Night of the Creeps (1986)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Coxxie M

  
  there are two particularly nice ways that your senior prom can turn out. one way is that you go with your sweetheart, grow deeper in love with them, learn how special and limited your time with them may be and decide you will marry them someday, then you take her home and make love to… More
  there are two particularly nice ways that your senior prom can turn out. one way is that you go with your sweetheart, grow deeper in love with them, learn how special and limited your time with them may be and decide you will marry them someday, then you take her home and make love to her for the first time. the other fun way to spend prom, which is what i experienced, is to go two hours late smelling like weed, not talk to anyone except the people you hate, take all the cookies from the snack table home with you, wrapped in napkins in your pockets, and eat them home alone while making yourself smell even more like weed. if your experience turns out like the first example, then i hope your prom date's head doesn't unzip like a banana peel and release a family of slugs. because then you will have to use the second plan. but it could be a bit hard to get high after witnessing this so i hope that you stick to plan B from the very beginning.

• Jeff "

  
  Night Of The Creeps is a wonderful tribute to all the classic horror films of the 1950's. Directed by Fred Dekker, Night Of The Creeps is a wonderful B movie that contains so many references to other horror films and directors, it's impossible to hate. For example, ever… More
  Night Of The Creeps is a wonderful tribute to all the classic horror films of the 1950's. Directed by Fred Dekker, Night Of The Creeps is a wonderful B movie that contains so many references to other horror films and directors, it's impossible to hate. For example, ever character is named after a famed horror director and the plot itself could have been a film made in the 50's. The film works so well, and is constantly fun, horrifying, cheesy and above amusing. Watching Night Of The Creeps, you're guaranteed to have a good time. The actors here are wonderful and one performance stands alone, that of Tom Atkins as the sarcastic cop, Ray Cameron. Sure, Night Of The Creeps may not be that original, but man is it a fun, and entertaining horror film. The film succeeds at capturing the feel of the 50's classics. Night Of The Creeps is a memorable horror film that because its an homage to old horror flicks, it makes it more enjoyable and you come to appreciate how derivative it is. Night Of The Creeps is all good fun, and is a terrific film. Fred Dekker has crafted a fine horror film that will appeal to every horror fan because it pays tribute to so many films and directors in the process, that one cannot help but enjoy the creative aspect behind the film. Night Of The Creeps is an essential film to watch during the Halloween season and overall is one of best horror films of the 1980's.

• Phil H

  
  Oh how I love these tacky cheesy old 80's 'video nasty' horror's hehe the stuff of late night legend when your parents were out with friends for the evening and you were alone with the babysitter who was slightly too young and had no idea how to really care for you… More
  Oh how I love these tacky cheesy old 80's 'video nasty' horror's hehe the stuff of late night legend when your parents were out with friends for the evening and you were alone with the babysitter who was slightly too young and had no idea how to really care for you lol!! This is just what you ordered for retro crapola, the effects are now abit iffy but still amusing and quite effective for the film (kinda), its just nice to see makeup and real handmade craftsmanship for the blood n gore instead of cgi boredom. The plot of course is out there and I don't think I even need to go into it, cast are pretty much unknowns accept for 80's legend Jason Lively who is OK, the rest are just the usual teen fodder. Its decent enough and was pretty scary back in the day but now its like watching funny archives :) worth alook for the makeup.

• Tim S

  
  Maybe it's my love for the very-well made Monster Squad or maybe I'm just not a proper horror film fan, but I found this to be very lackluster and disappointing. This movie takes absolutely forever to get going and by the time it does, it's over. I can't get… More
  Maybe it's my love for the very-well made Monster Squad or maybe I'm just not a proper horror film fan, but I found this to be very lackluster and disappointing. This movie takes absolutely forever to get going and by the time it does, it's over. I can't get behind this one, unfortunately. I had been looking forward to seeing it for years, but it turns out to be not the highest of quality in both horror and camp. A serious let-down....and yes, I did watch the Director's Cut.

