31 Days of Halloween: Thrill yourself with Night of the Creeps (1986)
By Joey Click
31 Days of Halloween continues with a look at one of the most underrated film in the annals of horror history. I’m ready for a Night of the Creeps. Are you?
What is this? A homicide, or a bad B-movie? — Detective Cameron
The Creeps Come Out At Night
In the ’80s, horror sees its biggest boom. Beginning with Friday the 13th, a film taking inspiration from John Carpenter’s Halloween, every kind of horror film is being made. From vampires to zombies, not to mention the slasher era, the decade is a big moment for the history of horror. An soon, very soon, the creeps are coming out to play…
The Good News Is Your Dates Are Here. The Bad News Is… They’re Dead
— Courtesy of TriStar Pictures
Hitting cinemas in the summer of ’86, Night of the Creeps is one of the best, and most unique, films in all of horror. From it’s tone — mixing Revenge of the Nerds with Night of the Living Dead — to it’s sharp writing, the Fred Dekker masterpiece is, and still is, a breath of fresh air.
Starring Jason Lively, Tom Atkins and Steve Marshall, what makes the hybrid horror film so effective is many. Not only is the film bursting with energy, the performances are insanely good. Atkins, in one of the best performances of his career, is eating scenery like a starving thespian — although Atkins’ plate is very full during this era.
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Secondly, the film is grounded with wholly believable, and empathetic, characters. Giving solid performances in their own right, Lively’s Chris and Marshall’s J.C could be characters out of a teen comedy. Chris is struggling to find love in the new, strange world of college and J.C his fearless buddy trying to help. If that doesn’t say relatable to most horror fans, I don’t know what does.
Lastly, the Night of the Creeps is one of horror’s best scripts. Dekker takes so much inspiration from other properties, but never apes them — making something entirely his own instead. Featuring sharp dialog, relatable characters and scenarios, while mixing them with a crazy plot about aliens on earth, and the results speak for themselves. In fact, they creep for themselves.
Keep On Creepin’ On
It’s been over 30 years since Night of the Creeps hit cinemas. Taking in a devastating $591,366 on a $5 million budget, the film is one of the biggest box-office tragedies in history. Which is truly sad given the film helped in curbing the career of Dekker — one of film’s best storytellers.
In the years since its release, Night of the Creeps has found a loyally passionate fanbase. Myself included, fans across the globe are now seeing how great the creature feature really is and how tragic its fate was. It’s a movie so good and entertaining, you’ll want to put it on again right after its over. And honestly, most films aren’t that plain fun. But what can I say, I guess it just creeps up on you.
Next: 31 Days of Halloween: My Name Is Bruce (2007)