
Octoblur 2014 - #42: Night of the Creeps (1986)
Written by dorrk | 29 October 2014 |
Despite Fred Dekker's debut being exactly the kind of funny, gory, juvenile monster movie I lived for during my teen years, I somehow missed this 1980s classic until just a few years ago.
In an ambitious plot involving an alien science experiment, an ax murderer, a shy college kid, and a suicidal detective, a college sorority becomes the locus of zombie attack.
As Dekker cemented with his follow-up, The Monster Squad, he's a master of teen comedy-meets-horror flavor, and Night of the Creeps plays like a tonally perfect lesser cousin to Return of the Living Dead and Fright Night.
Night of the Creeps suffers a bit from its somewhat charisma-impaired star Jason Lively (Russ in National Lampoon's European Vacation), but he fits the part well, and Tom Atkins more than compensates. As the haunted Det. Cameron, Atkins gloomily struts through the mayhem, barking out commands and one-liners with equal derision.
Although it's not a masterpiece, Night of the Creeps is in the upper echelon of self-aware '80s popcorn-horror, perfect for parties and aggravating friends who already think that horror movies are stupid.
Trailer for Night of the Creeps (1986)
TL/DR
-
Movie:Night of the Creeps (1986)
-
Dir.:Fred Dekker
-
Rating:8/10
Tags
Related Articles
Latest Articles
-
Silver Screen Streak List #24: The Best Crime Thrillers I Haven't Seen
-
PopGap Diary: Octoblur 2023 has been put down
-
PopGap Diary: Octoblur 2023
-
Silver Screen Streak List #23: 04. Invention for Destruction (1958)
-
Silver Screen Streak List #23: 03. Leave Her to Heaven (1945)
-
Silver Screen Streak List #23: 02. Hellzapoppin' (1941)
-
Silver Screen Streak List #23: 01. The Fabulous Baron Munchausen (1962)
-
Silver Screen Streak List #23: The Psychotronic Encyclopedia of Film
-
Silver Screen Streak List #22: 05. The Hippopotamus (2017)
POPGAP Projects
-
Silver Screen Streak List #24: The Best Crime Thrillers I Haven't Seen
-
PopGap Diary: Octoblur 2023 has been put down
-
PopGap Diary: Octoblur 2023
-
Silver Screen Streak List #23: The Psychotronic Encyclopedia of Film
-
Silver Screen Streak List #22: The 28 best films of all time you've probably never seen
-
PopGap Diary: Octoblur 2022 is all Oct-Over now, Baby Blue
-
PopGap Diary: Octoblur 2022
-
Silver Screen Streak List #21: Dramas of the 1940s
-
Popgap Diary: 2021 in Review
Popular Articles
-
PopGap Diary: Octoblur 2019
-
Introducing the Silver Screen Streak movie challenge
-
Octoblur 2017: Annual Horror-ish Movie Nightmare-a-thon
-
PopGap #08 Re-cap: Comedies Since 1970
-
Octoblur 2017: R.I.P.!
-
PopGap Diary: Octoblur 2020
-
Octoblur 2015 - It's Over!
-
PopGap #19: Movie Books Special Report
-
Popgap Diary: 2019 in Review