Creepy

Creepy

Year: 2016

Runtime: 130 min

Language: Japanese

Director: Kiyoshi Kurosawa

MysteryThrillerHorror

A former detective, haunted by a past case, is drawn back into investigating a disturbing new mystery. As he explores the unsettling events, he finds unsettling similarities to his previous ordeal. The investigation is complicated by a peculiar neighbor whose presence creates a growing sense of unease and paranoia, blurring the lines between what’s real and what’s imagined.

Warning: spoilers below!

Haven’t seen Creepy yet? This summary contains major spoilers. Bookmark the page, watch the movie, and come back for the full breakdown. If you're ready, scroll on and relive the story!

Creepy (2016) – Full Plot Summary & Ending Explained

Read the complete plot breakdown of Creepy (2016), including all key story events, major twists, and the ending explained in detail. Discover what really happened—and what it all means.

Koichi Takakura, a former profiler who resigned after an injury, and his wife Yasuko relocate near his new teaching post in criminal psychology. To sound friendly, Yasuko reaches out to their two neighbors. The first neighbor, Mrs. Tanaka, and her bed-ridden mother offer a cold, distant reception and rebuff any attempt at friendship. The couple’s other neighbor, who sits between the Takakuras and the Tanakas, initially remains anonymous. When Yasuko leaves a bag of chocolates at this middle neighbor’s gate, the man who eventually introduces himself as Masayuki Nishino appears and makes a strangely uneasy impression on her.

At Koichi’s university, a cold case catches his attention: three members of a family vanished, leaving only a highly unreliable witness, Saki Honda. A former colleague, Nogami, asks Koichi to help pursue the inquiry. At the crime scene, Koichi and Nogami try to speak with Saki, but she struggles to recall the events surrounding her family’s disappearance. Back home, Yasuko encounters Nishino again; he tells her he lives with his daughter Mio and his wife, but then coldly dismisses her when she expresses a desire to meet them.

As Koichi and Nogami dig deeper, they learn that Saki’s memories are inconsistent and that the Honda family may have encountered someone watching from the Mizuta house, the next-door property owned by a man named Mr. Mizuta. While investigating the Mizuta residence, Nogami uncovers five decomposed bodies wrapped in plastic. The tension heightens when Mio helps Yasuko search for their dog, Max, and Nishino makes a pass at Yasuko, further raising Koichi and Yasuko’s alarm about the stranger who seems to control the social space around them.

The situation grows more disturbing when Mio reveals that Nishino is not her father, but a stranger who has insinuated himself into their lives. Nishino’s presence casts doubt on every ordinary exchange, and Mio’s fear intensifies as Nishino returns home. Yasuko begins to show signs of instability, alternating between sickness and emotional outbursts, deepening Koichi’s suspicion. He asks Nogami to look more closely into Nishino, and the two men eventually get a look inside Nishino’s house. Nogami goes down a long corridor and discovers a large metal door; just as Koichi rushes back, the Tanaka house explodes, with Nishino casually watching television as chaos erupts nearby.

The law enforcement investigation confirms three bodies inside the wreckage: Tanaka, her mother, and Nogami. Koichi revisits Saki in hopes of a memory that might link Nishino to the disappearances, but she does not recall him. It becomes clear that Nishino is an impostor who manipulates Mio and her mother through drugs, and that he may have killed Mio’s real father, forcing Mio to dispose of his body alongside the others from Mizuta’s residence. Mio’s mother is kept under a calm-inducing regimen until Mio tampers with her dose, at which point the mother attacks Nishino but is subdued. Nishino then shoots the mother with Nogami’s gun in front of Mio, demonstrating the brutal reach of his control.

Nishino drags Yasuko into his chamber, forcing her to witness the body and to cooperate with Mio in disposing of it. Koichi returns home to find Mio barging in, and Nishino uses Yasuko’s house key to keep the family under his grip. Koichi assaults Nishino, but the police arrive and detain him, even as Nishino escapes custody and heads to his own house.

lieutenant Tanimoto tracks Nishino and discovers the hidden chamber, but Nishino incapacitates him. Koichi follows into the chamber and finds Yasuko and the injured Tanimoto, only to be confronted by Nishino, who holds Yasuko at gunpoint. Nishino explains that he has effectively brainwashed Yasuko and Mio with drugs, and that Yasuko is now his. Koichi realizes Nishino ruthlessly moves from family to family, bending them to his will until they turn on each other. He urges Yasuko to see the truth, but Nishino injects Koichi with a drug, and the two families—Koichi, Yasuko, Mio, Nishino, and Mio’s dog Max—are forced into motion.