• Chris G

  
  The 1980's were full of films from the horror genre that were usually cheap knock offs of films that were cheap and repetitious to begin with (I'm looking at you Friday the 13th). Relics such as The Final Terror and Mountaintop Motel Massacre were retreads of the standard… More
  The 1980's were full of films from the horror genre that were usually cheap knock offs of films that were cheap and repetitious to begin with (I'm looking at you Friday the 13th). Relics such as The Final Terror and Mountaintop Motel Massacre were retreads of the standard horror/slasher genre throughout the '80's. Looking back on the decade now only three films that flew under the radar actually survived, not to be hails, but to be seen as gems that most of the people in the dark had long forgotten. Night of the Creeps is one of those films. Fred Dekker's film deals with a college campus plagued by homicidal maniacs in the 1950's and alien induced zombies in the 1980's. After a crash landing in the Eisenhower era leaves a college student in cryogenic freeze, life goes on. Until the student is inadvertently thawed and releases a worm like creature that turns the victim into a zombie while gestating and creating baby zombie worms to continue a reign of terror. It's up to Chris (Jason Lively), J.C. (Steven Marshall), and Cynthia (Jill Whitlock) to stop the alien menace, with the burned out assistance of Detective Cameron (the legendary Tom Atkins). Creeps is a homage, but not a rip off. It's traveling down a road you've been down before, yet you're seeing it from a different angle, kind of like driving down the street backwards. There's the '50's sci-fi kick. There's the Romeroesque zombies. There's the homicidal maniac traveling the streets with an axe. It's just presented in a way that doesn't take itself to seriously, yet isn't a camp parody of itself. It's like a perfect mix that doesn't fail the viewer. Atkins performance is the real stand out with him playing an over the top character that doesn't become a parody of himself. Of course, Creeps failed at the box office and gained a slight cult audience from the home video and cable front (where I was introduced to it). As time has passed the film as grown into one of those films that act like a nice, reliable flick that no one has ever heard of, even with the great lines in the movie. Finally released to DVD this past year Night of the Creeps symbolizes that not all horror flicks from the 1980's were crap. Creeps is one of those films that didn't stand the test of time- it grew beyond it...

• Luke B

  
  The kind of film I'd usually love and want to marry. Unfortunately, I saw Slither first. That film was funnier and grosser. Night of the Creeps certainly has a lot of nice ingredients, with aliens, exploding heads and little slugs but when it's all combined it lacks any sort… More
  The kind of film I'd usually love and want to marry. Unfortunately, I saw Slither first. That film was funnier and grosser. Night of the Creeps certainly has a lot of nice ingredients, with aliens, exploding heads and little slugs but when it's all combined it lacks any sort memorable punch. The FX still hold up, with the zombie head explosions looking real. An enjoyable, if fairly uninteresting oddity.

• Drew S

  
  Not scary. Not funny, either in a cheesy or clever way. Not interesting, not dramatic, not visually gripping. The protagonist has absolutely nothing going for him. His love interest is not cute. His buddy is not amusing, nor is the detective in charge of the case. Even the jump scares… More
  Not scary. Not funny, either in a cheesy or clever way. Not interesting, not dramatic, not visually gripping. The protagonist has absolutely nothing going for him. His love interest is not cute. His buddy is not amusing, nor is the detective in charge of the case. Even the jump scares fail. There's really no reason to watch this.

• Greg S

  
  An alien fugitive shoots some sort of parasite onto the earth, where it infects a madman who is later cryogenically frozen and thawed out by some nerds rushing a fraternity at Corman University, leading to a zombie plague. A fun little parody/tribute to B-movies that has real… More
  An alien fugitive shoots some sort of parasite onto the earth, where it infects a madman who is later cryogenically frozen and thawed out by some nerds rushing a fraternity at Corman University, leading to a zombie plague. A fun little parody/tribute to B-movies that has real affection for its source material.

