Cult Cuts Volume 38. (Son of Shocktober 1)
#1/4: Nightmare at Noon (1988)
(7/10): Far from good but it's packed with enough energy and insanity to keep you engaged.
Nightmare at Noon is essentially what you get from a bootleg version of The Crazies, the basic premise is similar with a small town turned into psychopathic killers after drinking from the town water supply which had become contaminated with radioactive materials and a group of people who were not infected try to escape while fighting through the entire town.
Now where the differences lie is in the approach to it all, as in The Crazies, the contaminated water was accidental whereas in Nightmare at Noon it was an elaborate plan as the officials observe from a distance as they set up machines to disable all electrical systems in vehicles on the outskirts of the town and have radio jammers.
It's not scary really by any means but it's pretty cheesy and fun as it has George Kennedy, Wings Hauser and Bo Hopkins leading it making for a great B-Movie cast.
The effects are all over the place in quality but it doesn't take away too much, in some places I'd even go so far as to say that it adds to the charm of the film.
One thing that I can give the film some credit for is its cinematography in some places as well as its locations as its shot out in the rural desert, which is especially beautiful during the buildup to the finale where our protagonists are riding horseback through the desert seeking out the man who conducted this cruel experiment on their town.
In terms of acting Hauser and Hopkins probably pull off the best performances, Kennedy is fun in his but it's not because he's convincing.
Overall it's an interesting little film that gave Romero's classic a more cheesy 80s edge and amped up the action of its premise as it feels more action oriented than horror in some areas, but it came together in a memorable way.
#1/4: Nightmare at Noon (1988)
(7/10): Far from good but it's packed with enough energy and insanity to keep you engaged.
Nightmare at Noon is essentially what you get from a bootleg version of The Crazies, the basic premise is similar with a small town turned into psychopathic killers after drinking from the town water supply which had become contaminated with radioactive materials and a group of people who were not infected try to escape while fighting through the entire town.
Now where the differences lie is in the approach to it all, as in The Crazies, the contaminated water was accidental whereas in Nightmare at Noon it was an elaborate plan as the officials observe from a distance as they set up machines to disable all electrical systems in vehicles on the outskirts of the town and have radio jammers.
It's not scary really by any means but it's pretty cheesy and fun as it has George Kennedy, Wings Hauser and Bo Hopkins leading it making for a great B-Movie cast.
The effects are all over the place in quality but it doesn't take away too much, in some places I'd even go so far as to say that it adds to the charm of the film.
One thing that I can give the film some credit for is its cinematography in some places as well as its locations as its shot out in the rural desert, which is especially beautiful during the buildup to the finale where our protagonists are riding horseback through the desert seeking out the man who conducted this cruel experiment on their town.
In terms of acting Hauser and Hopkins probably pull off the best performances, Kennedy is fun in his but it's not because he's convincing.
Overall it's an interesting little film that gave Romero's classic a more cheesy 80s edge and amped up the action of its premise as it feels more action oriented than horror in some areas, but it came together in a memorable way.