The Creeps

If while flipping through the channels and you spend more than 15 seconds identifying the quality of this film, you have a serious problem. A mad scientist summons four midget monsters and must sacrifice a young, naked, virgin, female librarian to take over the - oh, you get the idea.

As textbook b-comedy (with a hint of horror) as you get. This is one of those films with such a low budget that the viewer has no sense of geometry in any scene; you know, where everything takes place in the same room but you really have no idea where camera angle A is in the room in relationship to angle B. Neither the script nor the actors nor the director nor the composer take what they're doing seriously. It's *very* obvious, trust me.

I could go through a list what's bad about the film (both unintentional and intentional), but I don't see any point. Fans of crappy films will have fun with this, but anyone taking anything seriously won't. As for me, it was late, I was tired, and I watched Feardotcom . . . then it was *really* late, I was *really* tired, and I fell asleep during The Creeps.

I stumbled upon the 1997 horror comedy "The Creeps" (aka "Deformed Monsters") by random chance here in 2022. And never having seen it, and it being a horror comedy, of course I had to watch it. Now, it should be said that I hadn't even heard about the movie prior to watching it, so I didn't know what I was in for here.

And when I saw that this was a Charles Band movie I have to admit that I was a bit ambivalent about it, as some of the Full Moon movies from Charles Band have been some duds and swings and misses, while others have been campy and cheesy but still watchable.

Luckily, then "The Creeps" was actually one of the more enjoyable and fun to watch movies from Full Moon, so that was a pleasant surprise. And I have to say that the storyline and the whole concept of having iconic literature (and movie) monsters come to life at half size was as much fun as it was creative. So writer Neal Marshall Stevens definitely managed to churn out something interesting with "The Creeps".

The storyline was good, campy and cheesy for sure, but it just worked out on a satisfying level, and that made the movie all the more enjoyable and watchable.

Of all the cast that performed in the movie then I was only familiar with Phil Fondacaro (playing Dracula). But I will say that the cast they had for this movie actually put on good performances and carried the movie quite well.

As for "The Creeps" being a horror comedy, then you have to bear in mind that the comedy is not the type that will make you laugh. Nay, the comedy here is subtle and sort of just is there as a layer pulled over the horror aspect of the movie. So if you are expecting a movie full of laughs and funny situations, then you will be disappointed.

I was actually genuinely entertained by this movie, and as such then I am rating "The Creeps" a six out of ten stars. This is definitely one of the better movies from Full Moon.

THE CREEPS was shot in widescreen and 3-D but released most widely on video, where it is presented flat and panned and scanned. It has been shown in 3-D in a few theatres, mostly during 3-D festivals.

Director Charles Band also directed two earlier 3-D films, PARASITE (1982) and METALSTORM (1983).

I was surprised by the total lack of decency in this movie. It's not cool, there are no decent actors, no interesting storyline or captivating direction. It's not even so bad and over the top that it's memorable. It is a totally forgettable film and without any positive side, at least I have not found any.

The premise of midget monsters and people being afraid of them had tremendous promise and could have been really funny. Of course they failed hard and it's just boring. There is constant background music to let you know when you're supposed to laugh or be scared because there's no other way of knowing. It's like a Spike Lee movie only more realistic. To make it even worse, the entire story makes no sense. They frequently find themselves trying to explain what has just happened and it still doesn't make sense. They even have the guy work at a video store just to mention the other terrible movies these people have made. Don't waste your time.