Lovesusti The Worst Film Ever

Reptileenbu Did you people see the same film I saw?

Doomtomylo a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.

Sharkflei Your blood may run cold, but you now find yourself pinioned to the story.

Michael_Elliott Nightmares (1983) ** 1/2 (out of 4) 'Terror in Topanga' has a crazy killer escaping prison but housewife Lisa (Cristina Raines) needs cigarettes so she decides to go out. Of course, you know what happens. In 'The Bishop of Battle' a teenager (Emilio Estevez) obsessed with getting to the thirteenth level of a video games gets more than he bargained for. 'The Benediction' has a Priest (Lance Henriksen) walking away from his faith and on a journey through the desert he runs into a mysterious black truck. 'Night of the Rat' has parents (Richard Masur, Veronica Cartwright) trying to protect their daughter and home from a giant rat.As with any anthology film, NIGHTMARES is a mixed bag but overall it's worth watching if you're a fan of this type of film. With that said, there's no question that the best film is the first one. It's based off a fairly popular urban legend and I must admit that I found it to be quite creepy at times. Director Joseph Sargent really does a great job on this number and we've got a terrific performance from Raines that helps sell it. The entire sequence is the shortest of the lot but it really hammers home the tension and the twist is quite effective as well.The following three stories aren't nearly as good and all of them are rather disappointing in their own way. I'd argue that the third one was the next best as Henriksen at least delivers a nice performance but the religious overtones never really work and what we're left with is a cheap copy of DUEL. The second story with the teenager playing video games probably belonged in a different movie. It's not creepy enough to fit with the rest of the film and I'd argue it would have been better in something else. It's just too bright and the special effects just don't ring a horror film.The fourth and final story is without question the weakest and it's too bad because both Masur and Cartwright give very good performances. This type of story had already been done in several other films including stuff like THE FOOD OF THE GODS. The story runs way too long and I'd argue that the ending is more silly than anything else. In fact, I'd argue that stories two through four all ran way too long and none of them could compare to the first so that made them even more of a letdown.

curiosarcana The first two stories are mildly entertaining at best, and just barely even worth being classified as "horror". The third was more like exceptionally watered down science fiction than anything else, and never even borders on being "horror". That said, all of the first three stories might be worth a four, by themselves, if only because they are at least somewhat interesting, if predictable. Christopher Crowe, based purely on this film, is a marginally decent, though not exceptional writer.Then we get to the forth and we go from unoffensive, bland, and boring to plain out tragic and inexcusably awful. The change in writers from the first three "chapters" to the forth is obvious, and they did NOT save the best for last. The set up is there for a predictable revenge story, but it never comes to fruition and I'm left presuming that Jeffery Bloom's friends, family and co-workers told him that he could write because they cared more about his feelings than his potential career.

gwnightscream Emilio Estevez, Lance Henriksen, Christina Raines and Richard Masur star in this 1983 horror anthology film featuring 4 creepy tales. "Terror in Topanga" features a woman (Raines) driving to the store with an escaped killer on the loose. "The Bishop of Battle" features a teen (Estevez) trying to beat a video game, but must pay the price. "The Benediction" features a priest (Henriksen) who loses his faith and deals with an evil black truck. "Night of the Rat" features a man (Masur) and his family being terrorized by a giant rat invading their home. This is a good, underrated 80's horror film and if you're a fan of "Creepshow" and "Tales from the Crypt," I recommend this.

Skutter-2 This eighties horror anthology isn't near as much fun as one might hope. It is on the whole a rather dull affair. As with most anthology movies the quality varies from segment but none of the ones showcased here are particularly good.The first segment is rather dull and perfunctory. It is simply a reworking of an old urban legend you will have heard a thousand times before and you'll see the end coming from a mile away. It is at least reasonably well executed and is quick enough to be over before it becomes too boring. It also contains a lame anti-smoking message.The second segment 'The Bishop of Battle' is easily the best and probably the only one people will remember from this movie. It isn't anything special but it is fun to watch a young Emilio Estevez as an arcade game obsessed hustler who bites off more than he can chew. There are no real surprises but is a somewhat interesting story of obsession and the clunky and instantly dated computer graphics are fun too watch- very, very eighties.The third segment 'Benediction' is like the first dull and perfunctory. A priest loses his faith and leaves the priesthood and ends battling a satanic black land rover (No, really). Despite one or two cool but cheesy bits with the evil vehicle and the presence of the always good Lance Henriksen this one manages to be really boring even in its short running time. The whole crisis of faith aspect to the story comes across as very simplistic and puerile.The last segment is the longest and most boring as a suburban family deals with a mystical giant rat from Germanic mythology. Again it sounds like it should be fun bit it seems like a lot of build-up with little payoff- the ending is truly lame. The characters are annoying and unlikable and really grate on the nerves, even in the short running time- Veronica Cartwright seems far too good at playing whiney, unstable housewife types.Ultimately the whole thing seems like it should be a lot more fun that it is.