Nightmare at Bitter Creek (TV 1988)

Director:

Tim Burstall

Writers:

Greg McCarty (story), Greg McCarty (teleplay),

Stars:

Lindsay Wagner, Tom Skerritt, Constance McCashin

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Lindsay Wagner	...	Nita Daniels
Tom Skerritt	...	Ding
Constance McCashin	...	Connie Senia
Joanna Cassidy	...	Allison Shapiro
Janne Mortil	...	Tracy Senia
Raymond Guth	...	Gil Proctor (as Ray Guth)
Dwight McFee	...	Bully
J.C. Roberts	...	Sheriff
Walter Marsh	...	Coroner
Ric Reid	...	Jack
Bruce MacLeod	...	FBI Agent
Bill Croft	...	Suspect
Jennifer Griffen	...	Waitress
Andrew Kavadas	...	Cop
Roman Podhora	...	Billy

Storyline

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Plot Keywords:

alcoholic | hiker | flask | psycho thriller | grenade | 

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Genres:

Action | Thriller

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

Australia USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

24 May 1988 (USA)

Also Known As:

Koszmar Bitter Creek

Company Credits

Production Co:

Phoenix Entertainment Group (PEG), Swanton Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min 88 min (video)

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Referenced in Serial Mom (1994)

User Reviews

A nightmare in the directorial department

This is one bad film. Made for TV back in the late eighties; it hasn't been seen much since. The only reason I'm wasting any time in reviewing it is because I thought it would be interesting to note how I'm the first person on this website to post a review for the film in ten years. Starring a sorry looking Tom Skerritt ("Alien", "MASH", "Top Gun") his performance in this really was pitiful. Had times been so hard for him that he was forced to accept such a mediocre role in a made-for-TV film? Apparently, it's an Australian film, although there doesn't appear to be any Australian actors or locations. Tom Skerritt plays an alcoholic and disillusioned cowboy who works as a guide at a mountain range, and he is reluctant but has to lead a group of frustrated, sad middle-aged women desperately trying to reclaim a small portion of their youth, along with one of their teenage daughters, up for the hike. Of course, the wilderness of this particular mountain range happens to be the location of a small group of Aryan skin heads whose motives are never made clear as they chase after the group after killing one of the other guides... The film starts off with some action, which surprised me. The FBI have the Neo-Nazi scumbags surrounded somewhere in a forest, but their cover is blown and a scene reminiscent of a Vietnam War film unfolds. But it never really shows any signs of quality, and it gets very boring and the female characters were just head-wrecking and unbelievable. Tom Skerritt looks about as interested in this as a deaf person going to a musical. Directed by English born Tim Burstall, who directed more than thirty films in his lifetime, before his death in Australia in 2004. "Nightmare at Bittercreek" is dull, cheap and boring, with nothing going for it, especially not in the suspense department because it's nothing we haven't seen before. I stopped watching it after just over an hour. I'm the first person to do a review for it in ten years, and I wouldn't be surprised if I'm also the only person who has seen it in that long.