Nightmares (1983)

That was an excellent one.

Excellent, Without a doubt!!

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

Unlike many an anthology movie, Nightmares has no wraparound story to link each chapter, the film consisting of four unconnected supernatural tales ranging from the genuinely suspenseful to the rather routine.Tale number one, Terror in Topanga, is easily the most intense of the group. Based on a popular urban legend about an escaped inmate from a lunatic asylum and a housewife (Cristina Raines) who unwisely leaves her home to purchase cigarettes, you'll probably know how this one is going to end way before you get there, but with sharp direction, a great central performance, and even a little gore, the familiarity of the material matters not—it's a great way to kick off proceedings.Chapter two is The Battle of Bishop, the tamest of the four stories, which stars Emilio Estevez as teenager J.J. Cooney, who is obsessed with reaching level 13 of a particularly challenging arcade machine. Breaking into the arcade after closing time to play the game, he finally finds out what finishing The Battle of Bishop involves. Like an episode of Amazing Stories, this one isn't in the least bit scary but does deliver a likable turn from Estevez and some fairly decent computer graphics for the day.The penultimate story is The Benediction, which stars Lance Henriksen as father MacLeod, a priest who has lost his faith. Leaving his parish, McLeod drives into the desert where he is repeatedly attacked by a mysterious black truck with tinted windows. Like a cross between Spielberg's Duel and '70s film The Car, this one offers up some reasonably exciting scenes of vehicular action (including the impressive sight of the truck bursting out of the ground), and its always great to see Henriksen on screen.Last of the four tales is Night of the Rat, in which a family find themselves terrorised by a giant devil rat that invades their home. This one builds the tension nicely only to spoil it in the closing moments with some cheesy special effects using a real rat made to look oversized. Veronica Cartwright is great as the terrified mother, but she really deserves better than this.

"Nightmares" is one of the lesser-known anthology horror films to emerge in the 1980s, and it's not surprising given the project's atypical fruition; made up of four segments, the film was essentially a way for Universal Pictures to recoup money from leftover segments of the television series "Darkroom" which was canceled by ABC in 1982. The four segments featured in the film had originally been intended for the series, but were left in the dark when the show was canceled. With bits of additional footage (mainly violence) added to plump up the segments, we get "Nightmares".Segment one, "Terror in Topanga," stars Cristina Raines (of "The Sentinel") as a chain-smoking California housewife who runs out late at night for a carton of cigarettes; meanwhile, a murderous lunatic is on the loose. Smart move. This segment takes a jab at the classic "man in the back seat" urban legend, which would later make for the opening scene of 1998's teen slasher "Urban Legend" (I have to wonder if this film served as inspiration, to be honest). While this segment seems to get a fair amount of dislike from audiences, I have to say that it's actually my favorite. The story itself is classic, and there are some genuinely scary moments in this. It's a bit anticlimactic, sure, but Raines is great on screen, and the late-night convenient store run gone horribly awry is both relatable and scary. Segment two, "Bishop of Battle," stars Emilio Estivez as an arcade game addict who is obsessed with reaching the mythical level 13 of the titular arcade game— little does he know that level 13 is far more real than he could ever imagine. Boasting some "Tron"-era special effects, this story is silly but perhaps the most memorable of the bunch, and highlights include Estevez's constant rocking out with his portable cassette player, and the haunting voice-over of the digital antagonist. The final scene is clever, outrageous, and still somehow unsettling at the same time.This is followed by "The Benediction," which has Lance Henriksen as a fallen priest who leaves his Southern desert parish after renouncing the church. The problem? A pickup truck driven by Satan is on his tail. There are some great sequences in this one, including car chases and trucks emerging from under the ground. Henriksen's performance is great here and, although it's not even slightly scary, it's an entertaining ride. Comparison's to Stephen King's "Duel" are apt.The final segment, "Night of the Rat," stars Veronica Cartwright as a suburban housewife who seems to be battling a gigantic rat in her home— it tears apart the house, kills the family cat, and one night, attempts to kill the family. While this segment is inarguably the most ridiculous of the four, it's actually a joy to watch. Cartwright is perfectly cast here and the silliness of the story is overshadowed by the level of engagement with the audience. The special effects with the blown-up, screaming mouse at the end are laughable, but how often do you see that on film? That's right, never.Throughout each of the "Nightmares" we have here, the television production qualities shine through, but this is part of what I think makes the film so charming; it belonged on the small screen, but somehow, even gathered together as a feature film, it's still a delight to watch— kind of like a gift bag marathon of cheap '80s TV movies that get screened around Halloween time. Each segment also seems to end with some sort of moralist lesson; for Cristina Raines, it's "smoking kills"; for Estevez, it's the slippery slope forewarning of a technology-obsessed culture; for Henriksen, it's that good and evil do exist; and for Cartwright, it's that... well, I suppose even oversized rats have feelings, too.Overall, I'd recommend "Nightmares" to fans of aforementioned '80s television films, as that's really the core audience here; stringent horror fans may be disappointed by the relative lack of scares or violence. The film is remarkably difficult to find which is unfortunate. I had to spend a pretty penny just to get a copy of Anchor Bay's now-fifteen year old DVD, as it looks like this film may not be re-released anytime soon, if ever. It's not a standout film by any means, but it's a charming piece of oddball '80s nostalgia that deserves a bit more. Bottom line: If you're up for a large dose of the TV horror of "The Breakfast Club" era, tune in; it's just like those mediocre but deliciously entertaining midnight specials of your childhood. 7/10.

I watched this on sci-fi tonight. I had not seen it for a number of years 22 to be exact. So it is a horror anthology story movie.First segment there is a killer on the loose. A woman goes out to buy cigarettes when she come back to her car guess where the killer is ??? The back seat? the front seat with a take out ? A bit unoriginal.Emilio Esteves is addicted to this one game and he just has to beat it he has to be the master. So he bunks off in the middle of the night to play the game in the arcade. The game looks so lame these days. It is vector-scan just like asteroids. So he get to level 12 out of thirteen and beats in. Then for level 13 the aliens come out of the arcade game. How lame can you get? The cheese factor was high on this segment. Lance Henrickson is a priest who finds his face after the devil sends someone to kill him in a 4 by 4 which behaves like the car out of the car. So lame it hurts. Lasty hour of the rat. A rat make home in a family house. The rat is a baddie and its huge. Now begins a fight between them and the rat. It ends so badly it is untrue. This anthology makes vault of horror look like a classic.

I just love anthology movies, especially in the horror-genre. And this one was one of the first ones I ever saw ("Twilight Zone: The Movie" was the first one). So those two started it all and I must say: I would love to rate it a bit higher than 6/10 (maybe for nostalgia reasons). Even though the 4 stories presented here were fairly original for that time ("Urban Legend" even stole the first segment's basic plot element), it's a bit strange that all (but one) episodes have a surprisingly happy ending (not very common in horror anthologies). And also it lacks a bit in bloodshed and, well, gory stuff. But still, every story has a nice twist at one point or another and the overall atmosphere is quite creepy & scary at times. Because of the lack of bloodshed and nudity, "Nightmares" can also be recommended to the younger viewers. I'm sure they will have a blasting time with this one, especially with the "Bishop of the Battle" segment (even if it looks hopelessly dated).