The premise of midget monsters and people being afraid of them had tremendous promise and could have been really funny. Of course they failed hard and it's just boring. There is constant background music to let you know when you're supposed to laugh or be scared because there's no other way of knowing. It's like a Spike Lee movie only more realistic. To make it even worse, the entire story makes no sense. They frequently find themselves trying to explain what has just happened and it still doesn't make sense. They even have the guy work at a video store just to mention the other terrible movies these people have made. Don't waste your time.

I stumbled upon the 1997 horror comedy "The Creeps" (aka "Deformed Monsters") by random chance here in 2022. And never having seen it, and it being a horror comedy, of course I had to watch it. Now, it should be said that I hadn't even heard about the movie prior to watching it, so I didn't know what I was in for here.

And when I saw that this was a Charles Band movie I have to admit that I was a bit ambivalent about it, as some of the Full Moon movies from Charles Band have been some duds and swings and misses, while others have been campy and cheesy but still watchable.

Luckily, then "The Creeps" was actually one of the more enjoyable and fun to watch movies from Full Moon, so that was a pleasant surprise. And I have to say that the storyline and the whole concept of having iconic literature (and movie) monsters come to life at half size was as much fun as it was creative. So writer Neal Marshall Stevens definitely managed to churn out something interesting with "The Creeps".

The storyline was good, campy and cheesy for sure, but it just worked out on a satisfying level, and that made the movie all the more enjoyable and watchable.

Of all the cast that performed in the movie then I was only familiar with Phil Fondacaro (playing Dracula). But I will say that the cast they had for this movie actually put on good performances and carried the movie quite well.

As for "The Creeps" being a horror comedy, then you have to bear in mind that the comedy is not the type that will make you laugh. Nay, the comedy here is subtle and sort of just is there as a layer pulled over the horror aspect of the movie. So if you are expecting a movie full of laughs and funny situations, then you will be disappointed.

I was actually genuinely entertained by this movie, and as such then I am rating "The Creeps" a six out of ten stars. This is definitely one of the better movies from Full Moon.

A mad scientist brings Dracula, the Wolfman, the Mummy, and Frankenstein's Monster to life... but there is a problem and they end up only three feet tall.

Steve Miller heavily criticized the film in his book 150 Movies You Should Die Before You See, as he felt that the film was homophobic and made fun of people with dwarfism. I could maybe allow the homophobic bit, but I am less inclined to agree about the dwarfism. One, the film is no more degrading to dwarfs than any other film that uses such actors. And two, Full Moon has long been (and continues to be) an employer of Phil Fondacaro. I don't typically defend Full Moon, but at least they're treating him right.

As for the merits of the film itself... well, it is sort of a funny idea, and i love that Guy Endore gets some love. But, yeah, not great. Better than most Full Moon, but that's not saying much.