When it comes to late-night video store staples, Creepozoids was always one of those titles that jumped off the shelf. It’s Charles Band’s take on Alien with a tiny budget, a post-apocalyptic setting, and Linnea Quigley thrown in for good measure. That alone made it a must-rent back in the late ‘80s, and thanks to Full Moon’s Blu-ray reissue, fans can revisit it in a way that’s probably better than it’s ever looked.
The year is 1998, six years after the nuclear wars left the world in ruins, with only scattered bands of survivors wandering the wasteland. One such group discovers a long-abandoned government research facility, once dedicated to engineering human bodies to produce their own amino acids, eliminating the need for food. Their search for refuge takes a nightmarish turn when one of the failed experiments, still lurking about, awakens. Soon, the survivors begin dropping off one by one, and time will only tell if anyone has what it takes to escape.
Make no mistake, Creepozoids is cheap. The sets are tiny, the acting is stiff, but that’s also part of its enduring appeal. They somehow manage to squeeze atmosphere out of a couple of dark hallways and some fog machines. The creature effects are surprisingly ambitious and effective, given the budget.
Linnea Quigley does what she does best: she elevates the material just by being there. And yes, there’s a memorable shower scene that probably sold a good chunk of those VHS rentals back in the day. I’m sure that the inclusion of adult film mega-star Ashlyn Gere in the cast didn’t hurt rentals either.
Director David DeCoteau, who also directed Sorority Babes in the Slimeball Bowl-O-Rama, has been in the business for over 40 years and has nearly 200 projects listed on IMDb. This was an early effort, and one that people talk about quite fondly.
The Blu-ray presentation is a noticeable step up from previous releases. The transfer still shows the film’s low-budget roots, but the colors are stronger, and the murkier sequences have more detail than they ever did on tape. Sound is clean and gets the job done.
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As for extras, you get a commentary track, a vintage behind-the-scenes featurette, trailers, and the usual batch of Full Moon advertising. It’s not overloaded with supplements, but it’s a solid package that fans will appreciate.
At the end of the day, Creepozoids isn’t high art; it’s a seventy-two-minute mutant monster movie made for midnight viewing, and it still delivers on that front. If you have nostalgia for the glory days of the mom-and-pop rental shop, this Blu-ray is exactly the kind of release you’ll want on your shelf.
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