User Reviews

Directed by Joseph Sargent, it's split into 4 unconnected stories: 1) "Terror in Topanga" offers up that old chestnut about a dark night and an escaped killer on the prowl. Featuring Christina Raines and William Sanderson. 2) "The Bishop of Battle" stars Emilio Estevez as a video game expert determined to get to the final level on a new arcade game. Careful what you wish for! Also with Moon Unit Zappa. 3) "The Benediction" is a Duel take-off with Lance Henriksen as a priest who has lost his faith and may have run into the devil in the form of a menacing black truck on the highway. 4) "Night of the Rat" features a suburban family terrorized by, you guessed it, rats. With Richard Masur and Veronica Cartwright.

The effects are chintzy (including some very early computer effects), and a lot of it is one-note. But there's a camp charm to it, and it makes good viewing for those in the mood for some cheesy but not ghastly frights. Featuring some early 80's punk music by the likes of X, Black Flag, and Fear.

Salvaged from an unsold TV pilot for an untitled horror anthology series for NBC, Nightmares consists of four stories or "chapters" as the film refers to them, of varying degrees of quality.

The first chapter, Terror in Topanga, follows a stressed wife and mother who goes out to get cigarettes while an escaped killer is on the loose. It's based off the old gas station attendant urban legend and will hit all the beats expected, but its competently told if unexceptional.

The second chapter, The Bishop of Battle, follows video game hustler J.J. (Emilio Estevez) as he tries to reach the fabled 13th level of the titular video game, only for said level to be more frightening than he could imagine. It's a fun time capsule showing the 80s video arcade scene and the way it takes the Polybius urban legend and turns it into something that feels like an intverted Tron turned into a horror movie does lead to some fun visuals even if they aren't particularly scary.

The third chapter, The Benediction, follows Frank (Lance Henriksen) a priest who has lost his faith and hits the road abandoning his parish. Once on the road Frank squares off against a jet black pick up truck with tinted windows that is hellbent (quite literally) on killing him. As usual Henriksen delivers a good performance and convincingly portrays a man struggling with his faith. The actual story on the other hand plays like a compressed and sillier version of Steven Spielberg's Duel albeit with a smaller truck and supernatural bent. The short plays itself so over the top in tying itself to Frank's crisis of faith that when the reveal of what the pick up truck is happens I found myself laughing uncontrollably, not only at an over the top symbol telling us, but also an action the truck does that seems like it's "making a wrong turn in Albuquerque". While the short is carried by Henriksen's performance, it undermines itself by going over the top, but its still reasonably entertaining.

The fourth and probably weakest of the chapters, Night of the Rat, follows a family as they're tormented by a giant rat in their home as the father refuses to accept help and insists on handling it himself. Not only is it a repetitive short with the rat bumping objects and messing with the wiring, it's also unpleasant as it lingers on scenes of gross out, mutilated cat corpses, and on more than one instance puts child Brooke (played well by the gone too soon Bridgette Andersen) in mortal danger or situations of distress and terror simply to get cheap knee jerk reactions out of the audience. There's nothing wrong with having children in horror stories face the actual horror, my favorite horror films like The Shining and Something Wicked This Way Comes did that quite well, but here she's not the focus of the movie, the story isn't from her perspective, and there's a genuine nastiness that makes the short a punishing sit. The rat itself is also not that well done as its brought to life with a mixture of unconvincing puppetry and spotty green screen that makes the rat seem like it's floating.

Nightmares as a whole is okay. It's got one good short, two okay shorts, and one bad short. The movie suffers from not having a linking device like other contemporary anthologies of the time like the comic book in Creepshow or General the Cat in Cat's Eye, and while the movie does seem like it's trying to have a "moral" associated with its stories there's no recurring theme passed the first two shorts where characters are ruled by their vices and there's not much cohesion among the film as a whole. With that said I think Nightmares is worth a watch at least once for horror fans if only for curiosity's sake.

