Full Moon Double: CREEPOZOIDS & SHRUNKEN HEADS

We’re four days away from the next full moon, but as I’m a tad late with this review, the phase and vibes are Waxing Gibbous. However, not for producer and director Charles Band, who has for decades kept horror fans under a blanket of eternal night with his studio Full Moon Features. – Available now from 101 Films are two classics from the far side, Creepozoids and Shrunken Heads, that were released individually on Blu-ray in April.

Creepozoids is a generically titled Alien rip-off that takes place in post-apocalyptic 1998, where military deserters from an ongoing nuclear war take refuge in an abandoned laboratory. It’s clear that most of the film’s meagre budget went towards the make-up, gore effects, and buckets of black ooze, which, granted, are disgusting and quite horrifying. In typical fashion, this isolating creature feature plays out with our characters being picked off one by one, including scream queen Linnea Quigley, who naturally gets very naked during a shower scene despite the grave level of danger that looms. What is a “Creepozoid”, you might ask? Well, that question is not really answered. We can only assume the beast that stalks its would-be human prey is the alpha, which looks like a black panther had it away with a Xenomorph. Granted, though, Creepozoids ticks almost every box for late-night horror. If you’re simply wanting a fix, then it fits the bill.

Shrunken Heads is a very mixed bag of mayhem that’s directed by Richard Elfman, brother of Oingo Boingo frontman and composer Danny Elfman. While seemingly innocent at first as we follow three kids getting by on the mean streets of “New York”, the tone shifts dramatically when they’re gunned down by a street gang, only for their heads to be stolen, shrunken, and re-animated by the local Haitian witch doctor for vigilante purposes. Admittedly, I was taken in by the trailer, which suggested a more cohesive adventure with three bodiless superheroes, but the film is frankly a mess and shot quite haphazardly. Studios are clearly visible behind the street façades, which does very little to aid in the suspension of disbelief. If we’re in New York City, then I’m in İstanbul. On a more troubling note, Shrunken Heads becomes strangely sexual towards a rather young female character, who is drawn into the mystic world of black magic. I’m still not sure what to make of this mid-90s …classic? It’s an experience, to say the least and a questionable one at that.

SPECIAL FEATURES

CREEPOZOIDS

Audio commentary with director David DeCoteau
Stills gallery
Reversible artwork

SHRUNKEN HEADS

Videozone: Behind the scenes and making of Shrunken Heads
Trailer
Reversible sleeve featuring ‘banned’ cover art

While these two releases are a commentary and a featurette short of being bare-bones, there’s still plenty of VHS energy, thanks to come cool reversable artwork for each title, plus a ‘making-of’ that’s probably now going to reach more people than ever before.

VIDEO AND AUDIO

Creepozoids is a fine example of a sharp and balanced image. Presented in the film’s original 1.37:1 aspect ratio, colours are vivid while moderate contrast reveals a lot of image detail. It’s funny how some of the worst movies often look the best when they’re resurrected in HD, but fans will no doubt be pleased.

doesn’t quite have the same level of sharpness, but it’s a very colourful film, which glows in HD. Quality does dip noticeably during the several composite shots of the titular heads, but overall, it’s a consistent 1080p presentation in 1.85:1.

Both features offer dual audio in Dolby 5.1 and 2.0. I recommend the surround option for Shrunken Heads to get the most out of Danny Elfman’s score, which is totally not a rehash of Edward Scissorhands, but for optimal dialogue, switch to stereo.

Creepozoids and Shrunken Heads are superficial, but the short run-times make them digestible, and for Full Moon loyalists, the quality of these separate releases certainly exceeds expectations. Both can be purchased online through the 101 Films website.

FULL MOON DOUBLE: CREEPOZOIDS & SHRUNKEN HEADS
(1987 & 1994, director: David DeCoteau & Richard Elfman)