• jd c

  
  Funny and cheesy in the best way possible. Bloody, gory, and deranged. This movie is f#@*& great! Every horror fan needs an injection of Night of the Creeps. If you can't have fun with this movie then you need to immediately go out and find your sense of humor. It might be… More
  Funny and cheesy in the best way possible. Bloody, gory, and deranged. This movie is f#@*& great! Every horror fan needs an injection of Night of the Creeps. If you can't have fun with this movie then you need to immediately go out and find your sense of humor. It might be lost in one of the "Saw" films, lol. Night of the Creeps is directed by Fred Dekker, the same man who brought us The Monster Squad. If you've seen how great The Monster Squad is then you should already know that Fred Dekker knows how to make one hell of an entertaining horror flick. The Monster Squad is a classic and Night of the Creeps is definitely right up there with it. Night of the Creeps pays homage to 50's sci-fi/horror films and kind of like the movie "Scream" in some ways, it's aware of exactly what it is, making it known that it's nothing more then just a bad B 80's horror movie(pointed out through many little inside jokes from the dialogue). "Night of the Creeps stars Tom Atkins, Jason Lively and Jill Whitlow. The film is notable as both an earnest attempt at a B-movie as well as a spoof of the genre. While the main plot of the film is related to zombies (its title is a play on Night of the Living Dead) the film also mixes in takes on slashers and alien invasion films. The classic B-movie Plan 9 from Outer Space is first referenced and then later watched by a character in the film. This is an intentional reference to the fact that the plot of the film is itself similar to Plan 9. Despite a strong cult following, the film has yet to be officially released onto DVD." Night of the Creeps knows exactly what it's doing, and it does it well. The cheese factor wasn't an accident, it was purposely planned and it was brilliant as hell. If this film didn't have all the cheese that it did I guarantee it wouldn't have been as good. I loved everything about this film, especially the one-liners. From the first opening scene I knew right away I was in for a treat. The black and white 50's setting with an escaped mental patient ending in a blood bath was a beautiful touch. Then cut to 1986 pledge week, with cheesy 80's rock music, handsome jocks with no brains, a beautiful educated goodie-good girl and the two unlucky dorks who suddenly become hero's and might actually save the day. Not to mention the bad ass cop, played by the awesome Tom Atkins, who just can't seem to get a break and lives his life in a death wish, fucking up any slug infested zombie that crosses his path. Hell Yeah!...Atkins for president! lol Bloody and outrageous. This movie is insanely fun and a must see for any horror fan who appreciates really good B popcorn flicks. This movie has everything a ("bad")horror movie needs. Highly recommended! Other Reviews: "This has to be one of the most satisfying horror flicks I have ever seen. It's the "Pulp Fiction" of horror movies." - Arrow in the Head "A masterpiece. Simply a work of art. NIGHT OF THE CREEPS might just be one of the cheesiest, most entertaining horror films ever made." - Absolute Horror "Dekker's biggest contribution to our queer little corner of the world is the excellent, overlooked Night of the Creeps, a film that is just about as perfect as they come." - Camp Blood "There is so much to love here it's hard to cover it all without slipping into fanboy ravings. Aside from the great characters given to us, there is a story line that makes for a fun romp as well." - Cinema Fromage "Night of the Creeps is an obscure zombie classic." - Movieprop.com "Fred Dekker didn't make some kind of standard 80's bad haired slasher crap with Night of the Creeps; he made something that should go down in the annals of film history as one of the best horror comedies ever made." - Eat My Brains <a href="http://s294.photobucket.com/albums/mm89/JDHallowEEn/?action=view¤t=nightcreeps.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/mm89/JDHallowEEn/nightcreeps.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

• Lafe F

  
  A highly enjoyable zombie-variation with leech-like creatures which turn people into the monsters. It's a classic piece of '80s viden rental home cinema.

• vieras e

  
  The version I saw was with the dog ending. I've heard the other version is better.

• Mike N

  
  The "u" really makes the word "beautiful" beautiful. Aesthetically and phonetically, without it it's almost infantile, sounding fairly hideous and encumbering any original meaning, instead resulting in what reminds me of a bad vegetable. Beatifl. Just...no.… More
  The "u" really makes the word "beautiful" beautiful. Aesthetically and phonetically, without it it's almost infantile, sounding fairly hideous and encumbering any original meaning, instead resulting in what reminds me of a bad vegetable. Beatifl. Just...no. So, here's to you, "u"! [This entry brought to you by Friday's Most Glaring Work Typo, and the letter "U"] [size=1][This entry was definitely not edited.][/size]