Anthology horror film with one truly memorable segment and three other decent ones. The first story is a take on a very familiar urban legend. Christina Raines plays a smoker who goes to pick up some cancer sticks, despite reports of an escaped maniac being loose in the area. This segment also features Larry minus his brother Darryl and his other brother Darryl. It's an enjoyable enough story.

The second story is the one this movie is probably best remembered for. Emilio Estevez plays a young jerk who desperately wants to beat an arcade game called The Bishop of Battle to prove he's the best. We get some awesome cheesy 80s computer effects in this one. I like this story a lot and it's easily my favorite of the whole movie.

The third story is a weird one with Lance Henriksen as a priest who has lost his faith. On a road trip to think things over he's attacked by a demonic pickup truck. I have no clue what the point of this story is but it's a fun watch if you like movies like Duel and The Car. A little too short though.

The final story is about a family terrorized by a giant rat. It's better than it sounds but it's probably my least favorite segment of the film. Gotta love that hokey ending.

This movie reportedly began as a TV pilot. It definitely feels like it was made for TV. It's entertaining, don't get me wrong. None of the segments is bad. But there is a feeling that more could have been done with most of the segments if this had been a proper theatrical film all along.

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.'

Not the best anthology movie made, but it was somewhat good. I liked "Creepshow" and "Cat's Eye" better, but this one is on par with "Twilight Zone: the Movie". There are other anthology movies that this one is a lot better than. For one it has a good number of stories, though in the end they are a little like episodes of the show "Tales from the Darkside". The first one is based on an urban myth as a woman goes out for cigarettes on a night some crazed mental patient is on the loose. I can't really say much more or I will end up ruining the ending (which you will know if you ever heard the myth like I have). The next story is the best one in my book, mainly because I play a lot of video games. It features a young Emilo Estevez as this really good game player. He is obsessed with this one game called "The Bishop of Battle". He wants to get to this level that no one has ever gotten too, and one night he breaks into the arcade and he makes it to the level and let's just say he is in for a surprise at what the mystery level contains. The third story is about a priest who has lost his faith. He is driving in the desert where he is confronted by a mysterious truck with tinted windows. They do a cat and mouse routine through the desert terrain. Finally, we have the story of a couple who have a small rat problem. This anthology movie is not going to blow you away, but the tales are good enough to be rather entertaining.

Nightmares came out in the same year that Twilight Zone:The Movie was released. Whether this movie was intended to directly compete with TZ by copying it's style, or whether it's release date is simply a coincidence, may never be known.

Both movies focus on short horror tales, each about a half hour in length, that feature odd twist endings. While TZ has the legacy of the great Rod Serling behind it, Nightmares has for the most part, wallowed in obscurity. This is undeserved.

The first story, about a chain smoker whom encounters a killer at a gas station is the weakest of the four, and is easily dismissed. The second, "The Bishop of Battle" is clearly the strongest story, featuring a young Emilio Estevez as a video game champ eager to beat a hot new video game. Just gotta get to level 13! Great special effects, and a claustrophobic ending highlight this one. The third story, about a priest getting pursued through the desert by a mysterious driver in a pick up truck, is very well paced and creepy. The final story, about a giant rat living in the basement of a suburban home, can be a little silly, and seems to borrow more from the "Night Gallery" style of horror.

Give this one a try for a solid entry in the horror anthology genre.

