Creepozoids

Released by: 88 Films
Release date: July 10, 2017
Directed by: David DeCoteau
Cast: Linnea Quigley, Ken Abraham, Richard L. Hawkins, Ashlyn Gere, Michael Aranda, Joi Wilson
Year: 1987
Purchase From Amazon

The Movie:

After nuclear war has ravaged the planet and resulted in deadly acid rains scouring the landscape, a group of five soldiers from the U.S. military have deserted their post. The group includes leader Jake (Richard L. Hawkins), rough-and-tumble Butch (Ken Abraham), sexy Bianca (Linnea Quigley), thoughtful Kate (Ashlyn Gere), and computer nerd Jesse (Michael Aranda). Running low on supplies, they seek refuge from an acid storm in what looks like an old warehouse, but they pretty soon discover that it has recently been occupied… and is anything but a warehouse. A computer reveals that it was the home of some secret project, and a severed head suggests that the project was something seriously sinister. Unable to find any other signs of life, the group makes itself at home. Bianca and Jake have sex, while Jesse searches the computer for evidence of what has happened to the people who once occupied the place. What no one realizes is that a monster with ultra-slime for blood stalks the site's corridors, and it's coming to take each one of them out one by one.

Creepozoids is a little gem of low-budget silliness. Clearly an attempt to replicate the success of Alien (1979) on a far smaller budget (try $70,000 vs.$11 million), though the stage-bound interiors call to mind It! The Terror from Beyond Space (1958) instead. A classic monster-on-the-loose sci-fi thriller about an alien stowaway in the claustrophobic confines of a small spaceship, It's titular monster attempts to eliminate the ship's crew members one at a time. The monster in Creepozoids may want to imitate Alien, but it looks more like the cheapie beast of It! Now, that's not a complaint, as this reviewer happens to love It! Instead, it gives the whole affair a quaint air, making it something of a throwback to a time in cinematic history those of us who grew up in the '80s had believed was long thought gone but, in fact, was residing in big boxes on the shelves of local home video rental stores.

Creepozoids was the product of Charles Band's Empire Pictures. During the 1980s and '90s, Band turned out a slew of fairly well-made, entertaining, memorable, and original low-budget horror and science-fiction films, several of which were directed by David DeCoteau. Speaking of which, DeCoteau's direction on Creepozoids is reliable and efficient, and the actors all turn in decent performances, though it's easy to see why Linnea Quigley rose to the top of this particular group. Not only was she beautiful, but she managed to deliver her lines with a straight face and to provide the appropriate facial expressions at just the right time.

Video/Audio/Extras:

Full Moon's Creepozoids comes to Blu-ray courtesy of 88 Films in the U.K. At the time of release—last summer—it was hyped as receiving a “brand new HD master, restored from the original 35mm camera negative.” This is borne out by an image that, while never as sharp and detailed as your average big-studio production, features a suitable amount of detail greatly improved over past DVD releases. 88 has given the film an MPEG-4 AVC encode in 1080p high definition with a 1.78:1 aspect ratio that looks appropriately framed. The image has no apparent loss of picture information on the top or bottom of the picture, and colors—which are naturalistic (this is, after all, a late '80s film, not something shot and released in the 1950s despite the feel)—are stable and pleasing, with the usual barometer, skin tones, looking appropriately peachy. There's no crush, with stable black levels and only a moment or two with excess grain/noise. Overall, the entire affair looks filmic, as it should given the superior source material. This is in keeping with most transfers supplied by Full Moon, which has gone out of its way to do right by these films and their legion of fans. These are not raw scans devoid of serious work; rather, knowledgeable technicians have restored the films from original elements, taking care to correct problems and turn out remarkable results despite small budgets.

88 has supplied two soundtracks: An English Dolby Digital 2.0 track for purists and a more recent English Dolby Digital 5.1 track. The mix for the latter is nothing spectacular, but both tracks provide solid and listenable hearing experiences. This reviewer preferred the 2.0 track, as it was how the film was shot, and the 5.1 track simply didn't have enough directional sound to warrant its inclusion, though dialogue is still clear and understandable. Neither track has any problems with noise, his, or any other kinds of faults. English subtitles are included for people who are deaf or have hearing impairments.

David DeCoteau supplies a commentary recorded specifically for this release, though it has, more recently, been ported over for the Full Moon BD release in the United States. DeCoteau is a fun commentator, as evidenced by past commentaries he's recorded; here, he takes a fairly linear approach, beginning by discussing the first actress who appears on screen and the studio in which the scene was shot. He explains why the opening titles are over a black screen, the other actors, the cinematographer, the music composer, the few places in addition to the studio where the action was shot, the nudity, the lack of budget, the dailies, the Bands, some of the stunts, the ultra-slime, and so much more. His remarks are prepared but not rehearsed, so that they come across as natural but controlled, though DeCoteau does get distracted by the action on screen a few times. These digressions are always interesting, however.

Also included is a newly created trailer that runs 1:16.

The film and its extra have been placed on a single BD-25, which contains more than enough space to handle it. (The film itself is a mere 72 minutes in length.)

Finally, there's an 8-page booklet containing an essay, “Acid Rain & Bio Goo: A Look Back at Creepozoids” by Matty Budrewicz and Dave Wain. The essay is astute and well written, with the authors, in a roundabout way, tracing Creepozoids back to its '50s roots; they dissect the film plot point by plot point, easily weaving in a commentary on DeCoteau's art in the bargain.

The sleeve is reversible, with the opposite side being based on original ad art for the film, which wears its influence on its sleeve, so to speak: “Aliens, move over… here come the Creepozoids.”

The Final Word:

Creepozoids may not be a horror classic, but it's a fun film nonetheless, moving quickly through its relatively short running time and with a goofy/cool monster throwback to the sci-fi films of the 1950s. 88 Films brings Full Moon's indie effort (produced under Band's Empire Pictures banner) to home video with a strong transfer, good sound, and a couple of nice extras, the best of which is director DeCoteau's commentary.

Christopher Workman is a freelance writer, film critic, and co-author (with Troy Howarth) of the Tome of Terror horror film review series. Horror Films of the Silent Era and Horror Films of the 1930s are currently available, with Horror Films of the 1940s due out in 2018.

Click on the images below for full sized Blu-ray screen caps!















[img]http://www.rockshockpop.com/screencaps/Creepozoids/08-2.jpg[/img]