From Creeps To Griswolds

A cult classic, a swapped ending, and a passport full of memories—this conversation with Jason Lively travels from campus-set horror mayhem to European misadventures with the Griswolds. We open on Night of the Creeps, where Jason recalls a set that felt like summer camp at USC’s frat row: late laughs, a tight crew, and Tom Atkins as the legend everyone rallied around. That on-set joy helps explain how a mid-80s gamble became a horror-comedy touchstone as audiences grew more fluent in genre mashups and meta humor.

Then the twist: an unfinished effects reel screened to test audiences pushed the studio toward an alternate ending. Jason shares how director Fred Dekker wanted to finish what he started, and why the director’s cut—restored by Blu-ray champions like Scream Factory and Arrow Video—finally delivered the intended finale fans now consider definitive. It’s a snapshot of 80s filmmaking where practical effects, studio notes, and future home-video restorations collide. Along the way, we wink at Slither comparisons and talk about how horror ideas echo across decades without losing their charm.

From there we hop continents to European Vacation. Jason steps into Rusty with a mix of nerves and excitement, only to find Chevy Chase turning the set into a playground that loosened everyone up. We unpack what it’s like to work a big studio comedy at a time when Chevy was in full stride, why different generations attach to different Vacation entries, and how the so-called “underrated” sequel still delivers big laughs. The story wraps at conventions, where Jason meets another Rusty, Ethan Embry, and the family tree of Griswolds becomes real—proof that characters can outgrow single films and live on through fans, reunions, and shared memories.

If you love 80s horror, the Vacation franchise, or the behind-the-scenes choices that change movie history, this one’s for you. Follow the show, share it with a friend who quotes Tom Atkins, and leave a quick review—what’s your favorite Vacation entry and which Creeps ending do you back?

Chapters

• 0:01 Welcome And 80s Highlights
• 0:27 Night Of The Creeps Memories
• 1:34 Slither Similarities Joke
• 2:11 The Lost Ending And Studio Change
• 4:26 Cult Status And Audience Shift
• 4:57 Pivot To European Vacation
• 5:11 Landing Rusty And Working With Chevy
• 6:18 Ranking Vacations And Underrated Sequel
• 6:49 Con Connections And Rusty Reunion
• 7:34 Sign Off And Thanks

Transcript

SPEAKER_01: 0:01

Jason Lively on the Fishbowl, welcome.

SPEAKER_00: 0:04

Thank you.

SPEAKER_01: 0:05

Thank you for taking the time to swim in the bowl with me.

SPEAKER_00: 0:09

A pleasure to be here.

SPEAKER_01: 0:11

Awesome, awesome. Obviously, Night of the Creeps, National Lampoons Vacation.

SPEAKER_00: 0:18

European vacation.

SPEAKER_01: 0:19

European vacation, right. Let's talk about Night of the Creeps first, and then we can get into vacation real quick.

SPEAKER_00: 0:26

Alright.

SPEAKER_01: 0:27

What was it like working on Night of the Creeps? Obviously, it's like become not just a cult classic, but one of the most iconic horror films from the 80s.

SPEAKER_00: 0:40

Well, that's quite flattering. I appreciate that. You know, it it clearly you were around us this weekend. And if you get to see us now and see the energy that we still have when we get around each other, imagine getting to show up every day and hang out with a bunch of friends and do what most all of us, at least people that are watching or or love film, you know, it's it's a dream come true, right? To go to work and it doesn't seem like work because you're just having fun and you're making a movie.

SPEAKER_01: 1:13

Right.

SPEAKER_00: 1:14

We were at USC and I was at the right age to blend into the crowd, and Steve and I would go to the fraternity sorority row parties, and we rushed to Frat House, and you know, we had make-believe college as we got to do a movie, and it was absolutely a blast, especially being able to show up and work with a legend like Tom Atkins.

SPEAKER_01: 1:35

Right, right. I was wondering if you ever saw Slither.

SPEAKER_00: 1:40

You know, I never saw Slither, just like the director never saw Night of the Creeps. Why'd that make you laugh?

SPEAKER_01: 1:52

It's funny in the moment.

SPEAKER_00: 1:55

Because it was witty. Right. That's what I've heard. I just hear that the director claims he never saw Night of the Creeps, and it just I don't know, they're they're pretty, pretty, pretty strikingly similar. Yeah, yeah. But whatever.