1983's "Nightmares" is as generic an anthology as possible, supposedly shot as four episodes of the cancelled 1981 TV series DARKROOM, but actually a failed NBC pilot with added gore to ensure theatrical release with the coveted 'R' rating, Joseph Sargent credited as sole director. "Terror in Topanga" makes for a promising opener, Cristina Raines as a nicotine addict who ventures out for cigarettes at midnight knowing a dangerous lunatic is on the loose. "The Bishop of Battle" grinds to a halt with Emilio Estevez as a video game addict whose obsession with reaching the highest level does not achieve the intended result. The song "Pac Man Fever" might have eased the pain of viewing this one, despite the colorful visuals. Even more dull is "The Benediction," a straight retread of Steven Spielberg's 1971 "Duel," with Lance Henriksen as a fallen priest who encounters the pickup from hell on a lonely desert highway. Apparently saving the best for last (hardly a ringing endorsement), Jeffrey Bloom's "Night of the Rat" finds a suburban family terrorized in their home by a gigantic rat that leaves everything in tatters and their pet cat mutilated. This at least builds a sense of dread similar to the opener, Veronica Cartwright excellent as the concerned mother, Richard Masur insufferable as the stubborn father. Wasted potential on a climax with such awful special effects that one simply groans in disbelief, what might have been too intense for the small screen can't compare with the likes of Tom Savini or Rob Bottin.

"Nightmares" is a horror film divided in four tales: (a) "Terror in Topanga" - An insane killer escapes and stabs a highway patrol officer. The news advises the residents to stay at home. However, the stressed and addicted Lisa (Cristina Raines) waits her husband Phil (Joe Lambie) goes to the bedroom of their little daughter to flee to a store to buy cigarettes and milk. On the way back home, she is forced to stop the car to put some gas and something happens to her.

(b) "The Bishop of Battle" - The famous videogame player J. J. Cooney (Emilio Estevez) is addicted on the game "The Bishop of Battle" and expects to reach the unattainable Level 13. One night, she flees from home and breaks in a shopping arcade to play the game. When he reaches the Level 13, he has a surprise.

(c) "The Benediction" - The priest of a small-town Frank MacLeod (Lance Henriksen) loses his faith and leaves his parish. When he is leaving, his friend Father Luis Del Amo (Tony Plana) comes to say goodbye and he takes his recipient of holy water since he will cross the desert. Out of the blue, a black pick-up truck hunts him down on the lonely road.

(d) "Night of the Rat" - Steven Houston (Richard Masur), his wife Claire (Veronica Cartwright) and their daughter Brooke (Bridgette Andersen) live in a comfortable house and they are saving money. When Claire overhears rats behind the wall, she wants to call the terminator Mel Keefer (Albert Hague) but Steven says that he can handle with the problem. Until the night they learn what is happening in their house.

"Nightmares" is an anthology of four horror tales divided in chapters. It seems that it is a rejected pilot of a television series. The first chapter is certainly the best one, with a tense story and a great twist. The second chapter is typical for the 80's with the intense use of videogames. The third chapter is also good, with great performance of Lance Henriksen. The fourth and last chapter is the silliest tale with an absurd plot. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Pesadelos Diabólicos" ("Devilish Nightmares")

As is the case with most horror anthologies, Nightmares too serves you stories of varying quality - some good, some okay, some rather boring. Nightmares is watchable - if you like the art of horrors rooted in the 80s. For sure nothing essential but good enough to waste some time. Exact rate: 4.5.

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.

I'm a fan of horror as well as the horror anthologies, this anthology is an under the radar and even slightly forgotten gem. Yeah, it's not not one of the best anthologies in my book, but I still think it's a solid and it's true the only weakness for it would be that the first and fourth tale are pretty lame but that what you get with most to all anthologies there's going to be hits and misses. So all isn't lost since there are two that I personally think are memorable and are the ones to watch, so I'm just going to talk about them.

The Benidiction: this one is my second favorite tale. It's pretty much a Christianity version of "Duel" which is cool, the tale is both thrilling but also has a good message at the end about faith. Lance Hendrickson whom is an actor I really like I think is very good as a priest whom has lost his faith after a tragedy which pushed him over the edge.

His character really is sympathetic because the questions he asks and anger with them is the same as ours depending on what faith you serve, on why is there so much suffering and why is God if he/she exists allows it to happen, why doesn't he/she do anything about it. I hate to admit it but sometimes when things don't go my way even I sometimes ask those questions.

And of course his faith is put to the test as Satan comes in driving in, like in "Duel" we never see the driver which is fine by me. But I really like the design even color of the 4 by 4 pickup truck which is just menacing looking, almost made to seem like a rolling beast.

