Nightmares (1983)

Anthology of four horror tales with a supernatural twist based on urban legends.

Director:

Joseph Sargent

Writers:

Christopher Crowe, Jeffrey Bloom

Stars:

Cristina Raines, Joe Lambie, Anthony James

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Cristina Raines	...	Lisa the Wife (segment "Terror in Topanga")
Joe Lambie	...	Phil the Husband (segment "Terror in Topanga")
Anthony James	...	Store Clerk (segment "Terror in Topanga")
Clare Torao	...	Mori the Newswoman (segment "Terror in Topanga") (as Clare Nono)
Raleigh Bond	...	Norman, a Neighbor (segment "Terror in Topanga")
Robert Phelps	...	Newsman (segment "Terror in Topanga")
Dixie Lynn Royce	...	Little Girl (segment "Terror in Topanga")
Lee Ving	...	William Henry Glazier (segment "Terror in Topanga") (as Lee James Jude)
Emilio Estevez	...	J.J. Cooney (segment "The Bishop of Battle")
Mariclare Costello	...	Adele Cooney (segment "The Bishop of Battle")
Louis Giambalvo	...	Jerry Cooney (segment "The Bishop of Battle")
Moon Unit Zappa	...	Pamela (segment "The Bishop of Battle") (as Moon Zappa)
Billy Jayne	...	Zock Maxwell (segment "The Bishop of Battle") (as Billy Jacoby)
Joshua Grenrock	...	Willie (segment "The Bishop of Battle")
Gary Carlos Cervantes	...	Mazenza (segment "The Bishop of Battle") (as Gary Cervantes)

Storyline

A collection of short stories. In one a woman who leaves her house late at night to drive to the store while a killer is loose encounters some problems. In the second an arcade whiz kid's obsession with a game leads to deadly consequences. In the third a small town priest loses his faith and decides to leave town, but in the desert is stalked by a mysterious black pick-up truck. In the final story, a family's problem with a rat is larger than they think.

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Plot Keywords:

anthology | close up of eyes | close up of eye | close up of lips | close up of mouth | 

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Taglines:

Just shut your eyes . . . and scream.

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Genres:

Horror | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 September 1983 (USA)

Also Known As:

Terror in Topanga

Filming Locations:

The Rock Store - 30354 Mulholland Highway, Cornell, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$6,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$6,670,680

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$6,670,680

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The picture was originally filmed as a two hour pilot of a proposed television series to be broadcast by the NBC (National Broadcasting Company) network during the 1983-1984 TV season.

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Goofs

In "The Benediction," just after the demon truck leaps out of the ground and begins to chase Frank again, the shooting lights on the camera tracking truck are reflected on the side of Frank's car and are clearly visible for several seconds, despite the brightness of the day.

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Quotes

Zock Maxwell (segment "The Bishop of Battle"): JJ. Don't you get it? Thirteenth level doesn't even exist. It's just a scam to get suckers to spend their money.
J.J. Cooney (segment "The Bishop of Battle"): It exists. I heard some kid out in Jersey made it twice.

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Connections

Referenced in The Cinema Snob: Video Violence 2 (2010)

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Soundtracks

Louie Louie
(uncredited)
Written by Richard Berry
Performed by Black Flag

User Reviews

Horror...80's style.

Straight from the mid-80's comes the mild-mannered 'Nightmares,' a horror anthology of four seemingly unrelated tales of terror that hardly deserve the R-rating they so unjustly received (the film was released one year before 'Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom,' which resulted in the PG-13 rating, a rating this film deserves, if not a PG).

Segment one, 'Terror in Topanga,' re-tells the old urban legend of a woman, an escaped psychopath, and a suspicious gas station attendant. In this case the woman is Lisa (Christina Raines), a cigarette smoker who needs a nic-fix so bad; she's willing to risk being horribly stabbed for some Marlboro 100's. I suspect the filmmakers were trying to comment on the health hazards of tobacco--something new in 1983. This is the third best, or second worst-depending on your point of view, segment of the film.

Segment two, 'The Bishop of Battle,' on the other hand, is undeniably the best! It stars none other than a very young Emilio Estevez ('the 'Mighty Ducks man himself!') as J.J. Cooney, a kid so good at arcade games, all the other kids stop playing to watch him. One game Cooney can't seem to beat is 'The Bishop of Battle,' which supposedly has 13 levels, although it is believed level 13 is a myth as nobody has gotten past level 12 (Cooney claims he heard about 'a kid in New Jersey' who did so…twice). Cooney becomes obsessed with surpassing level 12 and defeating 'The Bishop,' the digital master/boss of 'The Bishop of Battle,' he looks like an electronic-neon version of Magic Mirror from 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.' So obsessed does Cooney become, that he alienates his parents, sneaks out of his bedroom in the middle of the night, and breaks back into the arcade to take on 'The Bishop' one more time. I won't spoil the funky ending; suffice to say it evokes 'Tron,' sort of a 'Tron-in reverse.' The most enjoyable aspect of Segment two is the lacquer of 1980's youth culture it evokes. Estevez sports a neon, sleeveless shirt and a Walkman the size of a toaster that blasts punk-rock as Cooney hustles amateurs in the tough arcades of Oakland. Back at the mall, one anonymously delivered line of dialog from an unseen member of Cooney's spectators is, I kid you not, 'Totally awesome!' At one point, a flirtatious female friend asks him if he wants to 'Get a pizza!' This isn't really the 1980's I remember, it's how I'd like to remember them.

Horror legend Lance Hendriksen gives arguably the best performance of all segments in #3, 'The Benediction,' as a priest in the American-Mexican wasteland who, after witnessing the pointless death of a child, loses his faith and begins the long trip home across the desert. On the way he encounters a demonic monster truck apparently intent on killing him 'Duel' style. The truck is loud and deep black, with an upside down cross hanging in its rear-view mirror. At the stories climax, we see the truck literally burst out from the desert earth as if it were a surfacing submarine. It's a surprisingly effective, and very cool, moment in the film.

Despite a well tuned cast, 'Night of the Rat,' the fourth segment, is terrible, the worst in the film, and a poor finale. It centers on the Houston family's encounter with, as the title so eloquently eludes, a giant rat. As if that weren't enough, the rat has psychic powers as well! Wife Claire is the protagonist, played by polished actor Veronica Cartwright, who tries to convince her arrogant husband Steven (mustached character actor Richard Massur, whose demeanor mirrors his dry-toast last name) to call an exterminator. But alas, Steve refuses, and it's not until the devil-rat almost kills their young daughter (future overdosee Bridgette Andersen in a phenomenal child performance) that he whips out the conveniently closet-stored shotgun and goes-a-rat huntin'. The finale of 'Night of the Rat,' is too awfully hilarious for words to define.

Overall, 'Nightmares,' is too gentle to be scary. It reminded me of Nickelodeon's soft-core, 'Are You Afraid of the Dark?' which also had happy endings and corny fables (although I remain a fan of that series). I would recommend this film only for the nostalgic 'The Bishop of Battle,' Hendrickson's performance in 'The Benediction,' and as an overall night of laughs for 80's horror connoisseurs. 'Creepshow,' and 'Creepshow 2' are far superior horror anthologies than this film.

However I must admit I enjoyed it, in some ways, more than 'The Twilight Zone, The Movie.'