Misplaced Pages

Nightmares (1983 film): Difference between revisions

Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.
Browse history interactively← Previous editNext edit →Content deleted Content addedVisualWikitext
Revision as of 17:01, 14 July 2006 editCount Ringworm (talk | contribs)2,275 editsNo edit summary← Previous edit Revision as of 18:00, 14 July 2006 edit undoCount Ringworm (talk | contribs)2,275 editsNo edit summaryNext edit →
Line 30: Line 30:
=="Terror in Topanga"== =="Terror in Topanga"==
===Plot=== ===Plot===
]
During a traffic stop at night, a cop is stabbed to death by someone leaping from the bushes. A killer is terrorizing this local ] area and the TV and radio are reporting that the cop is his fifth victim. During a traffic stop at night, a cop is stabbed to death by someone leaping from the bushes. A killer is terrorizing this local ] area and the TV and radio are reporting that the cop is his fifth victim.


After Lisa (Raines) puts her children to bed, she discovers that she's out of cigarettes. Her husband forbids her to go to the store but sneaks out anyway and heads down the canyon. After Lisa (Raines) puts her children to bed, she discovers that she's out of cigarettes. Her husband (Joe Lambie) forbids her to go to the store but sneaks out anyway and heads down the canyon.


Lisa gets the cigarettes and begins home only to realize that she's almost out of gas. All the gas stations appear to be closed. Finally, she stops at an out of the way station... Honks... And out comes a dead-eyed attendent, who just happens to pefectly match the killer's description on the radio. Lisa gets the cigarettes and begins home only to realize that she's almost out of gas. All the gas stations appear to be closed. Finally, she stops at an out of the way station and out comes an attendent (Ving), who just happens to pefectly match the killer's description on the radio.


=="Bishop of Battle"== =="Bishop of Battle"==
===Plot=== ===Plot===
]
Young J.J. Colley (Emilio Estevez in one of his first feature roles) is a video game wizard. Since this is the '80's, it means he wears shirts without sleeves and a big-ass walkman cranked up whenever he plays. In a pointless introduction (which is they only way they could get the storyline long enough), J.J. and his bespectacled friend Zock (Billy Jayne, the smart kid from Bloody Birthday) do a classic pool-hall hustle in a Latino-filled arcade; they barely make it away with their ill-gotten $25.
Young J.J. Colley (Estevez) is a video game wizard and arcade game hustler (with help from his bespectacled friend Zock (])).


After an argument about J.J.'s obsession with video games, they split up for the day, and J.J. goes into his local arcade to try again to best his nemesis: The Bishop of Battle. Seems that, though there are thirteen levels, everyone he knows has died on the twelfth (though he's heard rumors of some guy in Jersey who's gotten to 13 twice -- now just think, how did rumors ever spread before the Internet?). Everyone crowds around to watch him give the game is best. After several minutes of close-ups of his seeaty nose and lightning-quick hands intercut with vintage '80's computer graphics, he dies... on level twelve. Everyone clears out, and as he tries to play again, the owner pushes him out for closing time. After an argument about J.J.'s obsession with video games, they split up for the day, and J.J. goes into his local arcade to try again to beat The Bishop of Battle, a maddeningly difficult video game that features thirteen levels with everyone he knows having died on the twelfth. He repeatedly tries and fails to make it to the thirteenth level until the owner kicks him out at closing time.


J.J.'s parents, concerned about his performance in school, ground him until his grades come up. That night, he creeps out the bedroom window and crowbars his way into the arcade to finally finish it with the Bishop of Battle. J.J.'s parents, concerned about his grades in school, ground him until his courses improve. That night, he sneaks out and breaks into the arcade to finally finish the game.


=="The Benediction"== =="The Benediction"==
===Plot=== ===Plot===
Lance Henriksen is a priest (stop laughing) at a small parish who's undergoing a crisis of faith, spurred on by the violent death of a young boy. As he explains to his bishop, he's lost his belief in the whole good'n'evil thing; he sees people instead being "ground up in the gears of anarchy" (his words, not mine). He finally decides to leave the ministry, and takes his old beater car and a pocketful of cash (and a canister of holy water to drink) across the desert. Lance Henriksen plays a priest serving at a small parish and is facing a crisis of faith based on by the violent death of a young boy. He explains to his bishop (Plana) that he's lost his belief in the concepts of good and evil. He finally leaves the ministry and takes off across the desert in his car.


Out in Nowhereland he meets an ominous black 4x4. At first it just cuts him off and goes on its way, but it keeps reappearing, forcing him off the road, knocking off his bumper, almost flattening his stunt double (sorry, folks, it was pretty obvious). It almost doesn't seem -- mortal Out in no where he encounters a black 4x4 truck. At first, it just cuts him off and takes off. However, it keeps reappearing, forcing him off the road and knocking off his bumper, forcing him to face this seemingly unstoppable vehicle.


=="Night of the Rat"== =="Night of the Rat"==
===Plot=== ===Plot===
]
Claire (Veronica Cartwright, Alien) can hear the rats moving in the walls of her beautiful home, but her husband Steven (Richard Masur) ignores it. As I'm sure you know, Masur always plays one of two roles: a big bearishly-huggable guy, or an unbelievable bastard. Here he's in bastard role, as an egotistically-obsessed go-getter who never misses to opportunity to belittle his wife in saccharine tones in front of their daughter.
Claire (Cartwright) can hear the rats moving in the walls of her home but her husband Steven (Masur) ignores it.