The chase sequences are done very well and very suspenseful, the driving and stunt work is well choreographed. But I also like that it's not just a chase but also a deadly game of hide and seek, as that truck at time just appears out of nowhere and anywhere. Your constantly hopping Lance will find a way to evade and outrun the truck.

But of course the biggest highlight of the film is the second tale which is my favorite "The Biship of Battle". This tale was a dream come true for me since I'm a gamer and I've been to the video arcade myself ever since I was six. In a way this tale is sort of a time capsule since I'll admit seeing those video arcades and the cabinets really made me miss them now that most video arcades has gone extinct like the drive ins.

Anyway, it was a fun and suspenseful tale. This was a first film for Emelo Estavez and all I can say is great start, I like his performance as the character J.J. which I thought was believable, whom at first seems like a cool guy you could almost be friends with but then further on we see he's became or is an addict. I don't know whether the video game put a spell on him as there was some hints from the mom and his best friend saying he's not himself or his own free will all the same from the way he's behaving you already know he's going down. Like for example J.J. ditches a would be date just to play another round of the game; if I had a girlfriend that looked like Emma Watson and she asked me to go for pizza I'd just go because a. want to spend time with her and b. I'm hungry; so yeah J.J. doing that is not a good sign.

However the real star of the tale is of course "The Biship of Battle" game which just looks awesome, it's a shame that video game doesn't really exist. It was the use of 3D and Polygon technology for the programing and design of the game which at the time was revolutionary and was used in video games like "Tempest" and the underrated "I Robot". One of my favorite moments of the game was level 12 which predates the video game "Doom" where the game goes into first person shooter mode and the cinematography is great you really feel like your in the game going thorough the maze and shooting down the minions.

The CGI effects I think are just fantastic because they are an example of the technology used the right way and reasons, and this was way before the technology was common place and they still look great in my opinion. I really love the designs of the minions of the Biship and whey they come out of the game they don't disappoint. Along with the bishop himself voiced well by James Tolken another actor I really like. His voice acting is just excellent it has that detached friendly but also cold and slightly sinister/menacing tone which is the kind of voice I sometimes hear in the pinball games sometimes.

And the battle sequence is well chirography, Emelio had LAPD gun maneuver training for two weeks and it shows, he really does it well. It's just one of my favorite battles of all time as the video arcade becomes a battlefield and he's armed with only the laser gun, just blasting away at the minions and they also return fire both causing some explosions to their enviorment, it's just fraking awesome.

If the story has a message it's simply don't let video game be your whole life, unplug once in a while otherwise just like in the video games life will beat you. At least that's what I think.

So just like all the story in an anthology, give this one a try and pleasant dreams.

Rating: 3 stars

"Nightmares" is above average for a horror anthology. The stories are pretty good; at least a few of them have interesting premises. I wasn't that crazy about the first one, but after that we had Emilio Estevez as a kid who gets consumed by the video game he was obsessed with, and Lance Henriksen as a priest who gets menaced by a truck from hell. I probably liked the last one the most: a giant rat story.

None of these stories really scared me though, and none of them involved me from beginning to end.

Joseph Sargent's "Nightmares" was pretty much what I expected, although some scenes surprised me. I bet that a lot of those tricks in the third segment were fun to film. As far as I'm concerned, any horror anthology flick is fun to watch, even if it's nothing particularly impressive.

And as I often do with these sorts of movies, I have to mention the cast. I suspect that everyone knows who Emilio Estevez, Lance Henriksen and Veronica Cartwright are. Also appearing in the second segment is Moon Unit Zappa (Frank Zappa's daughter). The third segment co-stars Tony Plana, better known as the dad on "Ugly Betty" (so I wish to propose a fan theory that "Millennium" and "Ugly Betty" take place in the same universe).

Anyway, an enjoyable flick. Nothing spectacular, but still a good time.

For those not afraid of cheapo 80's television horror comes Nightmares. Essentially this was the remainder of the filmed episodes of Universals anthology series "The Darkroom", you know, the short lived one that was on ABC in the early eighties, had James Coburn as the host. Oh well, I tried. Anywho, the 4 story movie was very "un-scary" to most, but entertaining enough to sit through if you enjoy speculative fiction type stories. Of course the staple memory from this movie is the segment with E.Esteves called "The Bishop of Battle". After TRON failed to bag box office reciepts in the upper millions, I guess Universal thought they could do better with a video game nightmare story replete with computer graphics. Must have worked for this film as mentioning this segment, jars memories even in this day. Trivia bit: Eighties icon Moon Unit Zappa makes a guest appearance in the film, see if you can spot her.

Nightmares came out in 1983. It is a horror anthology with 4 short stories. One being truly excellent and the rest being ok. The first one has been done many times before. It's about an escaped killer on the loose. Now the second one is the highlight. A teenager is destined to beat a video game called The Biship Of Battle. The main character of this story is JJ Cooney, he is an interesting character, because it seems that he can't get this video game off his mind. The Game has 13 levels and , except for a rumor that "some kid in Jersey got to the 13th level", no one has ever beat it. After an unsuccessful night at the arcade trying to get to the 13th level, JJ goes home but just can't seem to get this game out of his mind. So he sneaks out of his house and breaks into the Arcade at night. He plays the game and reaches the 13th level. Well the 13th level is not like any other level he has ever seen before. Rent this movie for this story, it is like a very good episode of Amazing Stories or Tales from the Darkside. The rest of the stories are satisfactory-- othe 3rd about a truck from hell and the last about an ancient giant rat.

The 80's is the decade famous for delivering many a camp horror movie, so going into this omnibus film, I was expecting a very camp time indeed. Suffice to say, this film didn't live up to my expectations and all it offers is four, very mundane, tales of 'horror'. As usual with omnibuses, the tales themselves are of varying quality; but the ones in this film are all low quality, and none of them really stand out enough to make the film memorable on the whole. The first one is the most dismal of them all, and simply follows a woman out late at night. There's a maniac on the loose...and I'm sure you'll be able to see what's coming. I couldn't believe how mundane it was. The second, and probably best, of the omnibus sees a kid obsessed by a video game. Emilo Estivez takes the lead role in the tale about obsession and actually does a fairly good job. You can believe that he would be addicted to an arcade game. The best thing about this tale for me wasn't the horror at all, however, it was the way it showed how rubbish electronics were in the eighties. Seeing the kid's personal tape player is almost surreal when compared to the mp3 players we have nowadays.

The fourth tale stars Lance Henriksen and I thought it might be worth watching for that reason. It actually turned out to be a lot like the first tale, in that it's unbelievably shallow and the plot is overly simplistic. It's like Dual, with a supernatural twist. Not really horror though...more of a chase thriller. Not worth watching really. The fourth tale is about a giant rat, and I thought that it might add some much needed fun into the film. I was wrong again, as although it's not a bad little story, and easily better than tales number one and three; the way it's handled once again lets it down. It takes ages for anything to happen, and although the build up to seeing the giant rat at the end has some suspense; for a daft eighties horror, it has very little payoff. The giant rat is hilarious, though, and the way that the climax is handled is good in that it actually has a little bit of emotion! On the whole, even if you like omnibus horror films, I don't recommend this one. See Dead of Night, or Black Sabbath, or one of the Amicus omnibuses from the seventies...this film is worth missing.

An interesting anthology that blew away its audience in 1983. The Bishop of Battle alone is so 1980's it's scary. The 4 chapters that make up Nightmares is similar to the Creep Show or Tales from the Crypt format that we've seen before. Originally made for network television, the movie feels more PG than anything rated R. Still, the four short stories are an interesting mix of horror / super natural science fiction, and thriller. More of a character changing drama than a drama that is dramatic in its suspense, Nightmares is more of a coming of age in horror than a horror movie with monsters and demons. The horror element is not so much a "monster" story line like a Dracula or a Werewolf, but the drama that the characters deal with during the story. The challenge of the video game, losing the faith, or losing our family. I've seen this twice, both times on Halloween night. For a modern audience, the movie lacks the special effects and the intense horror that mainstream horror audiences are use to seeing.

