The Creep Tapes, on Shudder

You cannot be a serial killer without the serial murders. Unfortunately, the psycho-killer who sometimes refers to himself as “Peachfuzz” has plenty of videotapes in his closet documenting his serial killer credentials. That means he has more than enough tapes to sustain a found-footage streaming series, but, sadly for the victims, they all essentially end the same way in co-creators Patrick Brice & Mark Duplass’s The Creep Tapes, which premieres today on Shudder.

Much like the films Creep and Creep 2, the first four episodes follow a familiar template. Peachfuzz (or whatever name he currently adopts) lures a prospective victim to his mountain home or another isolated location, where he plays mind-games with his prey, before finally moving in for the kill. It always seems very unfair, because they are usually just freelance videographers hustling to make a buck on Craigslist.

Creep 1 was distinguished by Duplass’s manic scenery chewing, while Creep 2 is particularly effective because you really believe his prospective victim might make it, because she is so unpredictable and Peachfuzz’s own neurotic hangups have become so pronounced. The ambiguous ending held the promise of a potentially intriguing Creep 3, but co-star Desiree Akhavan is absent from the series.

Fans will appreciate the show’s consistency with the look and tone of the films, but episodes 1, 3, and 4 (“Mike,” “Jeremy,” and “Brad”) are basically the same thing all over again, as the “Creep” invites someone with a video camera to his home. Seriously, how are there any freelance videographers left alive in his state? “Mike” is probably the most tightly executed and “Jeremy” adds an amusing wrinkle, wherein Duplass’s talky psycho cons a leftwing would-be YouTube muckraker into thinking he is a corrupt Catholic priest. Unfortunately, the formula really looks tired in “Brad,” the series low-point.

The second episode, “Elliot” is largely more of the above, but it is impressively staged. For this killing, PF posts reports of a rare bird sighting to lure the birder to the middle of nowhere. This is probably the best directed episode, all of which were helmed by Brice (and edited by Christopher Donlon, another holdover from the Creep movies).

The fifth and sixth installments somewhat break format. “Brandt” (#5) might be the best, allowing Duplass a full-on meltdown, as his Peachfuzz and “Wolfie” personas have it out, while they wait in his motel room for a victim running suspiciously late. The conclusion “Mom (and Albert)” helps explain how he got so twisted, but focusing on his mother seems like an obvious choice. Nevertheless, there is more tension and more cringe to his cat-and-mouse game this time around.

To have suspense, there must be at least an illusion that Peachfuzz’s prey could survive. That is why Creep 2 is the best of the franchise, but it is hard to sustain in a series that titles each episode after its victim. Fans of the films might cherry-pick “Elliot” and “Brandt,” but The Creep Tapes is just too repetitive and too depressing to recommend. It starts streaming today (11/15) on Shudder.