Character Spotlight- Brad- Night Of The Creeps

 

**This post contains spoilers**

He’s young, he’s confident, his hair is perfect, and he’s the leader of a fraternity! So what’s wrong with Brad (Allan Kayser)? Well, he’s not a nice guy. To be more blunt, Brad is a jerk. Brad’s personality is a detestable mix of an asshole jock and a cocky surfer dude, who believes he’s untouchable. He’s exactly the kind of guy you’d expect to have a big ego, as the head honcho of a fraternity, the ultimate narcissist, who thinks the world should bow at his feet.

It’s almost impossible to believe Cynthia Cronenberg (Jill Whitlow) is his girlfriend, but the clock is ticking on her relationship with Brad. Brad goes too far with his bullying. His plans to toy with and humiliate Chris Romero (Jason Lively), and his friend, J.C. Hooper (Steve Marshall) backfired. Brad thought he got the last laugh, kicking one of J.C.’s crutches, which caused him to fall flat on his face. But Cynthia wasn’t amused. Cynthia dumped Brad in front of a crowd, slowly raising her middle finger to throw more salt in the wound. The Bradster’s fragile ego was shattered in front of other people, so you know he was pissed, no matter how hard he tried to hide genuine feelings of embarrassment. 

Brad loses Cynthia to Chris, and his own fraternity bros are quick to poke fun at him? Ouch, that’s gotta hurt! But things only get worse for Brad, as the story unfolds. Drunk and miserable, Brad gets caught off guard outside of Cynthia’s sorority house, when one of the alien slugs jumps into his mouth. So Brad goes from being the popular big man on campus fraternity leader, to a mindless zombie infected by alien slugs? Wow. That’s a big downgrade for sure, and a hard fall from grace.

You have to tip your hat to Allan Kayser for his performance. He IS the reason why you’d want to punch Brad in the face. Kayser speaks in a weirdly pretentious cadence, adding another noticeably annoying character trait to Brad. Whether he’s simply talking, or going on one of his pompous rants, you’ll quickly notice Brad always believes he’s the most important voice in the room (or outside). No one else’s opinions should matter, because he’s the almighty Brad, and you’re not supposed to question him.

Brad’s story ended on the steps of Cynthia’s sorority house, when he wasn’t his normal self. Infested with alien slugs, Brad’s head was blown wide open by Detective Ray Cameron (Tom Atkins), causing a group of slugs to spill out of his skull. To make matters worse, Chris used the flamethrower to torch Brad’s decaying corpse. Brad lost everything, and he got exactly what he deserved, a prime example of a character receiving their comeuppance in the worst possible ways imaginable. 

Chris twisted the knife after he killed Brad (with Ray’s help). Chris took one final look at Brad, staring a hole through his flaming dead body, and he calmly said, “Sorry, Brad. Don’t take it personal.” Brad would’ve loved to dish out one more snarky insult, but Chris got the last laugh, AND he saved Cynthia from Brad’s attack. The douchey ex-boyfriend was literally destroyed by a nerd, someone, who Brad believed was beneath him in the ranks of the social hierarchy on a college campus. A strange and unconventional rivalry, because Chris beat Brad, truly a full circle story, complete with an insanely brutal and gory ending.

Character Spotlight- Chris, J.C., & Cynthia- Night Of The Creeps

 

**This post contains spoilers**

The alien invasion has begun! Send the military, send tanks, send all of the fire power that’s available, because the world desperately needs heroes to fight back! What about Chris Romero (Jason Lively) and his best friend, J.C. Hooper (Steve Marshall)? But Chris and J.C. don’t have big muscles. They’re not skilled in hand to hand combat, and while you could say Chris knows the basics about using weapons, J.C. and Chris really don’t check off any of the boxes for a duo that’s capable of stopping crafty alien slugs. 

Chris and J.C. are nerds. Chris is still carrying a heavy heart and moping around after losing his high school sweetheart. He’s socially awkward, and he’s scared to talk to women. J.C.? He’s a comedian with a quick and snappy sense of humor, a jokester, who doesn’t mind poking fun at himself and his disabilities. For a kid who’s forced to get around on crutches, J.C. still manages to have a positive outlook on life. 

J.C. is the true definition of a good and loyal friend. When Chris spots Cynthia Cronenberg (Jill Whitlow), J.C. does everything he can do to help Chris. Pulling off a prank to join a fraternity, lead by a despicable tool named Brad (Allan Kayser)? Done. When Chris starts whining about J.C.’s habit to make a joke out of everything, J.C. gets annoyed and irritated, but he doesn’t abandon Chris. Chris and J.C. stick together, no matter what, even if they’re staring at an old frozen corpse! 

During her first appearance, Cynthia Cronenberg gets the spotlight, complete with fitting background music for someone, who’s presented as the perfect dream girl. She’s sweet, innocent, and Cynthia has a majestic aura about herself. Okay, she’s dating Brad, but when Cynthia learns the truth about the slug infested walking corpse, who showed up at her window, she dumps Brad. Tricking two good guys into doing a prank that involves a dead body, when you had no intentions of accepting them into your fraternity, is probably a line you shouldn’t cross. And Brad kicking away one of J.C.’s crutches didn’t help things. Everyone has a breaking point. 

