NIGHT OF THE CREEPS : AN INTERVIEW WITH DIRECTOR FRED DEKKER

There are directors who make mega blockbusters that lack story, filling the screen with nothing but explosions. There are directors who are adored by critics. And then there are the directors who are adored by their fans, people who will line up at a midnight screening of their favorite film no matter what night of the week. These directors inspire their fans. One such director is Fred Dekker.

Born in 1959, Dekker was your typical film fanatic. In other words he grew up loving comic books and horror films. This combination paid off later when Dekker had the chance to direct his first feature film in 1986, NIGHT OF THE CREEPS.

A tribute to those grand and glorious low budget films that made the weekly creature feature, Dekker took those themes and brought them up to date, offering a tribute as much as an on its own fright flick. The film starts with an alien experiment gone wrong, moving quickly 27 years later. Fraternity pledges thaw out a cryogenically frozen body only to release the slug like alien inside that goes on a rampage. Soon zombies are walking everywhere and yes, the movie plays for scares as well as laughs.

Dekker also directed THE MONSTER SQUAD, another fan favorite that was released last year. Now NIGHT OF THE CREEPS has received the grand treatment in it’s release from Sony. Included is the original ending Dekker intended as well as the theatrical one. Toss in deleted scenes, commentary by Dekker, featurettes that include a look at star Tom Atkins, trailers, trivia and more and you have a superb DVD to add to your collection.

I was able to contact Mr. Dekker and discuss this release as well as what is going on in his life now. While he was busy with this release to DVD, he was able to answer a few questions.

********************************************************
Fans of your film NIGHT OF THE CREEPS have finally had their prayers answered.  The film arrives on DVD this coming week. Not only that but finally in a director’s cut version. How happy are you to see this release, how excited?

It’s been a long time coming, but the wait was worth it.  The love and care that went into the restoration of the sound and the picture, not to mention the numerous special features, felt a lot like when we made the movie in the first place.

NIGHT OF THE CREEPS was your first feature film to direct and you’ve said you wrote it specifically to get into directing. I’ve read several remarks you’ve made about things you would have changed and it not being a great film and yet at the same time fans (of which I include myself) have found a love for this film. Are you being to hard on yourself, do fans not have taste or being so close to it can’t you see how good it is?

I’m probably being hard on myself. I think you have to be if you want to make something good.  But, yeah, when I watch the film, I mostly see my freshman mistakes.  That said, there are things I’m extremely proud of:  Tom Atkins’ performance; the dream sequence that introduces his character; the scene in the dorm room where J.C. reads Chris the riot act for not appreciating his friendship; the little scene in the police armory with Dick Miller; and mostly, the scene where Detective Cameron explains to Chris about his mysterious past, which I think is terrific on every level.  So yeah, I have problems with the movie – moments that suffer from my inexperience at the time -- but I also admire its flourishes, its style, and its daring juggling act of genre and tone.

In recent years the popularity of the film has grown thanks to the video revolution way back that changed to become a DVD craze. Fans clamored for the release of the film on DVD and now Sony has come through. Word is you are very respectful to those fans. Do you think it was a major influence of these fans that saw the release of not only CREEPS but MONSTER SQUAD last year?

I think the groundswell of fans took a while to take hold, but once it did, it’s become a force to be reckoned with.  Lionsgate took a flier on doing the MONSTER SQUAD DVD and when it sold through the roof, I think Sony sat up and took notice that they might have something in putting out NIGHT OF THE CREEPS.

It seems that Hollywood knows how to make a buck. Rather than a new idea, they churn out sequel upon sequel. That being the case, how come we haven’t seen a NIGHT OF THE CREEPS 2 announced?  If this DVD release is as successful as they hope, could it lead to that?

Obviously, studios tend to make sequels to successful films…  and CREEPS wasn’t very successful at first.  But sure, if the DVD/Blue-ray sells like hotcakes, I can see a scenario where Sony would want to do a follow-up.

And yes, I’ve given some thought to it.  Not a lot, but some.

Your influences are obvious in this film. Like myself it seems you were there when the Universal horror stars made their way to television. Was your experience with these a movie matinee type or were you tuned in to a local horror host? They seem to be making a comeback these days on cable access and the internet.

I saw most of the movies that influenced my first two films on television (not including the ones I saw theatrically like ALIEN, ANIMAL HOUSE and the John Hughes films, which were all a big influence on CREEPS).

There was a wonderful guy named Bob Wilkins, who hosted “Creature Features” on KTVU 2 on the Bay Area.  I think his show was the first time I saw NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD.  When I was 12 or 13, a friend and I had made some “Planet of the Apes” masks, and ended up on Bob’s show wearing them.  So the circle was complete from very early on!

Are you familiar with any current hosts? Prof Griffin out west or Count Gore DeVol back east and all the ones in between. Have you had the chance to meet with any of them? I’m sure they support the release of this film and MONSTER SQUAD as well.