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.

Greetings And Salutations, and welcome to my review of Nightmares; here's the breakdown of my ratings:

Story: 1.00 Direction: 1.25 Pace: 1.00 Acting: 1.25 Enjoyment: 1.00

TOTAL: 5.50 out of 10.00

Nightmares smacks of a money-making project. The stories the writers give you were antiquated when the film was released. That doesn't mean they aren't entertaining or enjoyable. It simply means you know what's coming. And to be honest, it might be worth your while checking out the better full-length movies first.

The first story is about your fundamental lunatic killer on the run and how fear of the unknown can affect a person. We ride along with Lisa in her quest for a pack of cancer sticks. Her loving husband has warned her about the murdering madman at large. Who appears to be heading into their neighbourhood. But her craving is too powerful and beats her common sense into oblivion. Once in the car, her anxiety mounts as she listens to the radio reports. Luckily she manages to grab her smokes and heads home only to notice the fuel level on her car. Will she make it home, or will the screwball slasher get to her first? Though the story is predictable, as is the ending, it's still engrossing as Lisa is a credible individual and her ongoing developments are all too believable. It allows you to place yourself in her driving seat, and you can feel your own tension growing. The second story tells of a teenager obsessed with getting to the fabled thirteenth level of his favourite arcade machine. The narrative isn't as good as the first, as the characters are less substantial, and the plot is pretty simple. Worse still, is that you can see the conclusion a mile away. It's virtually a cheap Tron meets The Last Starfighter - both of which blast this short into another cosmos. The third, however, is my favourite of the four. It tells of a preacher man who's doubting his faith. Leaving his parish, he drives away to start a new life. His decision doesn't sit well with his masters, and he soon finds himself pitted against a jet-black pick-up truck that is intent on killing him. Could this be a sign from God, or is the Devil looking to add another dog collar to his truck's front wing? The characters are stronger here, and the addition of religion adds a deeper stimulus, especially with the Doubting Thomas - Father MacLeod. Lastly, we get the Killer Rat's tale. The story isn't too bad as the characters are sturdy and tenable. A household finds itself under siege from a large rodent. Wanting to save money and face, the husband orders his wife to leave everything to him. No sooner has the trap in the loft snapped a rat's neck than he's all sarcastic and lording his victory over her - there's is not a marriage made in heaven. Predictably, this is only the start of their problems. The major problem with all four stories is their endings. They are supposed to be nightmares, and I don't know about you, but all my nightmares end badly. Regrettably, that's not the case here - and their Happy Endings give the whole thing a juvenile feel, making the movie less scary overall, especially the phenomenally awful and silly conclusion to Ratty.

Another drawback is Joseph Sargent's direction. There is some excellent cinematography on show. But sadly, Sargent fails to produce much in the way of scares or tension. His best and most concrete efforts are the first and third stories. Even then, it never gets to the strength the audience requires to get them on the edge of their seats. The second story is mediocre. It has the feeling of just being there. All the money in the budget appears to have gone into the CGI, which for the time is excellent. However, computer graphics do not a story make. And the Rat's tale is, by far, the worst film of the bunch. After spending the cash on suped-up Space Invaders, the viewers have to suffer through a badly super-imposed rodent.

I felt for the cast as some first-rate actors and actresses battle their way through the quagmire of story and direction. On the whole, everyone does well in their roles. However, Emilio Estevez gets a tad wooden when he has to get angry with his Pa. But Lance Henriksen shines as the disbelieving priest. And it was a pleasure to see Albert Hague as the pest controller, Mel Keefer - though his role is too short.

