There can be few movies about the fascinating relationship between detectives and serial killers that have such an odd and disturbing detached mood, amplifying the subject matter. In 'Creepy' as its known in English a retired detective, exhausted from his dealings with such monsters, takes up a new job in education and moves to a new neighbourhood - wouldn't you know it, right next door to the psychopath he's been hunting for six years.

A small change in the script could have solved this glaring coincidence, by having the psychopath move in after the detective, establish a reverse cat and mouse relationship. But the movie abandons believeability from this point on, having the families whom the psychopath sets his attentions on murder each other at his willing (using, somehow, an unexplained hypodermic drug to effect his mind control over them). See what I mean? Great first half; utter garbage thereafter. And the greatest problem is not that there is no logic to the psycopath's behaviour (which is perhaps the point of the movie) but to the behaviour of most of the central characters.

Speaking of central characters, the sole surviving victim of the first family execution (and the subject of the detective's academic interest) instead of coming in again at the end and perhaps helping to resolve the plot is completely forgotten about! Maybe the actor read the second half of the script and decided enough is enough!

So, a dud, sadly, but a strangely compelling one for an hour or so.

I enjoyed this and feel that some commentators have rather missed the point. There is criticism for the inclusion of the evidence of the girl during the first half and also at the behaviour of the wife. In both cases there is absolute clarity and relevance as far as I am concerned but possibly the film is overlong and the feeling that there is nothing happening grows if the story is not fully understood. Even when there is no wham bam action I am always happy to see those strange little Japanese streets and houses and listen to the polite niceties as the tension builds. Worth a watch and the creepy guy is certainly as creepy as they come, also true life events are alluded to and there are echoes of recent terrible tales as this horror unfolds.