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8 out of 10 people found the following review useful:
An over looked film., 6 June 2000
10/10
Author: brandon sites (bigpappa1@spinfinder.com) from usa

An over protective aunt eventually goes crazy and murders off anybody that tries to bring harm to her teenage nephew, whom she has incestious desires toward. The plot is nothing new or very original, but this horror film is well made (by any movie standard) and very well acted by all involved. The standout in the cast though, is Susan Tyrell as the crazed aunt. Susan gives what is the performance of her career.

A very over looked film, but this is very good and worth seeking out. Ignore the bad tape box though. MY RATING: 8 out of 10.

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5 out of 6 people found the following review useful:
A shocking and powerful 'lost' film., 19 December 2005
10/10
Author: AngryChair from Brentwood, USA

The strongest of horror films always seems to be those whose victims are sympathetic and whose villains are mercilessly frightening. Night Warning is a testament to just that!

Young man becomes the unhealthy obsession of his aunt, who raised him, which leads him into a web of madness and murder!

Night Warning is a relatively unknown film, which is a shame because it is a truly effective and fairly original thriller. The story is very intriguing, full of mystery, suspense, and some solid shocks. A big part of the originality factor of this film is the fact that the story dares to explore subjects very rarely touched upon by most genre pictures, such as incest, homosexuality, and the question of what morally right really is. It is a complex and emotionally strong tale, that's gripping in a way that few thrillers ever are.

The excellent cast is another strong feature of this movie. Bo Svenson is solid as a homophobic police detective. A young Jimmy McNichol is touching as an attractive teen desperately trying to have a normal life. The greatest of all though is Susan Tyrrell as one of the most demented villains you'll ever see! Also among the cast is a young Bill Paxton in one of his earliest roles.

Night Warning is a terrific shocker that seems to have been lost over time, but for those seeking a truly jarring genre picture it is well worth finding a copy of!

**** out of ****

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3 out of 3 people found the following review useful:
Tongue-in-cheek dark humor, bloody slasher, and melodramatic TV soap opera all rolled into one!, 22 March 2003
Author: BillyBC from Vancouver

(***1/2 out of *****) I'm surprised this one isn't talked about more (at least, on a schlocky, cult-classic level). It's awesome! Susan Tyrrell ("Flesh & Blood") plays Cheryl Roberts, a frighteningly unstable woman who has to raise her nephew, Billy (Jimmy McNichol), when his parents are killed in a gruesome car accident in the opening scene. Aunt Cheryl's overaffectionate behavior towards her 17-year-old nephew sets the creepy tone for this movie from the first five minutes, but the main plot starts after she stabs a plumber to death for refusing her sexual advances. She claims that he was trying to rape her, so a police investigation starts up that uncovers dark, past secrets and a homosexual love affair between the plumber, Billy's basketball coach (Steve Eastin), and possibly Billy himself. Bo Svenson, acting a little like a gruff, B-movie Nick Nolte, chews up his scenes as the blindly homophobic Detective Carlson. But, Tyrrell is the real star here -- her progression from disturbing, obsessive aunt to all-out, screaming, homicidal madwoman is something to watch. This would probably be a two-star movie or less without her wonderfully tongue-in-cheek performance. On top of that, you get "Newhart"'s Julia Duffy as Billy's girlfriend (if you ever fantasized about seeing Stephanie Vanderkellen topless, here's your chance) and Bill Paxton (credited as `William'), a year after his scene-stealing role in the otherwise-mediocre slasher "Mortuary," in a couple of fun scenes as an a-hole b-ball teammate. My two big complaints with the film are the director's annoying use of slow motion every time someone's about to deliver a killing blow with one sharp weapon or another and a ridiculous textual epilogue (the kind you usually see at the ends of movies based on true stories) that appears before the end credits roll. Also, the front of the video box seems to be referring to a different movie ... ? Otherwise, hunt this one down and watch it with someone you love.

HIGHLIGHT: Everything that happens after Tyrrell cuts her hair short is a highlight, because that's when she goes completely off the deep end and earns her place in B-movie cinema's Hall of Over-The-Top Performances.

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6 out of 9 people found the following review useful:
Nightmarish Video Nasty, 17 August 2006
7/10
Author: The_Void from Beverley Hills, England

Nightmare Maker achieved cult status through it's inclusion on the DPP 'Video Nasty' list, which has also lead to it becoming a 'lost' film. It's somewhat unfortunate that William Asher's film was included on the infamous list, as aside from a couple of gory scenes; there really isn't anything in this film that warrants it's banning. Nightmare Maker focuses on themes of insanity and incest, and the way that the director portrays these themes is bold and uncompromising…although I find it hard to believe that this film was banned for it's themes by the same set of censors who made such decisions as banning 'The Driller Killer' merely for it's artwork. The plot focuses on Billy Lynch; a young man living with his aunt after his parents were killed in an unfortunate car accident. However, his relationship with his aunt isn't how she would like it; as the aunt has designs of a sexual nature on the boy, and does her best to ruin all of his plans; including his relationship with his girlfriend, and his hopes of winning a scholarship. All in all, making his life a nightmare...

The film features performances from a few well known actors, including Bo Svenson as a bigoted sheriff and Susan Tyrrell as the maniacal aunt. The film also features a small early role for Bill Paxton; who, as he would in the rest of his career, doesn't appear in the film for long enough. The acting performances overall aren't bad considering the type of film; but it would be unwise to go into it expecting anything brilliant. Susan Tyrrell does get to enjoy herself as the central matriarchal figure, however, and seeing her descend into insanity is a lot of fun. The style of the film is very eighties indeed, and through gritty cinematography; director William Asher ensures that the film feels every bit like the 'Video Nasty' that it would become shortly after it's release. The scenes of gore are short and don't show much blood; although scenes involving a machete, as well as the pivotal scene that sees Billy's parents killed in a car crash are rather bloody and deserve mention. The plot never really gets going properly, which is a shame; although the final fifteen minutes are very good indeed and manage to bring closure to all the plot threads. Overall, this certainly isn't the best film on the Video Nasty list; but it's a good one, and well worth tracking down!

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2 out of 2 people found the following review useful:
Tyrrell, Svenson, and Asher Help Lift This Above the Routine, 19 August 2001
6/10
Author: richard winters (rwint) from Chicago, Illinois

If you've seen a million cheap 70's/80's horror movies with bodies in the cellar, 'shocking' revelations, and dreary drama interspersed with a few gory killings then you might consider this a notch above the rest. Not that there's anything original about it, but director Asher (whose claim to fame are directing TV sitcoms and those beach party movies) has a good handle on the demented nature of this material. He deliberately paces it only to finally unleash it all for a very twisted and kinetic climax. He also shoots a very well mounted, realistic looking car accident at the beginning. Basically the story concerns a very possessive aunt (Tyrrell) who goes completely over the edge when her 18 year old Billy decides to move out. Seems hard to believe that a kid could be living with someone for 14 years and only when he's ready to leave does he realize what a nut she is. Then again if you have a part for a good looking kid that is dull, simple, and clueless then Jimmy McNichol (you know Kristi's brother) is the perfect person to fill it. Tyrrell is fantastic, but then she always is with these types of roles. Her performance though is almost equaled to that of Bo Svenson. His brash, gruff, unorthodox investigator character becomes almost as frightening as hers. Great chance to see young Bill Paxton and pre NEWHART Julia Duffy (you even get to see her topless). A real refreshing change of pace here where believe it or not, NONE of the victims are oversexed, screaming teenagers.

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5 out of 8 people found the following review useful:
Finally! An obscure video-nasty worthy of its reputation!, 6 November 2006
8/10
Author: Coventry from the Draconian Swamp of Unholy Souls

The notorious "video-nasties" formed a rather ambiguous milestone period in the horror genre. From one viewpoint, still now it's an excellent checklist for horror fans to use and track down as many rare flicks as possible with a questionable reputation. On the other hand, however, this exact same list contains way too many titles that should have been long forgotten by now, but instead gained a totally undeserved cult reputation. "Night Warning" is the exception to this rule, actually. Here we finally have a video-nasty that is raw, creepy and genuinely unsettling, yet it's totally unknown and nearly impossible to find. The film can be described best as some kind of demented soap opera with truly disturbing themes and the absolute most offensive one-liners you're likely hear ever. Mrs. Cheryl Roberts stands as one of the craziest ladies cinema, as her devotion for her 17-year-old nephew Billy is rather unhealthy and, well, actually quite sick! After the death of his parents when Billy was just 3 years old (in a very suspicious car accident, I may add), aunt Cheryl raised him. But now little Billy is growing up fast and aunt Cheryl loses her last bit of sanity when he becomes an independent young man and intimate with girls his own age. When she murders a plumber and tricks Billy into believing he attempted to rape her, the rather unorthodox police inspector Carlson starts digging into the family's past. The film isn't really that gory, apart from a couple of moments, but the tone and atmosphere are quite unsettling. Bo Svenson portrays the most memorable character; the cop who's even crazier than auntie Cheryl herself. He's a severely homophobic, perverted, racist, obnoxious and downright mad copper that rather neglects all the evidence in the murder case just to obtrude his own twisted world perspectives on his suspects. "Night Warning" is a lot more intelligent, progressive and experimental than it looks and it's definitely a couple of classes above your average 80's slasher in which barely dressed prom queens are running around screaming their guts out. It's a sick-spirited but intriguingly curious oddity that just demands a proper re-release on DVD.