• Ryan M

  
  8.4/10 Now here's a peculiar little horror flick; bloody, violent, grotesque, and actually pretty funny as well. There's no doubt that it most likely embodies the elements of a horror-comedy, but some still won't be able to grasp such a concept. I know some… More
  8.4/10 Now here's a peculiar little horror flick; bloody, violent, grotesque, and actually pretty funny as well. There's no doubt that it most likely embodies the elements of a horror-comedy, but some still won't be able to grasp such a concept. I know some people who argue against the fact that heads blowing up and flesh being torn could ever be used as a vehicle for generating laughs, and such people won't find a film such as this to their liking. It will lack all appeal not only because they don't get it, but also because the fact that they don't get it means that they're essentially close-minded enough to the point where even intentionally cheesy one-liners and a plethora of references to various movies and their respective directors can't save the experience from expiring immediately. I'm not one of those people, and that's why "Night of the Creeps" -which is indeed a horror-comedy that is really quite close to what I am speaking of - was so enjoyable for me. Vulgar not in profanity but rather in cinematic violence, this is a classic 80's gorefest that contains just about as many laughs as it does flesh wounds pouring with the red, red kroovy. If you can find enjoyment in such a thing, then I say dig in, but otherwise, this might not be the easiest sit-through out there. Still, I think that most people who are understanding of how these "horror-comedies" work will find it a fun ride; while it lasts. But for me, there's something more of value here; and that's why I consider it such a "classic". Is it great cinema? No, but I will certainly remember it. It's funny, it's clever, well-written, and with more than its share of memorable quotes. It's an 80's film that pays homage to 80's films. Knowing that, ask yourselves: how is that not just instantly...lovable? The film starts off on an extraterrestrial ship; in which the aliens that inhabit it are caught within a tornado of hatred amongst the passengers. These pig-faced, orange little bastards don't appear to be content; one runs off with a "top secret experiment" sort of capsule, which contains what I call a "horrible thing", while two other more...faithful aliens chase after that rather unfaithful one. They don't catch the traitor in time, and he launches the capsule into space, and finally, we learn that it has crash-landed on earth. Then, the film essentially opens AGAIN (in something that I like to call the "double-opening", which can sometimes be sort of charming and in other instances just-plain pretentious and annoying), this time with a black-and-white sequence depicting the discovery of this fallen object. A not-so-bright young man and his girlfriend take a drive and witness a glowing object hurtling towards somewhere in the woods behind them. The boyfriend is curious and goes after it, only to discover little creepy things lurking inside the capsule, which was the falling object, one of which jumps out at him and lands in his mouth. A little over twenty years later, the scene has shifted to 1986; where Chris (Jason Lively) and his buddy J.C. (Steve Marshall) are trying to score women at college parties. Chris particularly takes a liking to a girl he falls for on sight, whose name is Cindy (Jill Whitlow). Chris believes that the only way to get this girl to notice him is to perform some outlandish stunt to please the frat boys. The "boys" give Chris and his buddy a simple but challenging task; to break into a cryogenics lab and steal a body. Things are going well until the two lovably losers chicken out, run for their lives, and leave the corpse that they had intended to steal to lie there on the floor. However, we are shown a glimpse of something important; the body had those creepy crawlies from the capsule stored inside of it, and they have been let loose. This, and many other things along with it, eventually turns many heads, one of which is that belonging to Detective Ray (Tom Atkins), who had a rough past that is eventually explored later on in the film. But for now, there are much more...important things at stake; what can those creepy crawlies (which are slugs, by the way) do? As you might expect, they can take over the human body and control the mind; rendering man a zombie slave. I don't suppose they can infect others through a bite, like most classic movie zombies can, but the slugs certainly come in large numbers; and since the only way to kill them, as it seems, would be through fire; the survivors, Chris and company included, must do their bests to live through this invasion. I loved watching this movie. It has its great pleasures. One of them, in particular, is Atkins' performance as the Detective. He's been in just a few films, sure, but this is the performance that everyone will remember. His catchphrase is "thrill me", and his campy attitude fits the film's own atmosphere perfectly. He's one of the many lost gems to be found here; a horror film that can be enjoyed by audiences both young and old. I should also mention the large number of movie references. There are characters here who don last names such as Romero, Landis, Raimi, Cameron, Miner, Cronenberg, and even Carpenter-Hooper. These are, of course, fairly obvious references; but if you're a horror fan, then it's quite difficult not to appreciate them. "Night of the Creeps" is as endearing as most horror flicks come, and for its kind, I'd say it's one of the best. It lives by clichés and conventions (the final twenty minutes or so involves a shoot-out/burn-out between the human characters and the dehumanized zombies), but at the same time, it's a fine satire that sets out to spoof them. Satirical horror films that work are few, and if "Night of the Creeps" works, then it works well. At that, there really isn't too much more to say about it other than it's worth seeing, I recommend it, and as far as evil-slug flicks go, it's hard to beat.

• Chris B

  
  Campy B-film at it's best that combines alien invasion, zombies, and crazy one liners with a college population. While the film is by no means some art piece, it does what it sets out to do and accomplishes it. It so happens that this film has gained a cult following for… More
  Campy B-film at it's best that combines alien invasion, zombies, and crazy one liners with a college population. While the film is by no means some art piece, it does what it sets out to do and accomplishes it. It so happens that this film has gained a cult following for it's potent blend of Horror and Comedy and is great for what it is.

• Daniel P

  
  This may have been cited as the influence for <i>Slither</i> but I know which film I preferred. This is a pretty derivative zombie/host film that tries to be both witty and campy, and so typically succeeds in neither department. The one line I did like,… More
  This may have been cited as the influence for <i>Slither</i> but I know which film I preferred. This is a pretty derivative zombie/host film that tries to be both witty and campy, and so typically succeeds in neither department. The one line I did like, <i>"It's all Greek to me"</i>, is in all honesty, a groan-worthy old chestnut, and the remainder of the script was very, very run of the mill. The film does look quite handsome, especially on Blu-Ray, but the make-up effects were surely substandard even at the time of the film's theatrical release. Everything else - acting, story, pacing, ending (director approved and theatrical) are rudimentary at best. Quite why this is considered the "cult classic" it seems to be labelled is a mystery to me.

• Sylvester K

  
  It's the most thrilling experience you can get from this comedy horror film that pays homage to the monsters of the 50s. It's a mixture of all the elemets from the classic cinema: Clichà (C) lines, campy characters and constant reference to the B movies. A must see

• cody f

  
  I would have loved this as a kid on cable, but since they didn't show it I have to review it as a adult. Not a bad film, but a little all over the place with Tom Atkins as the only stand out. This film was in the middle for me, some camp and some seriousness, but not enough of… More
  I would have loved this as a kid on cable, but since they didn't show it I have to review it as a adult. Not a bad film, but a little all over the place with Tom Atkins as the only stand out. This film was in the middle for me, some camp and some seriousness, but not enough of either. Not much of a connection between any actors and not scary in any way. It had one very eerie scene where European Vacation's Rusty has a phone conversation with his zombie friend at a moment of clarity. The film just doesn't commit to any genre and overall it makes it a little forgettable.

• Grifty G

  
  An unjustly forgotten horror/comedy from the 80's. A film that manages to be part College Comedy, part Alien film, part Axe Murderer film, and part Brain Slug Zombie film. It never really completely excels at any of those parts, but the entertainment value created by mixing… More
  An unjustly forgotten horror/comedy from the 80's. A film that manages to be part College Comedy, part Alien film, part Axe Murderer film, and part Brain Slug Zombie film. It never really completely excels at any of those parts, but the entertainment value created by mixing these makes up for it. The writing is hit-and-miss, but the fun camp of the film (think Fright Night) is what I enjoyed the most. The weakest link in the film is easily the "funny" sidekick character, who is mostly just annoying. But Tom Atkins (of Halloween 3 fame) does a great job as the seen-it-all detective. I have no idea why this wasn't playing on 80's cable non-stop. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbdIk-tswYM

• Quinto W

  
  I love it when a film can combine horror, gore, comedy and camp values successfully, such as Dead Alive, for example. This film, however, despite the very entertaining performance of Steve Marshall, doesn't seem to get the mix right and is just monumentally boring. It took me… More
  I love it when a film can combine horror, gore, comedy and camp values successfully, such as Dead Alive, for example. This film, however, despite the very entertaining performance of Steve Marshall, doesn't seem to get the mix right and is just monumentally boring. It took me three attempts to finish it because I would find it hard to pay attention when everything was putting me to sleep. I know it's highly regarded by nostalgics and has a strong following, but I cannot see any reason why.

• Steve S

  
  Try to find the UNCUT version.

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