Rifftrax Year: 2011
Riffers: Michael J. Nelson, Kevin Murphy, Bill Corbett
"Already this is a hell of a lot scarier than Paranormal Activity."
The Creeps Machine is kind of a neat little find for Rifftrax. This short features the titular "Creeps Machine" as it menacingly takes a look at what makes children afraid of the dark. It takes an astute turn however as it somewhat reveals the man behind the curtain as it gleefully mocks us for being afraid at all.
The moral of the story is understanding what we're afraid of and perhaps leading one's self into conquering that fear. At the same time it takes a tone that plays with children's "love" of things that are spooky, in the same way that Goosebumps and Are You Afraid of the Dark? do, by which I of course mean in a very budget friendly way that only youngsters might take seriously.
"So in summary kids, the best way to face your fears is to make them seem as pointless and boring as we did."
The great thing about this short is that even though it isn't awful it's opens itself really well to riffing. There are a lot of scenarios at play, and a lot of silence for Mike, Kevin, and Bill to fit jokes into. They latch onto things that are "scary" by playing them down, or taking the mundane and making them horrifying. One of the running gags of the short involves a clown in a Jack-in-the-Box, and the short asks us if we were afraid of the clown itself or the surprise of it appearing suddenly. Mike, Kevin, and Bill insist that it was, of course, the terrifying clown.
Offering up a mildly fun short and some super stellar riffing, The Creeps Machine is a must see in the Rifftrax library. If it's not in your collection, make it a part of it today.
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