There aren't a lot of movies that came out in the 1980's that have the production value necessary to live up to some of the more modern films, but this one, really blew me away in a variety of ways. Night of the Creeps not only presented zombies, it presented aliens, visual stimulation, and a plot that didn't need complication. I was completely impressed with how good this film was, and scratched my head in regards to how lousy some of the recent films miss the mark, compared to this one.
The plot is one of alien invasion, that you might recognize if you're a fan of The Faculty. It seems like similar plots make new movies? We are introduced to two college kids and they try to get in good with a fraternity in college, and that sparks the problem, a cryogenically frozen being is let loose, and aliens (slugs) start roaming the earth, infiltrating victims and turning them into the living dead! The films stars Jill Whitlow, Tom Atkins, and Jason Lively. The director, Fred Dekker did a great job in this one, and it really feels like a newer film not an older one. After you get an introduction to the plot, it's all about the college kids and the standard "out of place" story line. You know what I'm talking about, the outcasts are trying to get in good with the popular kids, but they can't, and they set zombies loose.
Visually, this movie is great. I love how they didn't have CG back then, and utilized imagination and special make up effects to create the gore. The blood, the skulls, and so much more is done quite well and I loved it. Eaten away skulls, face damage, intestines, bodily explosions, gun shots to the head, so many finer touches here are utilized with relative ease and NOT computer animated like the cheap tricks of today. I couldn't believe how clear the picture quality was, and how easy the editing took you from scene to scene without feeling out of place. The pacing was done well too, and I loved how I never felt bored nor tired of the plot, even if it wasn't gore center for the full length of the film.
The film has some great homages to B-Movie and Cult movie history. From the Corman University name to many of the characters getting homage to the famed sci-fi directors like Romero, Cronenberg, Hooper and others, there are a lot of cool little Easter eggs of sorts found throughout the film.
Night of the Creeps might be an 80's movie, but man, it has all the greatness of a modern day horror piece. It flows fast, it has gore, it teases sexuality with shower scenes, and the ending (albeit an alternate) is great. You can't miss this one, it's probably one of the best 80's horror b-movies I've seen in a long time, and that's saying a lot. If you haven't seen Night of the Creeps, you're missing out, this one is a classic.
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