In my review of Sorority Babes in the Slimeball Bowl-O-Rama, I talked about the early career of filmmaker David DeCoteau. After directing his first mainstream film, 1986’s Dreamanic for Charles Band, DeCoteau presented him with two pitches for his follow-up. With the popularity of post-apocalyptic movies and the recent release of Aliens, DeCoteau pitched Mutant Spawn 2000, which combined both. His other concept was a Ghoulies knock-off called Creepozoids, the film’s title being inspired by the Midnight Star song “Freak-A-Zoid”. Charles Band liked the concept of Mutant Spawn 2000 and the title Creepozoids, so he decided to combine the two. On a budget of roughly $150,000, DeCoteau assembled a small crew and filmed in a small studio in LA. Though casting Linnea Quigley fresh off of The Return of the Living Dead, most of the cast was relatively unknown. Finally, in 1987, Creepozoids was released both theatrically and direct-to-video.
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Synopsis
Years after a nuclear war, a group of survivors are wandering through a post-apocalyptic cityscape looking for supplies and shelter. Led by Jake (Richard Hawkins), the group finds an abandoned facility that they decide to hold up in for now. Jesse (Michael Aranda) checks the computer logs to see what happened to the people who were previously there. Meanwhile, Jake, Blanca (Linnea Quigley), Butch (Ken Abraham), and Kate (Kim McKamy) explore and find food, beds, and running water. Unbeknownst to them, however, a strange and deadly creature is lurking throughout the facility, along with some killer rats. One by one, the creature picks off the crew members and sprays them with acid turning them into radioactive mutants. As their numbers continue to dwindle, the remaining crew members have to find a way to survive against the creature. Who will be able to survive and fight against the Creepozoids?
Review
Creepozoids is a movie that clearly “borrows” from more popular films, not the least of which being Ridley Scott’s Alien. The film also uses the trappings of post-apocalyptic films, but that’s more so for the setup rather than the plot. That said, Creepozoids is still a fine example of B-movie thrills made on a shoestring budget with plenty of creativity. The cast all put plenty of enthusiasm into their performances, even if many of them don’t do much. The main creature, though it’s clearly a knock-off of the Xenomorph, looks impressive and has a memorable design. DeCoteau is able to work around his low budget to create an effective mood using moody colors and dynamic lighting. Plus, at seventy-two minutes, the film never outstays its welcome and won’t take up too much of your time. Plus, Linnea Quigley’s in it, so you get to see her get naked.
Probably my biggest issue with the film is how padded it is, even with its relatively short runtime. There are several reused shots and alternate takes used, and the end credits are stretched out for so long. Also, while DeCoteau is able to mostly mask the low budget, there are moments where you can see the cheapness. For instance, you can tell that they only had a few filming locations that they constantly reuse and redress. Also, some of the puppets that are used are obvious, namely, the giant rat puppet used every now and then. We’re never given much backstory other than some brief text at the beginning, and even that’s never fully explored. Still, this is the kind of movie that’s more concerned with delivering B-movie thrills than having a compelling story. Overall, Creepozoids knows exactly what kind of movie it is, and it mostly succeeds at that.
Buy Creepozoids from Full Moon Direct: https://bit.ly/3hS55Xp
