Creepozoids (1987)

   

Produced & Directed by: David DeCoteau

Written by: David DeCoteau & Buford Hauser

Starring:

Richard L. Hawkins ... Jake
Linnea Quigley... Bianca
Ken Abraham ... Butch
Kim McKamy... Kate
Michael Aranda ... Jesse

Release Date: Quick Theatrical: October 2, 1987

 

Rating:

 

It is 1998 and World War III has happened and a nuclear holocaust has occured.
5 US army deserters try to avoid the acid rain which is falling throughout the land and take shelter in a science lab.
What they don't know is a monster is lurking in there which was orgininally a person but due to poisonous chemicals she was attacked by a giant beetle like creature that was once a person at the lab.
This creature feasts on people or it sprays poisonous venom on them and later on they die of a gruesome death.
These 5 deserters are also attacked by giant rats that also have poisonous venom causing people to change into something creepy.
All are trapped in the lab and must find some way to destroy these creatures if they can before the acid rain lets up.

 

The film seems to leave off with a cheesy but fun start as it's in a labratory and things are very still and quiet with a women doing some researching and hearing a sound in which this scene was supposed to look suspenseful but yet it fails and this moment doesn't seem to take itself too seriously. But then when she opens a door there's a beetle like creature attacking which seemed fun to watch as well as having some computerised opening credits with a black screen and then going to a scenery with a troop of soldiers walking near some abandoned areas and railroad tracks that this was low budget looking. However, theatrical type material at the same time so not too low budget video quality looking.
There's even some interesting moments when the army troops go into the abandoned lab and one of them named Bianca fears of rats saying she can smell them in which it gives you a creepy feeling that we will see something more terrifying with how this was all written. Also they spot some skeletal corpse which looked interesting to watch too. Plus they find a computer and this was a futuristic movie and you can tell it was one of those old apple one's from the time period it was shot which looked a bit corny.
Most of the time the scene's were overly long which seemed like a total bore but you could tell that this movie was on a limited budget and quite rushed too. But there is a good moment when Bianca discovers a shower and that the water is fine and later on has a shower with her boyfriend Butch which worked well since the film needed some lustful moments with two tough one's enjoying themselves and relaxing a bit. This moment wasn't overly done showing lots of skin like most DeCoteau flicks so the timing seemed right.
We even spot an interesting moment with this creature attacking one of the soldiers named Jesse and taking him to it's hideout spraying some sort of venom on him. The hideout you could tell was supposed to look dark and creepylike and it looked low budget like with all the settings but it seemed to look not terrible. Just a bit of improvement.
There's good shocking results with Jesse after he wakes up and his friends find him in which I must say the effects here were quite shocking and amusing. So there's some good pointers here.
There's also giant rats attacking which look so fake that they aren't scary looking at all and could tell they were almost like stuffed animals gone wrong. There's even a moment with one of them named Kate peeking under her bed as these rats are swift as this looks like a bad idea and then it leaps to attack which is a nice jumping moment so at least there's a good scary moment taking place here.
There are the odd neat attacking with this creature as well as some cheaply looking laser gun shooting adding some interesting sci-fi furturistic types of elements here and there.
Another nice horror moment is when Kate leaps out from her bed and is now a zombie infected by the rat bite in which this looked exciting to watch showing more horror moments than the giant rats or that monster lurking the hallways of the labratory. The effects on her face seemed pretty impressive. More cheesy fun here folks.
The only survivor Jake battles against this monster although the attack scene's seemed pretty obvious and a better look at this beast not looking scary as it seems. But the best is yet to come showing a nice and creepy shot of the baby creature crawling out of the big one after Jake killed this gigantic beast crawling it's way and a good shot on it crawling up next to him.
We also spot a perfect shot on the baby creature bobbing up behind some mist about to attack too. Then there's the very end with this baby creature when it's supposedly dead but then a door is opened for a sequel. The movie didn't do much for the viewers for the most part to have a sequel after watching this one in the first place. A sequel was planned but it never fell through.
Bottom line is that this was an Alien type clone that doesn't meet up to it's expectation. However the film is alot of fun but not meant to be taken seriously. There was only an outdoor scene during the beginning of the film and the rest was in a lab showing only this throughout the film. The hallway where the main cast is running most of the time, the eating room, the bedroom, the shower, computer room and the vent leading to the creatures lair. That's it folks as there's nothing special about that. Plus their weapons you could tell were toys to save money and the monster you could tell looked rubber and an obvious costume. At least it played for a short time on the big screen nationwide.
It is almost a take on old cheesy monster type movies.
I liked the fact that the effects were corny as this film was a party flick but it's pretty bland stuff nevertheless.