The group arrives at an abandoned building, where Nishino scouts for a new “home.” He deems Max an unnecessary burden and tries to push Koichi to kill the dog. In a tense confrontation, Koichi seizes control of the moment and declares, “this is where you fall,” then turns and shoots Nishino. Free from Nishino’s brainwashing, Mio celebrates with Max, and Yasuko, finally understanding the ordeal they endured, collapses into Koichi’s arms, grateful for his protection and ready to rebuild their life together.

Last Updated: October 09, 2025 at 16:23

Mobile App Preview

Coming soon on iOS and Android

The Plot Explained Mobile App

From blockbusters to hidden gems — dive into movie stories anytime, anywhere. Save your favorites, discover plots faster, and never miss a twist again.

Sign up to be the first to know when we launch. Your email stays private — always.

Explore Movie Threads

Discover curated groups of movies connected by mood, themes, and story style. Browse collections built around emotion, atmosphere, and narrative focus to easily find films that match what you feel like watching right now.

Thrillers with threatening neighbors like in Creepy

Thrillers where the most terrifying threat lives just next door.If you liked the unsettling dynamic with Nishino in Creepy, explore these movies where a neighbor becomes the source of intense paranoia and danger. These films share themes of home invasion, psychological manipulation, and the terrifying realization that evil is closer than you think.

paranoidclaustrophobicsuspensefulunsettlinganxiousoppressivepsychological threat

Narrative Summary

These narratives typically begin with a seemingly ordinary or eccentric neighbor, whose behavior gradually escalates from odd to sinister. The protagonists' sense of safety and privacy erodes as they uncover the neighbor's true, often violent, nature, forcing a confrontation that blurs the lines between domestic life and a survival thriller.

Why These Movies?

Movies in this thread are grouped by their shared core premise: the home as an unsafe sanctuary. They excel at building localized, intimate dread and paranoia, focusing on the psychological horror of realizing a familiar, everyday figure is a profound threat.

Slow burn psychological thrillers like Creepy

Stories where quiet tension builds into suffocating psychological horror.For fans of the methodical tension in Creepy, this list features movies that master the art of the slow burn. These similar thrillers use steady pacing to build unsettling atmospheres, psychological depth, and a powerful, lingering sense of dread rather than fast-paced action.

slow burnunsettlingsuspensefulpsychologicalanxiousoppressivemethodicaldread

Narrative Summary

The narrative pattern involves a gradual accumulation of disturbing details and events. The pacing is deliberate, allowing the viewer to sit with the growing anxiety alongside the characters. The focus is often on psychological unraveling and the erosion of reality, leading to a climax that feels both devastating and inevitable.

Why These Movies?

These films are united by their patient, atmospheric approach to horror and suspense. They prioritize mood over plot speed, creating a deeply immersive and mentally taxing experience where the tension comes from a sustained, unsettling vibe rather than rapid-fire events.

Unlock the Full Story of Creepy

Don't stop at just watching — explore Creepy in full detail. From the complete plot summary and scene-by-scene timeline to character breakdowns, thematic analysis, and a deep dive into the ending — every page helps you truly understand what Creepy is all about. Plus, discover what's next after the movie.

Creepy Timeline

Track the full timeline of Creepy with every major event arranged chronologically. Perfect for decoding non-linear storytelling, flashbacks, or parallel narratives with a clear scene-by-scene breakdown.

Creepy Timeline

Characters, Settings & Themes in Creepy

Discover the characters, locations, and core themes that shape Creepy. Get insights into symbolic elements, setting significance, and deeper narrative meaning — ideal for thematic analysis and movie breakdowns.

Characters, Settings & Themes in Creepy

Creepy Spoiler-Free Summary

Get a quick, spoiler-free overview of Creepy that covers the main plot points and key details without revealing any major twists or spoilers. Perfect for those who want to know what to expect before diving in.

Creepy Spoiler-Free Summary

More About Creepy

Visit What's After the Movie to explore more about Creepy: box office results, cast and crew info, production details, post-credit scenes, and external links — all in one place for movie fans and researchers.

More About Creepy