Hide and Creep

Very rarely do ordinary and regular people who love movies get to actually make them. Imagine that for just a moment - what would you do if you were told you got to do the one thing you've loved since you were a child and share that with the world? That's how I would describe this film, a labor of child-like love. Does money matter when you're doing what you love? No. Because it's all about the heart. And this film's heart is bigger than any blockbuster on the market. That counts for something. I don't want to be elitist and say that if you don't like this film then you just don't get it, because honestly that's too easy. I'll say instead that if you don't like this film, then you simply haven't seen enough movies. Enough to know the difference between a movie made for profit versus a movie made for sheer love and devotion for the medium; for the idea and for the experience. Those movies are not for everyone, they can't be. They're for the ones of us who enjoy the unique and random exposure to something original and are willing to take a chance that it might be a total bomb. The zombie genre isn't original. But this film is. And it made this fan feel like a kid again. That is why I love it, why I own it, and why I re-watch it often.

After a bit of a break from the Zombie monotony of The Craptacular Compilation Midnight Horror: Zombies collection. I crawled myself out of the grave to try to finish off the last three films. Starting with the zomedy Hide and Creep. Although not a great film, I did like a lot more of it than I thought I would.

Hide and Creep jumps around a lot as it tells the tale of a small town besieged by the living dead, as well as government agents, and aliens. There were a lot of storylines of minor characters to follow that seemed like they would connect, but most of them did not do so in more than a passing way. Which is my main problem with this movie. For me, the main characters were a group of not so intelligent redneck hunters out in the woods, who battle their way back to town and try to protect it and their families. The jokes from that group had a better chance to land for me, and it seemed like a more interesting group of people. I would have been good with a zombie comedy that just followed them as they tried to survive and alert people in their favorite goofy dry county hangouts about zombies. Sadly though we are subjected to those other random characters and stories that don't add a lot more then nods to the makers' favorite films. The naked guy who was abducted, the ex-deputy and his ex-girlfriend, and the video shop owner all take up time for the basic, "survive" zombie plot. With all these characters it would have made it more fun to have a siege style film like Feast...well with zombies instead of monsters.

Still, Hide and Creep had its entertaining moments, mostly with the hunters, and their dialogue, but it didn't make up for long boring times with the other characters. Although I didn't rate it super high, I would recommend this for low budget zombie fans. It has enough in it to entertain them.

No question the movie is a comedy. No question it is low budget. No question the script "borrows" from the genre. No question the acting is not good, but enthusiastic. No question "Hide and Creep" can rightfully take it's place on the low budget fun shelf, next to the likes of "Inbred Redneck Alien Abduction", and "Night Feeders". The script seems to be a cocktail of zombie movie snippets, redneck jokes, and stereotypes. The film is fast moving, with little character development, nevertheless there are a few laugh out loud moments. If you look past the cheap effects, and latch onto the lighthearted idea of rednecks trying to outsmart zombies, you will be entertained. - MERK

For the horror fans in the crowd, even the fringe fans, this is an enjoyable movie. Sure, it's low budget, it pays homage to other B-movies and the acting isn't going to win any Oscars. For all that, it does a decent job of entertaining with the premise of rednecks battling zombies.

There isn't a lot of sleaze; only one scene with minor nudity, nor does the gore go over the top, so it isn't a schlockfest. The characters seem to be enjoying their roles, the dialogue was semi-witty, the production values better than many movies in the genre. It looks like a movie that was fun to work on.

Good enough for zombie fans? Yes, indeed, the zombies are quite acceptable in this movie and act according to the standard model of zombie behavior. They lurch, drool, bite and bleed like zombies should.

This is a beer and chips movie, without doubt. Enjoy it with your friends and some snacks. Break out the stash first and you'll be rating it up there with The Godfather.

"Hide and Creep" has the look of an undiscovered 80's zombie movie and the heart of one too. It just rocks with it's bad, low budget self. Obviously there's a lot of love put into it, all the characters do their thing without falling into over-the-top clichés or stereotypes. The description on here is a tad misleading. You won't see a flying saucer or an alien and the televisions work pretty well for the most part. What you will see is a tongue in cheek zombie movie where the whole premise is people are just trying to get out of dodge at the beginning of a zombie invasion. These are some of the most sneaky zombies I think I've ever seen, man they just pop up, just like that. Budget is an estimated $20,000 which tells me that the actors involved where doing it for the love. The director(s) Chuck Harsell and Chance Shirley make good use of their camera work with fairly imaginative shots. The zombie effects are hit and miss. The gore is substantial enough to probably find a good amount of censoring on television if ever broadcast. I liked all the characters, nobody was sleeping through their lines, and all seemed independently created with real lives behind them. This should be a MUST SEE for the zombie lovers and on every zombie movie lovers list. It doesn't quite change the game but it does keep the bodies on ice.