User Reviews

At first this direct to video (I am assuming) zombie/conspiracy/western seems to have a lot going for it. I have a great B-movie cast from Wings Hauser (In full alcoholic meltdown. The actor mind you, not the character. He had to be bailed out during shooting after putting his brother in law's head through some drywall). Bo Hopkins in full southern drawl mode. (Playing a drifter/sheriff no less). George Kennedy in his Police Squad finest. That guy who is always in those Bruce Willis films who plays a silent albino (Brion James). And finally, we have Kimberly Beck (Guest star of every TV show from 1978 to 1986) who plays cleavage with a side of Mom jeans.

The movie has some decent action with some many exploding cars one would think it is some sort of poorly thought out promotion for President Obama's Cash for Clunkers. It also has a decent Maximum overdrive/ The Happening vibe as the townsfolk go crazy from drinking poisoned water (Including… gasp…. coffee.)

Alas the film is let down from some horrible pacing and direction especially in the second half as it really starts to wear out its welcome. The film also seems to be very light on the gore/nudity for the genre Seeming more like an A-team episode with lots of swearing.

I watched the Rifftrax version (So perhaps it was edited?) and I found the boys a touch disappointing on this one. Do you remember when they riffed Laserblast on MST3K and told that Monday Night Football joke about fifty times? Yeah, they do that here with a microwaved croissant joke that goes over about as well. Outside of soggy pastries, their comments are often spot on but even they have trouble keeping the excitement going as the film drifts into Red Zone Cuba pacing in the second half.

A fun romp for a while but don't be surprised if everyone is snoring on the couch before the credits roll.

When a mysterious man simply known as "The Albino" (James) decides the best place to try an experiment putting toxins in the water supply is the small town of Canyonland, Utah, all hell breaks loose. Normally-friendly citizens wig out, get extremely violent, and bleed green blood. All this is unbeknownst to entertainment lawyer Ken Griffiths (Wings) and his wife Cheri (Beck), who are traveling through the town in their RV. They stop to pick up the loner Reilly (Hopkins) and when they see the chaos in Canyonland, they decide to fight back. Aiding them is Sheriff Hanks (Kennedy). Will our heroes be able to put an end to the insanity? The first thing you'll notice about Nightmare at Noon is its killer cast. It's pretty much a B-movie dream come true. However, we weren't totally convinced that it was being used to its full potential. Wings' personality should have shone through more, Kennedy is barely involved, and there isn't a lot of meat to Hopkins' laconic tough-guy. Neal Wheeler as Charley, the first victim, is reminiscent of the notorious cover for the Super Nintendo game "Phalanx". Brion James says literally nothing, but is somewhat intriguing as the main villain (backed up by his goons labeled APE, or, the "Agency for the Protection of the Environment"). He mainly looks through binoculars for most of his screen time. If you've ever wanted to know what it would be like if Johnny or Edgar Winter created small-town zombies in a Western setting that spew Nickelodeon-style Gak, here you go.

What director Mastorakis seemed to be aiming for is evident right in the title. "Nightmare" representing the horror aspect of the film, seemingly influenced by I Drink Your Blood (1970) and The Crazies (1973), as well as any number of zombie films, and "At Noon", representing the Western movie aspect. In fact, the characters even pass a movie marquee showing that High Noon (1952) is playing, and the final chase is taken from innumerable Western films.

A hybrid of this type is a worthy idea, but honestly it needed more blood, gore and nudity to rise to the level of an exploitation classic. It does have plenty of action movie-style thrills such as car blow-ups, stunts and much shooting, but it's hard to say if it all exactly fits. A lot of the elements were there, but not all. It's clear here that the golden 80's were ending, and the less-edgy 90's was on the horizon.

Ken Griffiths (Wings Hauser) and his wife Cheri (Kimberly Beck, Massacre at Central High) are traveling across the highways of America via recreational vehicle - which as I'm obsessed with RV horror I already know is a bad idea - when they pick up ex-cop hitchhiker Reilly (Bo Hopkins), which also seems like a bad idea but it isn't. What is the most horrible of all ideas is when they pull into Canyonland, Utah, a place where a mysterious albino - but come on, it's John Carpenter, right? - played by Brion James is working with shadowy government troops and black helicopters to test a bioweapon on the small town, turning everyone there into zombies. Everyone but Ken and Reilly, who have only had beer to drink, and Sheriff Hanks (George Kennedy) - who claims to have not had water in years - and his daughter Deputy Julia (Kimberly Ross, Pumpkinhead) must stay alive as long as they can as the zombies attack the town.

Except that at some point, Hauser disappears and this becomes all about Bo Hopkins on a vision quest in the desert like a Western, hunting down the albino scientist and his men, as well as a lengthy helicopter chase.

Hauser may have not been in the film for an extended period because of his off-set problems. I've heard a story that his brother came to visit his motel room and Wings slammed his brother's head through a wall, which got him arrested and Mastorakis had to pay his bail.

