Night Wars (1988)

Two Vietnam Veterans have realistic nightmares about the war. So real are these nightmares that they start getting injured in them, and bringing things back that they had in the dream. They... See full summary »

Director:

David A. Prior

Writers:

David A. Prior (story), Ted Prior (story),

Stars:

Dan Haggerty, Brian O'Connor, Cameron Smith

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Dan Haggerty	...	Dr. Mike Campbell
Brian O'Connor	...	Trent Matthews
Cameron Smith	...	Jim Lowery
Steve Horton	...	McGregor
Chet Hood	...	Jhonny
Jill Foors	...	Susanne Matthews
Mike Hickam	...	Joe
David Ott	...	Jack Shane, car salesman
Kimberley Casey	...	Pat, Dr. Campbell's secretary
Lisa Reyes	...	Couple in Car Dealership
Joseph Long	...	Couple In Dealership (as Joseph W. Long)
Tim Aguilar	...	American Soldier
Troy Fromin	...	American Soldier
Mark Galasso	...	American Soldier
Mark Dane	...	American Soldier

Storyline

Two Vietnam Veterans have realistic nightmares about the war. So real are these nightmares that they start getting injured in them, and bringing things back that they had in the dream. They then buy weapons and go in to try and get one of their friends out that originally died in a POW camp during the Vietnam war. This is made harder by a traitor from the US Military Corps.

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Plot Keywords:

vietnam | nightmare | pow | dream | barbed wire | 

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Taglines:

Where nightmare are real and just as deadly.

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Genres:

Horror | Sci-Fi | War

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

March 1988 (USA)

Also Known As:

Combate Nocturno

Filming Locations:

Diamond Bar, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Action International Pictures (AIP)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

88 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Featured in That's Action (1991)

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Soundtracks

"Just in Case"
Written by Steve McClintock, Tim James, and Mark Mancina
Performed by Joe Bissell

User Reviews

PLATOON meets ELM STREET...sort of

Trent (Brian O'Connor) and Jimmy (Cameron Smith) are two Nam vet buddies who escaped a POW prison camp only to face worse horrors at home when the past literally comes back to haunt them. They're harassed by a soldier they left behind and a sadistic traitor who helped torture them, and when they're attacked in their dreams, they emerge with real scars (a la A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET). The two deck out in cameo and carry high-powered machine guns into their dreams to fight back after one's wife is raped and killed by a ghost. Dan (GRIZZLY ADAMS) Haggerty is the top-billed guest star. He plays a psychiatrist who tries to "help" by holding them at gunpoint, drugging them and tying them up in his office!

The premise is somewhat new, but the unconvincing Nam flashbacks look like the stars are playing War Games in the woods behind their house, the dialogue ("Let's do it!," "I'm scared, man!") is annoying and the action and horror scenes just aren't very exciting.

Prolific director David A. Prior also combined the war and horror genres in THE LOST PLATOON (1989) and also directed KILLER WORKOUT (1987), MARDI GRAS FOR THE DEVIL (1992) and MUTANT SPECIES (1995) in between all his cheapo action movies. He scripted from a story he wrote with his brother Ted Prior and William Zipp (both of whom acted in his previous films).