4 Reasons Why You Should Stream ‘Creep Box’ This Weekend
Creep Box is a somber experience with plenty of interesting philosophical and emotional depth.
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Creep Box released on streaming back in January, but it seems like many people still haven’t given it a chance.
The film is a dark psychological thriller about a scientist, Dr. Franklin Caul (Geoffrey Cantor), who has created a device that allows people to converse with the dead. Sort of. What Caul’s cube-shaped computer actually does is recreate a person’s personality based on data copied directly from their brain. It’s like voice-activated ChatGPT, if ChatGPT were trained on a single dead person’s mind.
If you’re in the mood for a quiet and sad movie that makes you think, you should consider Creep Box. If you need more convincing, here are four reasons why you should stream Creep Box this weekend. Creep Box is currently streaming on Prime Video (free with ads) and Tubi.
It’s Like a Sci-Fi Séance
The “creep box” of the title is a uniquely interesting device for a movie like this. From the above description, it’s clear that the movie is science fiction, but the way the box works makes it feel like it’s supernatural. A cacophony of voices (actually different parts of a person’s psyche) emanate from the box, and Caul is tasked with making sense of it all. It’s a chilling scenario that gives the impression of a horror-movie séance, with Dr. Caul acting like a psychic medium.
It Raises Interesting Questions
The central conceit of the movie, of copying a dead person’s brain into a computer, raises many interesting moral and ethical questions. If a recreation of a person’s mind is nearly perfect, could it actually be considered a person? Should their mind be stored on discs and later deleted like so much data? Is it ethical to bring a person back from the dead unwillingly? These questions will come to mind as people are confronted with the voices of the dead.
It is a Strong Examination of Grief
I won’t downplay the fact that Creep Box is a sad movie. Caul has a personal investment in his invention that is teased out throughout the course of the film. To be as vague as possible to avoid overt spoilers, his burden is heavy, and it weighs on him constantly. His pain, his grief, drives Caul to do things that are self-destructive, and leads to him adversely affecting the people around him. Creep Box is not a happy film, but it is an excellent portrayal of some of the darker aspects of unchecked grief.
The Finale is Fittingly Bleak
Some viewers might be put off by the ending of Creep Box, but in my view, it perfectly fits with the themes of the film. Obviously I can’t say what happens without major spoilers, but I will say that it ends on a scene that is more about theme than it is about action and consequence. It’s a scene that leaves the ending somewhat open-ended from a certain perspective. It leaves viewers without a solid resolution, which is the entire point. It’s a movie about all-consuming grief, which isn’t something that goes away easily. Or, in some cases, ever.
