Retro Trailer For Fred Dekker's 1986 Horror Film NIGHT OF THE CREEPS
This week’s retro trailer is for the 1986 horror film Night of the Creeps, which comes from Fred Dekker (The Monster Squad, House). This is a gloriously weird mash-up of sci-fi horror and ‘80s teen comedy that wears its B-movie heart on its sleeve.
The story follows two college freshmen who unwittingly unleash an alien parasite that turns people into zombie-like creatures. What starts as a quest to impress girls quickly spirals into a full-blown invasion of body-snatching slugs, with a haunted ex-cop (played by genre legend Tom Atkins) reluctantly stepping in to help clean up the mess.
This thing is part creature feature, part detective noir, and part John Hughes flick… with flamethrowers. What makes Night of the Creeps so beloved by cult film fans is how much it leans into its love for horror tropes while still feeling fresh and self-aware.
Dekker stuffs the movie with clever nods to classic horror, character names like Cronenberg and Romero are just the beginning, and injects it all with a sense of goofy, gory fun.
The practical effects are gooey and satisfying, the one-liners are great,, and the whole thing feels like it was made by a horror geek for horror geeks.