The acting is passable at times but other times a little off. Lead actor Jake Hawkins (Jake) stands tall with his role as the head soldier but can he act??? Well so and so but he isn't anything too spectacular still does okay though and does his best as you can tell since he only had a handful of other films having bit parts and supporting roles. He seems to do well at times having a good outgoing attitude in certain spots which came to life. He looked good coming into a room about to awaken someone as he is behind some sheets not saying a word which makes you wonder if something bad is going to happen as his reactions seemed not too badly done. Seems to do well panicking and freaking out with a baby creature trying to attack him as he does well yelping out when this happens near the end of his performance during a battle sequence that he performs in here.
Linnea Quigley (Bianca) was already on her way to the low budget horror hall of fame while doing this film as she is quite passable in her role and shows a fairly good and tough attitude to her part. She had the right looks for this part as she came across perfectly as a tomboy type of soldier in the flick. She was fairly good with her tough speaking too and bluntness. Showed off some good spunk here.
Does fairly well crying during a scene with her onscreen boyfriend is poisoned to death.
Ken Abraham (Butch) was another one playing a tough soldier as he seems to try too hard with his part but is alot better than in his other roles he plays in trashy T&A low budget film often being typecast playing an idiot except for this part. He seems to do well having a no bullshit type of attitude with his speech and certainly had the good looks as a brawny type of soldier. Doesn't react too well though when a giant rat attacks his hand.
Kim McKamy (Kate) acted in a few other trashy horror films and then moved on to pornography which is a sad choice as it's usually the other way around. She was very good in her role however and stands out the most. She really showed it off well with her slick and level headed behavior and was believeably outgoing in her part.
Reacts well in a certain scene by freaking out when the rat attacks her as well to being in pain after being bitten. She was very different in this role than in her previous work that I've seen her in and so far this film was the biggest budgeted that she acted in which isn't saying alot as the others were made for video duds.
Michael Aranda (Jesse) who played Jesse was so melodramatic on the other hand.
He was too over the top whenever he acted anxious as well as seeming to just say his lines trying too hard to get into character and failing big time. Doesn't react at all too well with his scream after spotting a decapitated head. He was stale when he reads out info from a computer which looked boring and not at all convincing. However looked not too bad by seeming troubled when him and the rest of his fellow cast members eat breakfast and does not too bad by acting like he has a seizure when he is poisoned to death. Good thing he was the first supporting one to be killed off.

There is some nudity as Linnea Quigley's takes off her top fully breasted before taking a shower and then her and Ken Abraham are naked clashing together from top to bottom in the shower.
Quigley
is again bare breasted while sleeping in a bed.
But unlike most of DeCoteau's films, this one didn't mainly focus on the nudity.

There is quite a bit gory scenes like when two guys die of a gruesome death cause the creature sprayed it's poisonous venom on them during a different scene for the both of them.
A giant rat bites a chunk off of Kate's neck.
Also a cut off head is found but it looks very fake.

Guy Moon did the cheesy music for the film and is quite impressive with some of his high pitched creepy synthesizer sounds in some areas which is most notable in the beginning of the film but some of it sounds a little outdated. There's some adventureous keyboard playing for the opening of the film which seemed a bit pumped up. Also there's some cheesy gloomy low sounding effects when the baby creature crawls out of the big dead one to attack which fits in perfectly.
He also did music for TV shows and movies of the week.

Bianca: Rats!!!! I can smell them!!!!

Bianca (Spots a shower): My god I hope it works!
Butch
(Runs over) Hey Stop! It could be contaminated.
Bianca: Give me a break
Bianca
(After turning on a shower and feeling the water): If this is poison give me more! (Both her and Butch feel the water) No use wasting it. (Turns off the shower) Well, let's get us some chow and that's all I'LL need.

Jake (After kicking a decapitated head) Well easy now, it can't hurt you.

Jake (To Kate): Whaddya say???
Kate:
We'll see what happens
Jake:
You got some bug in your butt about this place?!
Kate:
That's right
Jesse:
So do I
Jake:
You two wanna go back out and fry in the rain???

(Butch stands guard with his head turned away from Bianca) Bianca: Whatre you doing?
Butch:
Standing guard
Bianca:
No you're not
Butch:
90 percent of household accidents happen in the bath. I'm standing guard
Bianca:
No you're not
Butch:
(Turns around) I'm not?!
Bianca:
No (Takes off her top) You're gonna come and soap my backside (walks up towards him) What's the matter. Can't you handle it?
Butch:
I can handle anything
Bianca:
Well then look alive soldier
(Butch stomps his foot)

Jake: MMMMM something smells good in here

Bianca: It's the food. It's the food that killed him
Jake:
No we all ate the food

Jake: I don't think it wants to kill

Jake: Don't touch it
Kate:
I wanna check it's protein
Jake:
Fuck it's protein, it's probably got too damn much anyways