directed By: Pete Schuermann
Starring: Josh Phillips, Jodi Lynn Thomas, Bill LeVasseur
Rated: UR/Region A/1:85/1080p/Number of Discs 1
Available from Synapse Films

In 1964, Vic Savage made THE CREEPING TERROR with a microscopic budget verging on the non-existent. Quickly earning a reputation as the worst movie ever made, it tells of the arrival of an unconvincing alien life-form (a shambling carpet creature made of plastic tubing, wire and soap) that devours its picnicking, dancing and guitar-playing victims. Much like the infamous Ed Wood, Savage managed to pull off a variety of schemes to convince an honest producer to invest in what he promised to be “the biggest monster movie ever made”.

Told through a series of what I assume was over the top re-enactments, The Creep Behind the Camera is a half-documentary/half-movie that brings the very interesting story of Vic Savage (A.J. Nelson) to life in a way that I hadn’t really seen done before. While the story of this madman Vic Savage is often funny in this, you realize it probably wasn’t as funny for the poor people that had to deal with this crazy person. The story of The Creeping Terror is easily ten times better than the actual film, but that was never going to be hard to do with as awful as The Creeping Terror is. However, I really did enjoy the film here at hand and I thought it was carried by two great performances in the form of Josh Phillips as Savage and Jodi Lynn Thomas as his abused former wife, Lois. Visually this movie does a lot of cool things and that helps make the film all the more enjoyable. The story of Vic Savage is one worth hearing and it will help you go into seeing the film The Creeping Terror with a lot more interest behind it.

As for the actual movie The Creeping Terror, it is here in a new scan and you’ve probably never seen such a bad film look this good. Of course, we always have had this film out there looking terrible but the new scan does make watching it a little bit better. The movie is a mess, from start to finish. It deals with a monster made out of carpet coming to earth and eating people with the crazy as noted Vic Savage playing in the lead. It also has little in the way of actual dialogue and is mostly driven from start to finish by voice overs. But you can’t hold that against it because as the documentary shows us, these guys were lucky to even have a movie to turn out at all.

Extras

– All New 2K Scan of the Original Horror Classic, THE CREEPING TERROR (Blu-ray Exclusive)
– Audio Commentary with Director Pete Schuermann, Producer Nancy Theken and Stars Josh Phillips & Jodi Lynn Thomas
– The Making of THE CREEP BEHIND THE CAMERA
– How to Build a Carpet Monster
– Breaking Down Art’s Death Scene
– Monster Movie Homages
– “One Mick to Another” with Byrd Holland & Allan Silliphant
– Deleted Scenes
– Alternate Ending
– Screamfest Black Carpet Q&A with Frank Conniff
– The Creep Behind The Camera Original Theatrical Trailer
– The Creeping Terror Screamfest Promotional Trailer

Quality of Transfer: 97% (The Creep Behind the Camera)
Quality of Transfer: 88% (The Creeping Terror)