Even though he says he'll take care of it with a couple of rat traps in the attic, the disturbances get worse: things start falling off shelves, and the family cat disappears. Claire goes ahead and calls an exterminator (Albert Hague, Mr. Shorofsky from Fame!), who discovers that this rat has gnawed huge holes behind various cabinets, and also likes to chew on the power cables. Naturally, Steven comes home, belittles his wife, and dismisses the exterminator. Even though Steven assures Claire that he'll take care of the problem with a couple of rat traps in the attic, the disturbances get worse: things start falling off shelves, and the family cat disappears. Claire calls an exterminator (]) who discovers that this rat has gnawed huge holes behind various cabinets and has also chewed on the power cables. Steven comes home, criticizes his wife, and tells the exterminator to leave.


Claire keeps consulting the exterminator and inevitably she and her family are forced into a showdown with a giant rat.
That night, the rat really gets busy


==Cast== ==Cast==

Revision as of 18:00, 14 July 2006

1983 film
Nightmares
Directed byJoseph Sargent
Written byJeffrey Bloom
Christopher Crowe
Produced byChristopher Crowe
StarringCristina Raines
Emilio Estevez
Lance Henriksen
Richard Masur
Music byCraig Safan
Distributed byAnchor Bay Entertainment (DVD)
Release datesSeptember 9, 1983 (USA)
Running time99 mins
LanguageEnglish

Nightmares is a 1983 film with four tales of horror, starring Emilio Estevez and Lance Henriksen. The film is directed by Joseph Sargent.

Nightmares began as a television project of four horror stories helmed by T.V. veteran Joseph Sargent, who also helmed the horror film, Colossus: The Forbin Project. The results were deemed too strong for the small screen. An opening scene was added and the project was instead shipped into theaters by Universal Pictures.

Taglines: Nightmares... is this year's sleeper.

You'll Never Be the Same

Each summer one film opens that you've never heard of... and that you'll never forget.

Four of your worst NIGHTMARES come true.

The DVD was released by Anchor Bay Entertainment in 1999 and has since gone out-of-print.

"Terror in Topanga"

Plot

File:Nightmaresraines.jpg
Christina Raines in "Terror in Topanga."

During a traffic stop at night, a cop is stabbed to death by someone leaping from the bushes. A killer is terrorizing this local California area and the TV and radio are reporting that the cop is his fifth victim.

After Lisa (Raines) puts her children to bed, she discovers that she's out of cigarettes. Her husband (Joe Lambie) forbids her to go to the store but sneaks out anyway and heads down the canyon.

Lisa gets the cigarettes and begins home only to realize that she's almost out of gas. All the gas stations appear to be closed. Finally, she stops at an out of the way station and out comes an attendent (Ving), who just happens to pefectly match the killer's description on the radio.

"Bishop of Battle"

Plot

File:Bishopofbattle.jpg
Emilio Estevez in "Bishop of Battle."

Young J.J. Colley (Estevez) is a video game wizard and arcade game hustler (with help from his bespectacled friend Zock (Billy Jayne)).

After an argument about J.J.'s obsession with video games, they split up for the day, and J.J. goes into his local arcade to try again to beat The Bishop of Battle, a maddeningly difficult video game that features thirteen levels with everyone he knows having died on the twelfth. He repeatedly tries and fails to make it to the thirteenth level until the owner kicks him out at closing time.

J.J.'s parents, concerned about his grades in school, ground him until his courses improve. That night, he sneaks out and breaks into the arcade to finally finish the game.

"The Benediction"

Plot

Lance Henriksen plays a priest serving at a small parish and is facing a crisis of faith based on by the violent death of a young boy. He explains to his bishop (Plana) that he's lost his belief in the concepts of good and evil. He finally leaves the ministry and takes off across the desert in his car.

Out in no where he encounters a black 4x4 truck. At first, it just cuts him off and takes off. However, it keeps reappearing, forcing him off the road and knocking off his bumper, forcing him to face this seemingly unstoppable vehicle.

"Night of the Rat"

Plot

File:Nightoftherat.jpg
Richard Masur in "Night of the Rat."

Claire (Cartwright) can hear the rats moving in the walls of her home but her husband Steven (Masur) ignores it.

Even though Steven assures Claire that he'll take care of the problem with a couple of rat traps in the attic, the disturbances get worse: things start falling off shelves, and the family cat disappears. Claire calls an exterminator (Albert Hague) who discovers that this rat has gnawed huge holes behind various cabinets and has also chewed on the power cables. Steven comes home, criticizes his wife, and tells the exterminator to leave.

Claire keeps consulting the exterminator and inevitably she and her family are forced into a showdown with a giant rat.

Cast

Trivia

  • Originally made for network television, but deemed "too intense." Extra footage was added and it was released theatrically.
  • The computer game sequences in this part of the film were generated on an ACS1200 and cost so much that it nearly bankrupted production.
  • Emilio Estevez went through a two week training course with the NYPD on gun use to train for his battle scenes when the computer-generated enemies entered the real world.
  • Lee Ving, lead singer of punk band Fear, appears in the segment, "Terror in Topanga." One of the songs that Estevez listens to in the segment "Bishop of Battle" is "I Love Livin' in the City" by Fear.

External links

Categories: