Nightmares

Nightmares_720p(480P)

source: Nightmares

source: Nightmares

This eighties horror anthology isn't near as much fun as one might hope. It is on the whole a rather dull affair. As with most anthology movies the quality varies from segment but none of the ones showcased here are particularly good. The first segment is rather dull and perfunctory. It is simply a reworking of an old urban legend you will have heard a thousand times before and you'll see the end coming from a mile away. It is at least reasonably well executed and is quick enough to be over before it becomes too boring. It also contains a lame anti-smoking message. The second segment 'The Bishop of Battle' is easily the best and probably the only one people will remember from this movie. It isn't anything special but it is fun to watch a young Emilio Estevez as an arcade game obsessed hustler who bites off more than he can chew. There are no real surprises but is a somewhat interesting story of obsession and the clunky and instantly dated computer graphics are fun too watch- very, very eighties. The third segment 'Benediction' is like the first dull and perfunctory. A priest loses his faith and leaves the priesthood and ends battling a satanic black land rover (No, really). Despite one or two cool but cheesy bits with the evil vehicle and the presence of the always good Lance Henriksen this one manages to be really boring even in its short running time. The whole crisis of faith aspect to the story comes across as very simplistic and puerile. The last segment is the longest and most boring as a suburban family deals with a mystical giant rat from Germanic mythology. Again it sounds like it should be fun bit it seems like a lot of build-up with little payoff- the ending is truly lame. The characters are annoying and unlikable and really grate on the nerves, even in the short running time- Veronica Cartwright seems far too good at playing whiney, unstable housewife types. Ultimately the whole thing seems like it should be a lot more fun that it is.

I enjoyed this movie very much, it's a perfect lazy Sunday afternoon flick when there's nothing to do. Although this movie really isn't that scary, not many were from this time period (The Shining excepted). Each of the 4 segments have their own charm, especially Emilio Estevez as the video game addict. 22 minutes of pure 80's nostalgia!! I would recommend this movie for a fun trip back to 1983, shag carpet and New Wave background music optional.

An anthology of four short horror films based on (supposedly) urban legends. It was made for TV originally but ended up being too expensive. So, they shot a REAL gory murder to assure an R rating and it was released to theatres. It's just OK. There's a great opening story that has a woman (Cristina Raines) who HAS to go out for cigarettes. Naturally there's a mad killer on the loose. This segment has the gory murder bit...which has nothing to do with the main story. Still it's well-done and acted. The second has Emilio Estevez as a kid who is determined to be the best at a video game. Then he finds himself playing the game for real! This has some cool computer graphics and a neat ending. The third is pretty bad. Lance Henriksen (in a rare bad performance) plays a priest who has lost his faith. Then he's confronted with a demon truck in the desert. Boring and silly. The last has a family terrorized by a rat--a big one. Richard Masur plays the father and Veronica Cartwright (who's very good) plays the mom. This is OK until the end which has some hilariously bad special effects. Worth tuning in for the opening story...but the other three are pretty forgettable. I give it a 5.

For those not afraid of cheapo 80's television horror comes Nightmares. Essentially this was the remainder of the filmed episodes of Universals anthology series "The Darkroom", you know, the short lived one that was on ABC in the early eighties, had James Coburn as the host. Oh well, I tried. Anywho, the 4 story movie was very "un-scary" to most, but entertaining enough to sit through if you enjoy speculative fiction type stories. Of course the staple memory from this movie is the segment with E.Esteves called "The Bishop of Battle". After TRON failed to bag box office reciepts in the upper millions, I guess Universal thought they could do better with a video game nightmare story replete with computer graphics. Must have worked for this film as mentioning this segment, jars memories even in this day. Trivia bit: Eighties icon Moon Unit Zappa makes a guest appearance in the film, see if you can spot her.

Directed by Joseph Sargent, it's split into 4 unconnected stories: 1) "Terror in Topanga" offers up that old chestnut about a dark night and an escaped killer on the prowl. Featuring Christina Raines and William Sanderson. 2) "The Bishop of Battle" stars Emilio Estevez as a video game expert determined to get to the final level on a new arcade game. Careful what you wish for! Also with Moon Unit Zappa. 3) "The Benediction" is a Duel take-off with Lance Henriksen as a priest who has lost his faith and may have run into the devil in the form of a menacing black truck on the highway. 4) "Night of the Rat" features a suburban family terrorized by, you guessed it, rats. With Richard Masur and Veronica Cartwright. The effects are chintzy (including some very early computer effects), and a lot of it is one-note. But there's a camp charm to it, and it makes good viewing for those in the mood for some cheesy but not ghastly frights. Featuring some early 80's punk music by the likes of X, Black Flag, and Fear.

Joseph Sargent directed this anthology film that was made after the cancellation of the brief "Darkroom" TV series, though host James Coburn is not in this. Four tales are: 'Terror In Topanga' - A woman motorist(played by Christina Raines) is stalked by an escaped mental patient and murderer. Nothing Special, but a jolt or two. 'Bishop Of Battle' - Emilio Estevez plays an obsessed arcade player who must beat a mysterious game. Best tale of the bunch is memorable. 'The Benediction' - Lance Henriksen plays a priest who must battle a demonic truck. Lance is good, story is thin. 'Night Of The Rat' - A giant mythical rat takes up residence in a suburban home. Weakest of the lot, with little point to it. Now available on Blu-ray from Scream Factory.

Four horror tales with a supernatural twist based on urban legends... So, the story is that these were originally four sections from a television anthology show called "Dark Room" that had to be cut because of being "too intense", and then apparently more footage was added and these were collected into an anthology. In the audio commentary on the Scream Factory disc, this is denied, but we find that these were rather for a pilot for a new show. It's different, but important. The first segment Christopher Crowe wrote was "Bishop of Battle" (the most memorable of the four), and from there it seems that the decision was made by Universal to go the movie rather than TV route. Tis was likely a mistake, as it makes for a rather bland film overall but could have been an interesting series. As is, if the film did not have Emilio Estevez and Lance Henriksen (but unfortunately not together), this film would have faded into obscurity long ago... There just is not much to like in this... you could put any three "Tales From the Crypt" episodes together -- any three, even the worst -- and call it an anthology, and it would be better than this.