I only ever met Bob Wilkins and his later replacement John Stanley, who is filmmaker and critic for the San Francisco Chronicle.  John has been a big supporter of mine, even giving ROBOCOP 3 a good review in his book, The Creature Features Movie Guide. Now that’s a friend!

Although, speaking of horror hosts, in the late ‘80s I briefly pursued doing a movie based on Joe Flaherty’s SCTV character, Count Floyd.  That would have been fun.

Fans of this film might be surprised if they ever gave those classic Universal horror films a watch. Today’s youngsters often refuse to watch these films due to the fact they’re in black and white. Do you think they are cheating themselves out of something fantastic with this bias? If so, how can they be convinced to watch them?

People who can’t watch black-and-white movies remind me of when I try to get my five year-old to eat vegetables.  He says, “But I don’t LIKE asparagus!”  To which I inevitably respond, “You haven’t tried it, have you?”  I can't imagine the Universal monster movies in color.   They have such atmosphere!

Are youngsters cheating themselves by avoiding black-and-white?  Absolutely.  Some of the best movies ever made are in black-and-white!  But how can you convince them?  That's a tough one.  What I might say is, “If you can’t watch black-and-white movies, you also can’t watch anything with CGI in it.”   Let’s see what that does!

Some movies released to DVD are given the standard treatment where as this release has been given a shout out with director commentary, original ending and blu-ray treatment. Does this give you the chance to offer fans the ultimate version of the film, the one you truly wanted them to see? And does the blu-ray format work here, presenting them with a pristine version to cherish?

As I alluded to, I think CGI is overused by too many people who don’t know how to use it properly, who use it as a crutch instead of a paintbrush, which is what it is.  But one thing digital technology does wonderfully is make pristine new versions of pale old films.  The key is not to make them SO digitally perfect that they lose their sense of being “film”.  I recently saw an HD broadcast of the Coen Brothers’ BURN AFTER READING and it was so absurdly crisp that Brad Pitt’s pores were visible and he strobed when he moved.  I wanted to Burn After Watching.  So you can go too far, but with an older film, particularly one that’s well shot (like SQUAD and CREEPS), the digital restoration is a godsend.

An article you wrote discussed your start in film and how you learned that movies were more than just cool shots. It further went on to say that once you learned how to write better scripts, Hollywood changed and rather than storytelling they were now looking for cool shots. So why aren’t we able to see more Fred Dekker cool shot movies that sneak in storytelling as well?

I wrote that for a website created by my friend Terry Rossio (who wrote the PIRATES OF THE CARRIBEAN movies) and sadly, it’s truer today than it was then.  There are some directors, who shall remain nameless, whose films are basically nothing BUT cool shots… without any room for story or character.  I think the problem’s just getting worse, frankly.

Being known as a horror genre director, what is your take on the current crop of horror films? Any favorites or ones you wish you would have missed?

I hate the remakes of classic ‘80s titles because I just don’t see the point.  I’m not a fan of the SAW/HOSTEL/REST STOP torture porn because I just don’t think people being tortured and screaming is remotely entertaining.  However, I recently saw A HAUNTING IN CONNECTICUT, [REC], and PARANORMAL ACTIVITY and loved them.  So I’m definitely interested in the spooky, if it’s done with finesse and character, and not just a bunch of jumps and cheap scares.  I can’t wait for the Von Trier film, ANTICHRIST.  He’s a hero of mine for the chances he takes.

Do you have anything currently in the works? Rumor for a while was an involvement with CLIFFHANGER 2. Or perhaps SHADOW COMPANY will finally make it to the screen? What can we expect to see with the name above the title reading “Directed by Fred Dekker” any time soon?

Yes, I just turned in my script for CLIFFHANGERS, which Neal Moritz (I AM LEGEND/FAST AND FURIOUS) is producing.  It’s a throwback to THE DIRTY DOZEN and the Alistair MacLean action pictures of the ‘60s. I had a lot of fun with it, and I hope they make it.  SHADOW COMPANY is probably dead, but you never know.

I’m also developing a features based on a documentary called THE LOSS OF NAMELESS THINGS.  It’s the true story of Oakley Hall III, a brilliant young playwright who started a theater company in the ‘70s before suffering a head injury.  It’s very poetic and a total change of pace from my other work.  We hope to be prepping next year, but we’ll see.  That’s the one that excites me the most right now.  Curtis Burch is the producer.

Your story is one that shows any kid armed with a camera and the drive to make movies can achieve that dream. Any words of encouragement you’d like to give to budding storytellers?

I’m glad you used the word “storytelling” because that’s the key.  Get yourself a DV camera, and just shoot and shoot and shoot.  But more than that, set a goal for yourself.  TELL A STORY.

Here’s my litmus test.  Don’t create something where your viewer goes “ooh” and “ahh” but doesn’t really care if you turn the video stream off.  Make something so that when you turn it off, they immediately say, “Wait!  What happens next?” 

THEN you’ll be on to something.