This is the fourth year I’ve done the Halloween horror marathon. I can’t believe I’ve never touched on Night of the Creeps. Looking back, it was on the docket for 2010, but somehow, I never made it to it. I’m not sure as to how that never happened, given that I’ve owned the DVD for the entire time I’ve been doing this cavalcade of creepiness.
Anyhow — this is Tom Atkins‘ finest hour. As Ray Cameron, he’s a hard-bitten detective. All cigarettes and quips, I could watch a series of movies with this character. His best line in the film is so iconic, they used it on the goddamned poster. And that’s before you’ve even gotten to “Thrill me.” Sure, Jason Lively as Chris is the “star” of the film, but anybody who’s ever seen this remembers Ray long after the rest of the characters have faded from memory.
And that’s before you have space aliens and slugs that turn people into zombies, and even an axe-wielding maniac hacking people to death. Throw in some smarmy fraternity types, and it’s like Return of the Living Dead has met Revenge of the Nerds. Brilliant lines, stupid action, and a fucking FLAME THROWER. Words can’t begin to describe how much I love this movie.
I think we might have to cover Monster Squad on Monday. Fred Dekker directed so few films, but it’s entirely possible that two of them are among my top five. The man gets ample credit for making two of the most likeable b-movies in modern history, populating them with characters who are likeable and relateable, in addition to being far more clever than you or I can hope to be on a regular basis.