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Night of the Creeps Blu-ray Disc Review

By brenden ⋅ November 1, 2009 ⋅  Email This Post ⋅  Print This Post ⋅ Post a comment

NIGHT OF THE CREEPS (1986, Blu-ray released October 27, 2009 - MSRP $24.95)

What do little green men from Mars, an axe wielding prison escapee, a parasitic-slug infestation, legions of brain-feasting undead and college campus romances have in common? They all form the backbone of the everything-but-the-kitchen-sink B-movie romp that is Night of the Creeps, absent from the home video market for ages and newly released on Blu-ray disc!

Director Fred Dekker is obviously a man who loves old sci-fi and horror movies. Creeps is essentially a laundry list of every genre film device you can think of, blended with a smattering of teen comedy for good measure. And it’s clearly a recipe for success, as Dekker would carry it over into his follow-up film, the popular Universal Monsters-meets-Little Rascals romp called the Monster Squad. To be clear, these films aren’t just appropriating ideas, fashioning mash-ups of previous works. These are inspired creations that play as love letters to the B-movies of times past. And anyone who has any affection for those films is going to find something to love in Night of the Creeps.

Surprisingly, this was my first exposure to the film. And I can’t say I thought it was a great one by any stretch of the imagination. But it certainly is fun! From its very first frames, Night of the Creeps thrusts us into genre adventure, beginning with a mutiny aboard an alien vessel which results in the release of a substance that makes its way to 1950s Earth. This goop infects and zombifies a young man who apparently gets put on ice, before he has a chance to unleash his undead power on the planet. Thirty years later, a couple of awkward college freshman defrost the zombie, whose exploding head filled with space slugs puts a serious damper on their plans to hook up with hot sorority girls. I know. It’s ridiculous. And that’s what makes it such a good ride! I might add here that Night of the Creeps has that indelible “80s” feel to it. Great hair, clothes and music throughout!

This Blu-ray disc is shocking! Sony has done a fantastic job turning a low-budget cult classic into a gorgeous, feature packed high-def showpiece. Much as you’d expect, Night of the Creeps is not going to be the slick demo disc you slap on to show off your system, but it’s an accurate representation of the 1986 film. It’s grainy and quite soft but full of colour and rock solid. A huge step up from the last incarnation of the film on home video (the 20 year old VHS pan and scan edition!).

Night of the Creeps comes to Blu-ray stuffed with special features. Two commentary tracks, both a blast, with Dekker’s being the more technical and generally informative and the cast reunion track being a whole lot of good fun between a group of people with some great chemistry. The hour-long ‘Thrill Me: Making Night of the Creeps’ documentary is the star of the extras covering all aspects of the cult film in depth, right up to its more recent re-release. The disc also includes a feature on character actor and Creeps star Tom Atkins, some deleted scenes, the original theatrical ending and some trailers.

The Night of he Creeps Blu-ray disc from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is one of our Top 10 New Blu-ray Discs for Halloween 2009.

Tags: Fred Dekker, Night of the Creeps, Sony, The Monster Squad