Written and Directed by Fred Dekker

Summary:

The film begin is space on an alien craft in deep space. An alien carrying a test tube is runs down the dark halls of its ship while being chased by two other aliens with blasters. The running alien shoots the test tube threw a hatch, sending it out of the ship.

Back on earth during 1959 a college couple are watching the night sky in the boyfriend's car as the test tube enters the earth's atmosphere and crashes in the woods near them. A young Detective Ray Cameron (whose girlfriend happens to be the girlfriend.) tells them to be careful out. They investigate and the boyfriend is infected by fast moving slugs that enter through his mouth. The girlfriend, who was waiting in the car is dismembered by an escaped mental patient with a large fireaxe.Fast forward to 1986, Chris and J.C. are hanging out a college campus party. Chris feels down after recently going through a break up with his ex. J.C. tries to cheer him up by trying to impress a local college girl named Cindy. After their attempts, Chris and J.C. decide that the only way they are going to get any girls is to join a fraternity. They try to join the local Beta Club but are told that they need to pass an initiation rite.Chris and J.C. sneak into a lab and try to steal a dead body but accidentally revive the frozen corpse of the infected boyfriend from 1959. They run away and the scientist on duty is infected.An older Detective Ray Cameron wakes up from a dream to a phone call. He goes to the lab and is part of the investigation to find the killer of the scientist. The body of the 1959 boyfriend is missing. The body ends up at the sorority house and frightens Cindy. The police are contacted and Det. Cameron investigates. Chris and J.C. are questioned and let go by the police. Chris uses thisopportunityto try to woo Cindy. J.C. goes to the restroom and is infected by the parasite slugs that had just killed the college janitor. Cindy invites Chris to the winter formal and Det. Cameron takes Chris back to his apartment. Det. Cameron tells Chris the story of how he had killed the escaped mental patient from 1959 and had buried his body underneath a building next to the sorority. On winter formal night, Chris discovers J.C. had died in the college's boiler room. Chris rushes to Det. Cameron and they get to the sorority to fight the outbreak of zombie slugs. They bring a shotgun and a flamethrower. They manage to kill most of the Beta Club zombies and save the sorority girls but mass of slugs are gathering in the basement. Det. Cameron spills gasoline about the basement and tells Chris and Cindy to leave. Det. Cameron lights the gas and blows himself and the thousands of parasite slugs with him. The movie ends with an infected dog attacking an unsuspecting Cindy.

Analysis:

Night of the Creeps is an example of the comedic element that is introduced into zombie cinema. It's prevalent through out the entire film through the squabbles Chris and J.C. have and also Det. Ray Cameron's tough, cynical attitude. The movie is very dated and is complete with 80's style soundtrack and film quality. Many college stereotypes are used. Such as the not so smart jock, the shallow sorority girls and the egotistical Beta Club members. For the most part, the film's characters are white but there are several African American actors and one Japanese actor playing the part of the college janitor.

The women in the film and somewhat close to the standard horror females with the exception of Cindy who begins as an afraid character and develops into a zombie fighting machine.

DVD release:

the film has yet to be released onto dvd format. There is an online petition to have the filmed released onto DVD here.

The film can be seen in its entirety on youtube here: