Nightmare (1981)

User Rating:

5.4/10   

Director:

Romano Scavolini

Writer:

Romano Scavolini (writer)

Release Date:

9 June 1982 (France)

Genre:

Horror

Tagline:

The Dream You Can't Escape ALIVE!

Plot:

A mental-patient, who is troubled with horrible nightmares, has escaped from his hospital. Now on the streets he can't help killing innocent people...

Plot Keywords:

Nightmare | Sadist | Child Murder | Bondage | Paranoid Schizophrenia

Cast

Baird Stafford	...	George Tatum
Sharon Smith	...	Susan Temper
C.J. Cooke	...	C.J. Temper
Mik Cribben	...	Bob Rosen
Danny Ronan	...	Kathy the Babysitter
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Tara Alexander	...	Woman in Booth
Randy Arieux	...	Police Officer
Ray Baker	...	Real Estate Agent
Tommy Bouvier	...	Joey
Craig Cain	...	Police Officer
Carl Clifford	...	Hospital Attendant
Mark Davis	...	Police Officer
Kathleen Ferguson	...	Barbara
Christina Keefe	...	George's Mother
William Kirksey	...	George's father
George Kruger	...	Chief Cotter
Candy Marchese	...	Jogger / Candy
Geoffrey Marchese	...	Tony Walker
David Massar	...	Hospital Attendant
Bill Milling	...	Paul Williamson
Kevin J. O'Neill
Mary Lee Parise	...	Police Officer
Kim Patterson	...	Kim Temper
Tammy Patterson	...	Tammy Temper
William Paul	...	Steve
Scott Praetorius	...	Young George
Miranda Stevens	...	Show World Dancer (as Danielle Galiana)
Michael Sweney	...	Burt Daniels
Robert Tenvooren	...	Police Officer
Ken Thomas	...	Police Officer
John L. Watkins	...	Man with Cigar
Susan Webb	...	Police Officer

Also Known As:

Blood Splash
Nightmare in a Damaged Brain
Schizo (Australia) (video title)

Runtime:

97 min | UK:96 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:R | Finland:(Banned) | UK:18 | USA:R (cut) | USA:Unrated | West Germany:(Banned) | Canada:(Banned) (Nova Scotia) | France:-16

Filming Locations:

Cape Canaveral, Florida, USA

Company:

Goldmine Productions

Trivia:

Tom Savini is credited as the film's make-up effects artist. In fact he was only a consultant and threatened to sue over the use of his name to promote the film. Some video prints still bear Savini's credit as "Effects Director". The effects were actually created by Ed French.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: Obvious dummy during the climactic decapitation. The neck clearly opens up on the right side even though the boy swings at it from the left side.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Ban the Sadist Videos! (2005) (V)

The making of a psycho

Nightmare/Nightmares in a Damaged Brain (also known as Blood Splash and Schizo) is a video nasty that was banned in Britain and released only after they took out three death scenes (a total of 62 seconds).

Looking at the full film, it is easy to see why they wanted those cuts, as it is extremely bloody. In fact David Grant, Britain's "King of Sexploitation," released the film uncut when the soft-core porn business slowed down, and spent a year in jail for doing so.

George (Baird Stafford) cuts off a head as a child, and is committed. The story picks up when he is an adult and released as "cured." Well, any horror aficionado knows what will happen next.

It is a race between George, who is after some retribution in Florida where everything started 25 years ago, and the doctors who realized their mistake and want him back.

What adds to the excitement is this nine-year-old kid (C.J. Cooke) who likes to go around scaring his mother (Sharon Smith), which makes him a suspect in a later killing. Mom had to pay a premium for the babysitter (Danny Ronan), who picked the wrong night to watch little C.J.

Special effects by Tom Savini (Dawn of the Dead, Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter). I wonder if he did the work on Candy (Candy Marchese). She was really slashed up good.

What an ending!