There’s nothing like a good creature feature to while away an evening. And this next movie on my list is nothing short of pure entertainment. Put your feet up, have a beer (or preferred beverage) and enjoy. This is one heck of a film.
NIGHT OF THE CREEPS (1986)
When an alien experiment lands in 1950’s America it infects a young college student. 30 years later he is discovered in cryogenic suspension by a pair of fraternity pledges. They accidentally release him from his slumber and unleash a horde of mutated slug creatures, that when inside a host, turns them into killer zombies.
I cannot express how much I enjoyed Night of the Creeps. The opening starts with two foetus aliens chasing another foetus alien while shooting their ray guns at it. It’s just such a pleasure to watch. The acting ain’t bad, the effects are gory and plentiful, the dialogue is sharp, cheesy, and self-aware. It flows nicely, and we’re given room to enjoy the character’s relationships and struggles. It’s definitely one to look out for.
Chris (Jason Lively) and J.C (Steve Marshal) are best friends and together they accidentally release a frozen corpse invested with space dwelling bugs onto their small town. These bugs, when ingested, turn you into zombies. Chris is the shy, nervous guy who is too scared to talk to the girl he loves, Cynthia (Jill Whitlow). But J.C has no problem. Life is too short and he’ll do anything to make his friend happy. But Brad (Allan Kayser), Cynthia’s boyfriend, isn’t cool with them hitting on his girl. He sets them up with a ridiculous task of stealing a corpse. That’s when they find the cryogenic chamber and release the creatures. So, really, it’s all Brad’s fault. Meanwhile,former hot-shot detective Ray Cameron (Tom Atkins) is called on the scene and starts to investigate the strange murders around town, including that of an insane murderer, who killed his ex-girlfriend 30 years ago. They all collide at a sorority house, where most of the space bugs are hanging out, and we are treated to a wonderful display of hilarious mayhem.
Chris and J.C are best friends and they have excellent chemistry together. Although Chris is the hero of the movie, it’s J.C who steals the spot light whenever they are on-screen together. He’s full of energy and delightfully sardonic. His character is also a little more fleshed out than Chris’s. J.C is bound by a pair of crutches and he finds humour in everything because life gave him a bad hand, but it doesn’t mean he has to be depressed about it. Chris, however, doesn’t have much to do up until the end. It’s J.C who makes all the decisions until… Well, you’ll find out.
Cynthia is a bit of a non character at the start, very much like Chris. She’s pretty, shy, and a little vulnerable. But she kicks some major ass in the last fifteen minutes, lighting zombies up with a flamethrower, that makes up for it.
If there was a man of the match for movies, this Man of the Movie would go to Tom Atkins. He is perfectly cast as Ray Cameron, a no-nonsense detective with a troubled past. His character was a surprise for me. I didn’t foresee how dark it would go. And it got dark. As a young rookie cop he was witness to his ex-girlfriends murder by a deranged psycho. He tracked said psycho down and blasted him with a shotgun while off duty, then buried the remains. He has lived with that for years. When the slug creatures are loose they infect the corpse of the murdering psychopath and he rises from the grave. Cameron is forced to face his demons and again kill the man responsible for the death of his ex-girlfriend. Afterwards, Chris bangs on Cameron’s door because he needs his help destroying the alien menace. Cameron sips on his Scotch before tearing away duck-tape surrounding the cracks of the door and opening it. Chris explains everything and Cameron is compelled to help. We then see him getting ready while in the background the cooker is on with the over door open. Cameron turns off the nobs and closes the door before leaving.
Now lets take a step back. Why would Cameron have duck-tape around his door? Oh, right, he doesn’t want the slug aliens to get in. But why did he have the cooker on? Oh, that’s because he… wait… he… hmmm. Holy crap! He was going to off himself with the gas from his cooker. That’s it exactly. Cameron couldn’t live with himself anymore and was about to commit suicide just before Chris called over. I know this is a horror film, but the tone was always kept in the vein of the 80’s camp – Goonies, Lost Boys, Better Off Dead. I screamed in astonishment when I discovered what Cameron had plan to do. It was very subtly done. But it’s kind of pointless and meaningless when you see the ending.
I cannot say enough good things about Night of the Creeps. If you enjoy your horror well made, with plenty of laughs, and plenty of gore, this is the one for you. It oozes with charm and respectively references some amazing B-movie sci-fi films of the 1950’s. This is a film with personality. If you enjoyed the likes of Gremlins, Critters, The Faculty, and Slither, you’ll love this.
Best Line: “The good news is your dates are here. The bad news is… they’re dead.”
Best Line (Close Second): “What is this? A homicide, or a bad B-movie?”
Best Moment: Zombified Brad is blasted in the face with a flamer thrower by Chris.
8/10
