"Night of the Creeps" Review: Thrill Me

In the 80s horror successfully hitched with comedy. They delivered three hilarious and creepy babies onto this world. This is one of them.

I’ll cut to chase this time. I adore Fred Dekker's feature debut so much that I seriously thought to only write: “Find it on iTunes, kick back and enjoy! Good time guaranteed!” But A - I'm not on Apple's payroll and B - I’d like to share what kicks I got out of it.

Still with me? Don't worry I won't dare to spoil anything. I never do. Chris Romero and James Carpenter Hooper are freshman college students on the sidelines of college life at height of the Pledge Week of 1986. Chris is still picking the pieces from his broken heart. James is physically disabled but mentally sharp for both of them, and then some. Chris spots a beautiful brunette and instantly wants to marry her. J.C. briskly points out that it would be nice if he at least talk to her first. But Chris has a slicker idea - to join a fraternity. And since joining the fraternity means doing a prank, it quickly grows into a decision that will impact Chris's love life along with the fate of the entire free world. And by the way yes, the name game is strong in this one. Also when you'll watch its opening scene you'll be thinking that you've got the wrong movie - keep going. It has some Python-esqe winks here and there.

For a theatrical debut, Fred Dekker proved himself as an able helmsman, flying high in the abstract, soaking in the gore but also stopping to appreciate the warm feelings and to smell the roses. Imagine all of your favorite horror clichés all rolled into one, wrapped in Bottin-esque practical effects, and served with all the vibrant production value that only the 80s could provide. That's what "Night of the Creeps" entails and practically everyone will find something for themselves here. It's packed with undead college students clamoring to discover the pleasures of the flesh. It eats through 80s teen horror clichés like a zombie fresh out of the grave. But what saves it from being little more than a delightful homage to the older genre classics are the characters. Chris (Jason Lively) and J.C. (Steve Marshall) tied together with affectionate bromance, try their best to fit in with the crowd. The kicks come out from the differences in how they see to it, with J.C. almost always being a few steps ahead of his buddy.

To their aid comes the 80s veteran Tom Atkins playing detective Ray Cameron. He's taken alive from the noir cinema, properly weathered and cynical, never failing to stand up to the threat and never running out of hilarious quips. There are some classics but you have to pick your best. There is also more than meets the eye in Cynthia Cronenberg, and the lovely Jill Whitlow manages to transcend the lines of a typical 80's horror heroine. Such a wondrous cast under the direction of Fred Dekker managed to instill life in characters that in less able hands would be there only to push through the gory proceedings. This is one of those movies where the cast and crew had a blast and you will too. I especially love how Jill Whitlow tries to contain herself in scenes with Steve Marshall. But, there’s also the coming-of-age leitmotiv kept intact. Growing up is many things, but above all, and like in the "Night of the Creeps", having a vision of your future life being shot by something completely out of the blue. I still can't believe that I discovered this gem only recently, just when I thought that there is nothing in the game that comes close to the "Return of the Living Dead" from 1985, and the ingenious "Little Shop of Horrors" also from 1986. Well, there's horror for you. The last cinematic genre standing tall, undead after so many deaths.