If you've nowt better to do on a lazy Sunday afternoon, you could contemplate watching Nightmares. It's an easy watch, and if you snooze - so be it - you're not missing much. If the stories had been more robust and the direction more atmospheric, this collection of shorts would have been pretty decent, even with the rehashed tales. As it stands, one watch would be enough.

Now, leave that rodent alone and take a gander at my Absolute Horror and Killer Thriller Chillers lists to see where I ranked Nightmares.

Take Care & Stay Well.

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.

Thanks to good writing and excellent casting choices, this is (imho) the best of the "horror serial" movies popularized in the 1980's by films like "Creepshow." Some genuinely creepy moments and quality acting make for an excellent ride, although the first of the four stories is basically a throwaway. The special effects could be better, but this was the early 80's after all. Watch it at night after 1AM for best effect.

8/10

What a bit of nostalgia! I remembered seeing all of the stories contained within this anthology movie. It must have made an impression on me and I probably saw it in the theater during its initial run. Mind you, it's not great, but there's enough of an '80s vibe and wonky effects to make it endearing. It's certainly not scary in the least and I have no idea why it's an 'R' rated Horror film. I can't decide which story is my most or least favorite. But here's a few thoughts...

"Terror in Topanga" is an okay story that's basically a retelling of an urban legend about a madman killer on the loose. I should kick myself for not seeing its twist coming.

"The Bishop of Battle" brought me back to being a kid when arcades were a huge deal. They didn't have any problems recreating that experience because this movie was made when the arcade scene was in its prime. Emilio Estevez was a young punk and his fight with his Dad is so cliched that's it's funny. I thought the video game effects here were better than they should have been given the nearly B-movie quality of the film overall.

"The Benediction" features Lance Henriksen in another reserved role, playing a priest who's lost his faith and leaves his parish, a journey that begins with a long drive through the desert. This story is kind of a take on "Duel" (Steven Spielberg) except with a demon pickup truck. It's got some funny continuity problems like the year of the Chevrolet Chevelle changing during the movie. I also noticed that the truck drops its front bumper on the ground after jumping and diving nose first, but of course it's intact moments later. It's a dark tale that speaks of the struggles one can experience with faith, but it's surface level as you'd expect from a movie like this.

The final story is called "Night of the Rat" and it features two familiar faces for the time, Ricahrd Masur and Veronica Cartwright. Masur ("Steven") is some kind of corporate bigshot who treats his wife the same way he treats his staff, which is poorly. Cartwright's character ("Claire") is so helpless in this that I might have been like Steven and lost my patience with her at times. However, Steven insists he can take care of a rat problem himself, which clearly isn't the case. There's an old exterminator who sees the damage caused by the rat and offers a theory about the rat being a giant god rat of sorts, that can't be killed. The effect of the giant rat is horribly done and watching it on Blu-ray makes it even worse. But in the end the rat brings Steven and Claire closer again, albeit with a house in tatters and a dead pet cat to show for it. The worst thing about this segment is hearing Claire screaming "Steven!!!!" hundreds of times.

An anthology of four short horror films based on (supposedly) urban legends. It was made for TV originally but ended up being too expensive. So, they shot a REAL gory murder to assure an R rating and it was released to theatres. It's just OK.

There's a great opening story that has a woman (Cristina Raines) who HAS to go out for cigarettes. Naturally there's a mad killer on the loose. This segment has the gory murder bit...which has nothing to do with the main story. Still it's well-done and acted.

The second has Emilio Estevez as a kid who is determined to be the best at a video game. Then he finds himself playing the game for real! This has some cool computer graphics and a neat ending.

The third is pretty bad. Lance Henriksen (in a rare bad performance) plays a priest who has lost his faith. Then he's confronted with a demon truck in the desert. Boring and silly.

The last has a family terrorized by a rat--a big one. Richard Masur plays the father and Veronica Cartwright (who's very good) plays the mom. This is OK until the end which has some hilariously bad special effects.

Worth tuning in for the opening story...but the other three are pretty forgettable. I give it a 5.