The lone survivor of a suicide cult wakes from a thirteen-year coma in a psychiatric ward, where other patients suddenly start dying under mysterious and gruesome circumstances.
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Title: Bad Dreams (1988)
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Edit
Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Jennifer Rubin | ... | Cynthia | |
| Bruce Abbott | ... | Dr. Alex Karmen | |
| Richard Lynch | ... | Harris | |
| Dean Cameron | ... | Ralph | |
| Harris Yulin | ... | Dr. Berrisford | |
 |
Susan Barnes | ... | Connie |
|
|
John Scott Clough | ... | Victor |
| Elizabeth Daily | ... | Lana (as E.G. Daily) | |
|
|
Damita Jo Freeman | ... | Gilda |
| Louis Giambalvo | ... | Ed | |
| Susan Ruttan | ... | Miriam | |
| Sy Richardson | ... | Detective Wasserman | |
|
|
Melissa Francis | ... | Young Cynthia (as Missy Francis) |
|
|
Sheila Scott Wilkinson | ... | Hettie |
|
|
Ben Kronen | ... | Edgar |
Edit
Plot Summary
|
Add Synopsis
Storyline
In the mid-'70s, a cult group called Unity Field commits mass suicide, but a young girl survives. After being in a coma for thirteen years she wakes up in a psyche ward, not remembering the incident. The psychiatrist tries to help her remember, but she begins seeing the leader of the cult talking to her from the grave, and the other members of her therapy group begin to commit suicide around her. Or is it suicide? Written by Ed Sutton <esutton@mindspring.com>
Taglines:
He is dead... but far from gone. And he's come back for his love child. See more »Parents Guide:
View content advisory »
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See more on IMDbPro »
See full technical specs »
Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
8 April 1988 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
La pesadilla mortal See more »Edit
Box Office
Budget:
$4,000,000 (estimated)Opening Weekend USA:
$4,008,870, 10 April 1988, Wide ReleaseGross USA:
$9,797,098Company Credits
Show more on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
(FMC Library Print)Sound Mix:
DolbyColor:
ColorAspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1
Edit
Reporter #1: You could.
Harris: [laughs] But I won't.
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
James Cameron would often visit the set and give notes and ideas to first-time director, Andrew Fleming. See more »Quotes
Harris: [while giving a TV interview] I could kill you right now, couldn't I?Reporter #1: You could.
Harris: [laughs] But I won't.
See more »
Alternate Versions
The 18-rated UK video release of this film was cut by 22 seconds by the BBFC to remove closeup shots of self-mutilation with a knife and a scalpel, and to reduce a scene where a man is repeatedly hit by a car. The cuts were waived by the BBFC in 2018 for DVD/Blu-ray. See more »Frequently Asked Questions
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Watchable, sometimes offbeat and humorous horror film that seems as if it intends to coast on the success of the "Nightmare on Elm Street" series but ends up going on its own merry path. It works best when our heroine is still trying to make sense of macabre events and is not sure what the truth is. The writing is silly at times, but there are also fun moments. Some of the special effects are bad, yet at the same time there's some hilarious over the top gore. Making it entertaining enough to watch are some great lines and a number of amusing, attention-getting performances.
The movie stars "Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors" cast member Jennifer Rubin as Cynthia, who as a child had survived a suicide pact engineered by ultra creepy cult leader Harris (Richard Lynch at his best). Now she's a 20 something adult who's just awakened from a coma, and she's put into group therapy run by kindly Alex Karmen (Bruce Abbott of "Re- Animator" fame). Soon the people in this group start to die horrible deaths and Cynthia is convinced that Harris's spirit (which sometimes appears to her as a nastily charred corpse) is the one killing them.
Rubin is appealing if not that good as an actress; at least she conveys a sense of naivety and innocence. Abbott is good, as is the excellent character actor Harris Yulin - a man who's always excelled at playing unbelievably smug and pompous jerks - as Karmens' colleague. Dean Cameron ("Summer School") supplies a lot of the comedy, improvising most of his best lines (you have to pay attention to catch one of them). Susan Barnes and Sy Richardson (both from "Repo Man"), Louis Giambalvo ("Weekend at Bernie's"), ever adorable actress / singer / voice over artist Elizabeth Daily, Susan Ruttan ('L.A. Law'), and Charles "voice of Roger Rabbit" Fleischer all put in appearances as well.
Co-written and directed by Andrew Fleming ("The Craft"), this is intriguing for a while - with a memorable "revenge" / black comedy sequence near the end - but ultimately comes to a humdrum conclusion. It does show off Rubins' beauty to great effect and can boast some good visual tricks and scene transitions. Oscar winner Michele Burke does the nicely grisly makeup effects.
Overall, not bad; it may be worth viewing for devotees of 80s genre fare.
Six out of 10.