Night Of The Creeps shows us college life can be fun. Chris has a fresh tuxedo, Brad is out of the picture, and he’s finally ready to go on his first date with Cynthia! Things are looking up for Chris…..but the invading alien slugs have other plans. J.C. is dead, after coming out on the losing end of an attack from the slugs in the bathroom. So who else is available to help Chris fight against the aliens? Detective Ray Cameron (Tom Atkins)! Yes, Ray is still haunted by the memories of finding the dismembered corpse of his high school sweetheart. But Ray is a tough wisecracking ball of fire, who won’t quit.

Still, Chris needs one more person to join his team. Outnumbered with their backs against the wall, Cynthia steps up to help Chris and Ray. One of my absolute favorite shots from Night Of The Creeps shows Chris and Cynthia together, armed with a flamethrower and Ray’s trusty twelve gauge shotgun, slowly walking towards the basement in Cynthia’s sorority house. Chris is serious, while he’s urging Cynthia’s sorority sisters to get out of the house, knowing they’re all risking their lives, if they stay inside. A cool handful of moments, and, well it’s kind of a bad ass shot, in a comical way of course. 

Ray Cameron jokingly used the nicknames Spanky (Chris) and Alfalfa (J.C.) for Chris and J.C. Fitting nicknames for the duo, because you could say Chris and J.C. are two Little Rascals in their own ways. Chris starts out as a bumbling and nervous geek, but he finds his courage, as the story develops. Chris found the motivation to fight back, after he listened to J.C.’s emotional farewell message on a tape recorder. He couldn’t sit back and hide, or wait it out. No, Chris had to avenge his best friend’s death.

Did Chris, J.C., Cynthia, and Ray stop the alien invasion? Well, no. If you’ve seen the theatrical cut and the director’s cut for Night Of The Creeps, you’ll know both versions ended with cliffhangers. But Chris fought back. Chris, with Cynthia by his side, marched right into the fire to take on the alien slugs. It’s an unlikely and ironic story for an alien invasion, because Chris, J.C., and Cynthia are not exactly the cast of characters you’d expect to try and save the world. 

As far as Chris goes, he survived. Filled with a strong sense of pride, while standing tall with his new girlfriend, Cynthia, Chris finally had a reason to be happy again after Ray’s sacrifice. J.C. is gone, but Chris finally pulled himself out of a miserable stupor, AND he fought through hell to transform himself into a gutsy hero? Not a bad ending for a guy, who started out as someone, who was genuinely terrified at the thought of simply talking to Cynthia.

Character Spotlight- Detective Ray Cameron- Night Of The Creeps

**This post contains spoilers**

Three college kids, and a surly wisecracking detective? Not exactly the kind of group you’d expect to save the world from an alien invasion. Chris (Jason Lively), his best friend, J.C. (Steve Marshall), and Cynthia (Jill Whitlow) are outnumbered and outmatched by the invading horde of alien slugs. There’s only one man, who’s bold and crazy enough to help them: Detective Ray Cameron.

Ray doesn’t fit the mold for a hero, but that’s also what makes him a unique character. He’s a burnt-out detective, who drives an old cherry top police car in the 1980’s, a rebel, with a snappy sense of humor who plays by his own rules. His trusted sidekick? A twelve gauge shotgun.

Ray is a fiery veteran, but he’s haunted by the one that got away. In the 1950’s, Ray found the love of his life, Pam (Alice Cadogan) in pieces, after she was killed by an axe wielding maniac. To make matters worse, Pam had already moved on with another man.

The scene, where Ray tells Chris the story about how he took matters into his own hands to kill The Maniac? That’s the scene, where you truly start to understand Ray Cameron. Sure, Ray has a short temper. He’s crass and he’s a loose cannon, but we’re talking about a hopeless romantic with a broken heart. Remember, Ray was ready to commit suicide before Chris showed up at his doorstep asking for help.

It’s also easy to see why Ray feels sympathy for Chris, and why he decided to help him in the end. Ray understands what it feels like to be in love at a young age. He knows Chris deeply cares about Cynthia. Decades after Pam’s murder, Ray is still fantasizing about sitting on a beach, while Pam slowly rises up from the water. And what did Ray use as motivation for a shot of adrenaline, when he was surrounded by the infected horde, facing certain death? Pam’s picture at the sorority house. 

Thrill me! A simple catchphrase, and they’re two words that perfectly describe Ray. Honestly, you can make a best of list featuring Ray’s quotes and one-liners (“It’s Miller time!”) throughout the movie. Nicknaming Chris and J.T. Spanky (Chris) and Alfalfa (J.T.), threatening Walt (Dick Miller), because Ray doesn’t have a requisition form for the flamethrower, or tearing into the other cops at the cryogenics lab. Ray Cameron finds a way to deliver some great bits of comedy, as a grouchy and irritated old man. 

Ray Cameron is a memorable character, if you’re a fan of 80’s horror movies. Tom Atkins truly brings his best for Night Of The Creeps. Effortlessly chewing the scenery, there’s no denying Atkins is the true star of the cast. 

It’s also ironic how Ray was depressed, how he didn’t want to be bothered about anything, and he simply wanted to give up on life. But in the end, Ray is the hero. 

The final wink and the smile for Chris before Ray starts the countdown to blow up the sorority house really works as a weird full circle moment. Facing that big, nasty hive of alien slugs, Ray was ready to do what he had to do. Through wild and unusual circumstances, Ray Cameron found peace again, and it’s truly a fitting ending for him, when you consider Ray’s fearless approach to life.