Aug 031986
 
three reels

In the late ’50s, alien parasites turn a person into murderous zombie.  Over 25 years later, two nerds, Chris Romero and J.C. Hooper (Jason Lively, Steve Marshall), in an attempt to join a fraternity, accidentally free the zombie from a cryogenic chamber, unleashing hordes of parasites and then, hordes of zombies on the hapless college.  Only love-starved nerd, Chris, and suicidal policeman, Det. Ray Cameron (Tom Atkins), can stop the killing.

Quick Review: When you’re finished with serious or frightening zombie pictures, the campy Night of the Creeps will be there for you, offering nothing new or interesting, but in an entertaining package.  The production values are on the high side for a zombie pic.  Jason Lively (National Lampoon’s European Vacation) is amusing as the nerd who ends up with a flamethrower, and Tom Atkins is better as the only cop who believes in zombies.

It’s pretty formulaic but the formula is carried out with style and humor.  The underdog nerd is teased by bullies, but wins the girl as he bravely defends her from the zombies.  It is nice to see the girl, Cynthia Cronenberg (Jill Whitlow), show competence when needed.   There’s a gratuitous sorority-girls shower scene, some heads exploding, a few good zombie stand-offs, and plenty of deaths.  It’s all fun, with the main characters all having the names of horror film directors (Romero, Hooper, Cronenberg, Cameron, Landis, Raimi) and the detective blurting out memorable lines (“I’ve got good news and bad news girls.  The good news is your dates are here.  The bad news is they’re dead.”).  Watch it with a few friends, some chips, and a beer or two.

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