For his sophomore effort, director Scott W. Mackinlay has reassembled much of his cast and crew from 2006's Gag, including Brian Kolodziej, who takes the driver's sear as Campbell, a young man forced to accept a lowly gig at a car wash after being fired from a grocery store for stealing porno magazines they don't even stock.
Being without wheels, Campbell wants to buy a dirty and dirt-cheap van he finds for sale; says co-worker/love interest Amy Wehrell, "It looks like the poster child for rape prevention."
That's really the least of the vehicle's problems, because it's driven by a guy who has booby-trapped it to do away with those who dare inquire about acquiring it. A busty blonde (super-sexy Lisa Waishes-Cornwell) finds its seat belt cutting into her shoulder, while a bikini babe (Angelina Armani, Chromeskull: Laid to Rest 2) gets her head smashed in its spring-loaded side door.
To no one's surprise, it's in the sick that Creep Van finds its stride. While the film has a healthy sense of humor, one could argue successfully that it's too jokey — verging on Troma, at that — than need be. (Speaking of, Troma head Lloyd Kaufman cameos, because he can.) When it most counts, in Act 3, Mackinlay leaves the laughs in the dust, but I wish he had done that much sooner, as that tone doesn't mesh as well with Kelsey Boutte's convincingly grotesque effects as he might think.
That said, I can't help recommend that horror fans scream, "Shotgun!" and buckle in for an 80-minute ride. As a throwback to old-school slashers, you could do a ton or two worse. I was never bored by what transpired — a target at which more microbudgeted projects should take care to aim. —Rod Lott
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