American Nightmare (2002) (V)

Director:

Jon Keeyes

Writer:

Jon Keeyes (writer)

Release Date:

7 April 2003 (UK)

Genre:

Crime | Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

One Night, Seven Friends Confess Their Fears...... To A Killer

Plot:

A deranged female serial killer stalks seven young people whom phone a radio call-in show to discuss their darkest fears and a night-long game of cat-and-mouse is put into motion by the darkly sinister-looking murderess.

Plot Keywords:

Fear | Pirate Radio | Halloween | Psychopath | Halloween Party

Cast

Debbie Rochon	...	Jane Toppan
Brandy Little	...	Jessie McClain
Johnny Sneed	...	Wayne Holcomb
Chris Ryan	...	Caligari
Robert McCollum	...	Tony Collins
Kristin McCollum	...	Cynthia Collins
Heather Haase	...	Melanie Ryan
Kenyon Holmes	...	Bruce Miller
Rebecca Stacey	...	Misty McClain
Kimberly Grant	...	Trisha McClain (as Kimberly Deanne Morgan)
Hayden Tweedie	...	Deanna
Scott Phillips	...	Rick
Brinke Stevens	...	Lisa
Michael H. Price	...	Stan
Jessica Reed	...	Leanne

MPAA:

Rated R for violence/terror, language and some sexuality/nudity.

Runtime:

91 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Certification:

UK:15 | Singapore:PG (cut) | Germany:16 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Cleburne, Texas, USA

Company:

Highland Myst Entertainment

Trivia:

Chris Ryan, who plays radio DJ Caligari, is a real-life radio DJ for KEGL in Dallas, Texas. Much of his DJ ranting was adlibbed.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: At the end of the movie, when Jessie mistakes Misty for the killer and shoots her, you clearly see Misty's character blink two times when she is supposed to be dead.

Quotes:

Caligari: How many people out there are doing the old "razor blade in the apple" trick? Good... kids goin' to the hospital. That's ... that's the spirit of Halloween. Hope there's enough room.

Movie Connections:

References From Dusk Till Dawn (1996)

Soundtrack:

Kill Me Now

A great directorial debut

Horror film buffs are very clear about what we expect. We don't expect Academy-Award acting or intricate plotting. So when a movie like American Nightmare comes along that gives us much more than we were expecting, we are very pleasantly surprized. Traditionally, Slasher films give us characters that are one-dimensional and only there to be killed off. "American Nightmare" breaks this taboo by giving us several likeable characters that we actually care about, making it that much scarier when they come face to face with the maniacal Jane (played wonderfully by Debbie Rochon). In addition, the actors all give 110% in their performances. Brandy Little is so believable, it's shocking to me that I haven't seen her somewhere else. As good as Debbie and Brandy are, my favorite performance has to be from Heather Haase as Melanie. My only major qualm is that some of the actors weren't given as much on-screen time as I would have liked. The movie is very masterfully plotted and directed. My only complaint is that there were too many times Jane should have been captured, yet no one pursued her. Also, I didn't much care for the very end, as it seemed rather illogical, almost as if it was just thrown in for shock value. Still, after providing me with 90 minutes of solid entertainment, I can't complain too much about the weak 30-second ending...