SPEAKER_01: 2:11

I I own Knight of the Creeps director's cut on Blue A. And obviously there was some stuff that was cut for I I guess it had to be in the original because I when I was little, I was born in '88, and I remember watching Knight of the Creeps on TV. And I remember seeing the ending where the ship, you know, is is like is like Tom Atkins burnt, body comes into the the worms or whatever, the slugs or whatever, like he falls over and the slug goes to the cemetery, and then you see like the ship, you know, hovering over. And you know, obviously, with the innovation of Blu-ray and one to preserve classic films like Night of the Creeps and so much stuff that came out in the 80s that either may have not gotten DVD distribution, right?

SPEAKER_00: 3:04

That's where we were for so long.

SPEAKER_01: 3:06

Right, right. And to see companies like Scream Factory and Aero Video, you know, bringing these these, you know, classics, um, you know, restoring them and not only just restoring them, but having like the original endings back is really great to see.

SPEAKER_00: 3:25

And I was wondering, do you know anything like why it might have been cut or you know, actually during this con, I I I got to hear it from Fred, and apparently they had showed uh the ending, but it wasn't completely done, and all the effects weren't there, and they did it in the test market audience, and they didn't respond well, and the studio was like, No, no, no, we gotta we gotta change it. And and Fred says, now instead of lobbying like he would have liked to and said, No, let me this isn't finished, let me let me show you when it's done, and let's do this again, he just went ahead and came up with a an alternate ending that that clearly isn't his favorite because the director's cut has the version he's like, which which which is the one you're speaking of.

SPEAKER_01: 4:11

Right, right. Obviously, I think it's the better ending. Yeah, you know, it's it sets it up for you know what what could have potentially been a a you know possibly a horror franchise. Right.

SPEAKER_00: 4:23

You know, and that's what obviously we hope for. Right. You know, when you're making a movie and and you're hoping for a big release and everyone's gonna love it, but with this film it just took took a little while for it to get its traction, and I think for the I think that the audience got more savvy and they get the jokes now, way more than they did when it was released. People are are kind of a little more adjusted with this kind of a movie, where at the time it was a pretty groundbreaking attempt at a horror.

SPEAKER_01: 4:55

Awesome, awesome. Don't want to take too much more of your time, so let's talk about European vacation. All right, obviously, Chevy Chase, Beverly D'Angelo. What was it like working with them at such a young age?

SPEAKER_00: 5:11

You know, I felt really, really lucky to get that because Anthony Michael Hall did such a great job in the first one. Right. And and unfortunate for me, he was busy working on uh Universal projects, so they had to recast, and and I got the role, and when I when I got it, I was pumped. I mean, for one, getting to go to Europe, right? Never been to Europe. I'm like, oh, I'm gonna go to Europe. And two, working with Chevy Chase, because I was a big SNL fan.

SPEAKER_01: 5:39

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 5:39

And so it was exciting. It was I was nervous, but as soon as I got on the set and had him just always playing jokes and messing around, it made it a real fun and and actual what a great experience to get to do for a first big film to work on a big feature budget like that with some real heavy movie stars, and especially with Chevy being what I think at one of the peak points of his career. Right. It was really, really cool to be around him.

SPEAKER_01: 6:09

You're you're just so you know, European vacation is one of my favorites out of the whole season. Awesome. I I the whole the whole vacation series is is hysterical.

SPEAKER_00: 6:22

I I agree, and I think I think that the newest one was so underrated. Yeah, it it makes me laugh. I mean, I laugh a lot when I watch that film. Yeah. I was really surprised that it it didn't hit uh uh a little bigger. But I I like them all too.

SPEAKER_01: 6:38

Yeah, the the one that I was old enough to see in theaters was Vegas Vacation. I don't like that. That one always kind of has like a little place in my heart because it was the old the one I was old enough to see, you know, when it came out, just like Land of the Dead, yeah, had a special place in my heart because that was the one that I was actually like alive, you know, to see in theaters.

SPEAKER_00: 7:01

So you know one thing uh about these cons that I like, uh, because I got to meet Papa Giorgio for the first time just two years ago in Pittsburgh. They had a vacation reunion, and you would think that everyone like kind of knows each other played the same roles.

SPEAKER_01: 7:17

Right, right.

SPEAKER_00: 7:17

But I'd never met Ethan Embry before, and it was really cool to be at a convention. It was because of that that I got to to meet another rusty.

SPEAKER_01: 7:26

And just just talking about that, Khan, I actually met met you there. Uh-huh. We we talked briefly and well, I'm glad I got to do this.

SPEAKER_00: 7:34

Now we finally got you in the bowl, under the water, in the sea. It's been a pleasure swimming around in the bowl with you, and I'll keep you posted on any future endeavors.

SPEAKER_01: 7:44

Awesome, awesome. Jason, thank you so much. It's been a pleasure talking with you. Thank you for taking the time to swim in the bowl with me. Thank you, my man. Have a great rest of the con. You too, thanks.