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5 out of 8 people found the following review useful:
Mandatory viewing for the seriously Tyrrell-deficient, 2 February 2002
7/10
Author: eminges from mission, ks

I don't remember what link originally took me to the listing for Night Warning, but it's been a while. I lucked out and saw a showing at a local weird-film society last year; a couple of months ago I finally found a copy with a little green price tag on the box sitting on a shelf in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Whatever it takes. Whatever you have to do to get this on your VCR and mastered directly onto your brain. Let nothing stand between you and your own personal copy of Night Warning. Night Warning is as bent as it gets in mainstream filmmaking, and that special time from the mid-seventies to the mid-eighties where a project like this could get funded and shot is gone forever.

The one big problem with the film is the director. William Asher isn't up to the script and the cast. He's strictly a TV director, so when the going gets weird, he gets pedestrian. It's not laughably bad or even amusingly lame, but his direction is the only reason this thing isn't showing today at midnight movies in every college town in the Western Hemisphere.

Here's what you get for the price of your ticket: Bo Swenson being hateful beyond anything you'd ever imagined he was capable of. Julia Duffy's delightful, unencumbered young paps. Jimmy McNichol-well, OK, Jimmy McNichol is at least credible as a goofy, messed-up 17-year-old. A mind-boggling script that'll make you yell, `What were these people ON?' at the screen till your date walks out on you. Did I mention Julia Duffy's mammae?

And, man, do you get Susan Tyrrell, as Aunt Cheryl. You only think she went over the top in Forbidden Zone. Brudda, she wasn't even limbering UP. In Night Warning, you get her horny. You get her maternal. You get her unctuous, you get her as tigress guarding the cub. And you get her flipping out, not once, but repeatedly and at regular intervals, each time in a new and creative fashion. Is there no justice in this life? Why is Susan Tyrrell going to pass her career in obscurities and cult movies, while ambulatory bubble-wrap like Florence Henderson gets a career doing big-money denture commercials and nostalgia shows behind one crappy role from the Ford presidency?

The payoff comes at around 1:17 into the movie, when Aunt Cheryl, doing ugly things in the underbrush, hears Julia Duffy breaking a window in the house. Ms. Tyrrell's reaction is the single scariest move I've ever seen an actor make on film. It will make you hide under the bed for a week, praying that God will send flying bears with spears to find you and rip out your liver before He lets Susan Tyrrell get within two area codes of your hidey-hole. Genuine nightmare fuel.

Find it, learn it, live it.

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1 out of 1 people found the following review useful:
Way better than it should be .........., 20 April 2011
6/10
Author: merklekranz from United States

If ever a horror movie could be accused of throwing in everything but the proverbial "kitchen sink", "Night Warning" is that movie. With homosexual bashing, a nod to "Psycho", and a furious mother - son fixation, this film doesn't quit till all the cliché's are covered. The opening has a rather impressive car crash, that sets a somewhat intricate story in motion. Susan Tyrrell is in full deranged mode, and Bo Svenson is despicable as the investigating lieutenant. His entire investigation is built on "air castles' with homosexual overtones. Eventually the wheels of sanity come off, and Tyrrell gives a memorable performance that by itself carries the film into above average territory. - MERK

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1 out of 1 people found the following review useful:
Genuinely dramatic Horror!, 25 November 2006
8/10
Author: insomniac_rod from Noctropolis

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

We all go mad when we try to be protective with someone we love, but this crazed and sexually disturbed aunt goes too far... Thank God because we get excellent gore and wicked situations.

The aunt steals the show and delivers a wicked, violent, raw and obsessive performance. The reason why she's always protective over her niece is because she's sexually attracted to her. Not only sexually but she has "deep feelings for her". That's all you need to know.

Although the movie offers great gore it is until the last part of it when the show really begins. The ending is nerve tensing filled with chasing sequences and a good execution to end the nightmare.

The video nastie label makes this even a more desirable movie. Watch it and witness a tale of twisted passion.

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1 out of 1 people found the following review useful:
This movie is great!, 22 November 2006
8/10
Author: Sprintbuzz

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

When I first got a hold of this movie last year, I'd heard a little about it. When I first watched it, I thought it was boring. But after watching it a few more times, I grew to love it.

Let me tell you, anyone who is a horror fan or a fan of Susan Tyrell MUST see this movie. I has great acting and a great story and a great ending. In the middle there isn't much action but the end easily makes up for that. Bo Svenson as the annoying detective was great. I was so pleased when he got his dues at the end. But Susan Tyrell easily steals the show. Her as the insane aunt was just hilarious! The way she acts is just so funny! Her performance alone is worth the whole movie! This was one of the films labeled as a 'video nasty' in the UK, and it's easy to see why. There are things in this movie like homophobia and incest(!). But this just adds to the fun! If you are a horror fan and have not seen this movie, you need to check this one out. It won't disappoint! And watch out for the crazy Susan Tyrell! 10/10

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