‘Grindhouse 4: Creepozoids’ Review
Stars: Linnea Quigley, Ken Abraham, Michael Aranda, Richard L. Hawkins, Kim McKamy (aka Ashlyn Gere) | Written by David DeCoteau, Buford Hauser | Directed by David DeCoteau
Another entry in 88 Films’ Grindhouse Collection, Creepozoids is one of those movies that came to great prominence in my youth thanks to it’s regular appearance on the Stephen King’s This Is Horror TV show, which used to screen on late night ITV in the early 90s. And whilst I feel like I’ve seen most of the film thanks to the number of clips shown in that series, I have never sat down and watch Creepozoids in it’s entirety. Until now.
Set in 1998, six years after the nuclear apocalypse of World War III, the film sees group of army deserters, Bianca (Quigley), Kate (McKamy), Butch (Abraham), Jesse (Aranda), and Jake (Hawkins), take refuge in a seemingly abandoned laboratory complex. They soon discover that the lab was once a top-secret government research centre gone awry. Still lurking in its corridors, a hideous genetically engineered monster emerges and a mysterious substance transforms one of them into another deadly creature. Now trapped, the four survivors must destroy the blood-thirsty beast…or die in its dripping jaws.
Shot in low-light, with soft focus lenses, in what looks to be a storage facility somewhere in L.A., Creepozoids defines B-movie filmmaking. This is definitely a case of throw everything into the mix and see what works. Giant killer rats; a monster that looks like a cross between a Giger-designed Alien, a boar and bigfoot; and a mutant killer baby (which has one hell of a “death” scene!) are just some of the delights on offer in this Alien knockoff from prolific DTV director David DeCoteau. And if that’s not tempting enough, Creepozoids also throws in gore-filled scenes of melting bodies and Linnea Quigley tits exposed in a truly gratuitous (and welcome) shower scene… If you’re a fan of Italian post-apocalyptic movies then you’re sure to get a kick out of this film, which is essentially an American take on the (sub) genre.
Once again this Grindhouse Collection release features a transfer that is little better than VHS quality but there’s something charming about watching crappy films on crappy quality – isn’t that why a lot of film fans (myself included) still collect VHS tapes? However what lifts these UK releases over and above the US discs is the inclusion of complete movies as bonus features on each disc! Accompanying Creepozoids is yet another film from the very early days of VHS – Filmgore – which, like Famous T&A on the third Grindhouse Collection release, is yet another compilation, again directed by Ken Dixon, this time featuring famous gore scenes from some famous and some infamous films (all pre-dating the movies 1983 release of course).
Featuring Linnea Quigley in various states of undress and plenty of gore and monster FX, Creepozoids is without a doubt another must-buy for B-movie fans. The film is out now from 88 Films.
**** 4/5