Yet Nico Mastorakis really can't make a boring movie. This starts with late 80s computer graphics, a synth Hans Zimmer score and great scenery, plus it has a mini-reunion of the stars of Mutant. Actually, it's very close to that movie to the point that it could be a parallel reality version of the last movie of Film Ventures International.

This is also the wet dream of Q-Anon lovers, as the albino and his black vans, helicopters and APE (Agency for the Protection of the Environment) henchmen all exist to destroy small town America. They're probably making homosexual frogs, too.

The other title for this, Death Street USA, is better than what they used.

A completely albino Brion James(..everything white, including his eyes and little hat)works for some sort of terrorist organization as he, surrounded by gun-toting hoods in suits, injects a desert community's water supply with a type of toxic liquid which causes those who drink it in the community to go apesh!t, some sort of homicidal rage with their faces skin tone turning a shade of green not to mention their blood. A lawyer, Ken(Wings Hauser)and his wife Cheri(Kimberly Beck)are on a weeks vacation who happen to enter this town after picking up a hitchhiker, Reilly(Bo Hopkins..is this guy cool or what?), an ex-cop thrown off the force for murdering a rapist. Canyonland, the name of the little town, a tiny spot surrounded by a desert mountainous landscape, is the community whose citizens have become homicidal and extremely powerful. The sheriff, Hanks(George Kennedy)and his daughter, Julia(Kimberly Ross)must somehow contain order when chaos has erupted all around them, needing the assistance of Ken & Reilly as once-normal folks attempt to attack the group and each other.

This was quite a multi-genre movie. Parts horror, action, western, and zombie movie, it kind of feels like "The Crazies" set in around Utah. The cast is why I'd recommend it to genre fans, but there are lots of action sequences and bizarre attacks such as when one old-timer in overalls named Charlie goes berserk, stabbing a diner waitress in the hand with a knife, tossing Ken and Reilly throughout the establishment like rag dolls, stealing a cop car after throwing Julia over the hood(!), driving his car through a lady with curls still in her hair when she attempts to curse him out for ramming into the back of her vehicle, blasting cars with a shot-gun, and even shooting his own son(..a deputy attempting to secure the shot-gun away from pa)point-blank. You have a mother chasing after her daughter with a butcher knife. A motorcycle rider shooting folks on the street before hitting a car with his bike exploding into a car. Even Ken's wife(..who happen to drink water in the diner)wigs out throwing Julia into a wall! Poor Julia gets thrown around the room by an unhinged Cheri as Ken and Reilly must deal with a scrawny crazed auto mechanic in a junk yard.

Looking for something different..this is it. Fans of Wings Hauser will get a kick out of playing against type as a "tenderfoot" yuppie lawyer. And, Bo Hopkins gets to be a laconic hero, chewing gum, wearing his shades, and knowing exactly what needs to be done. And, good ole George Kennedy again portrays the fatherly, trustworthy man of wisdom with reserve and dignity..his fate will leave many mourning.Try it out if just for Brion James as the mute in white who has the technology to render a town without the power to communicate or leave when he sets up an electronic perimeter which shuts down the ability to leave town in your vehicle or call out for help.Lots of shoot-outs and gushing green blood. Even a helicopter chase around mountains. Bodies in slow motion as they propel in the air.

Cult film fans should get a major kick out of this Nico Mastorakis sci-fi/action vehicle featuring a breakneck pace, green slime shootings, huge explosions, jaw dropping stunts and a truly wild helicopter chase. If that doesn't sell you, then I present a cast featuring Bo Hopkins, Wings Hauser, George Kennedy and Brion James. I repeat, Bo Hopkins, Wings Hauser, George Kennedy and Brion James! Truly one of the best B-movie ensembles I have ever seen, every actor plays it a different way, getting fantastic results. Re-teaming after 1984's similar Mutant, Hauser and Hopkins are both great in the lead roles. Hauser expertly plays the hyped up, slick rock-n-roll lawyer ("Hey, I handle Twisted Sister. I think I can handle this.") thrown into this nightmare while on vacation. Hopkins, on the other hand, plays it cool with nearly every situation in the film. When a local farmer stabs a waitress' hand, Hauser gets right in his face while Hopkins keeps swigging on his beer. Brion James is also impressive, giving an entirely speechless performance as the mysterious "Albino." Supporting players Kennedy and Kimberly (Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter) Beck hold their own as well.

Director Mastorakis keeps things moving at a great pace. So much so that viewers might initially overlook huge plots holes (such as how did Beck get cured or how did Kennedy hold out so long from the effects of the tainted water). But one thing that is great about the film is one is never told why James' character is doing this. The synopsis alludes to his crew being government agents (their vans read A.P.E. - Agency for Protecting the Environment), but in the end they are blown up by the US Army so who knows. Intentional or not, this missing bit of information makes it all the more fun. Credit should also be given to the films stunt co-coordinator (John Stewart) and aerial unit coordinator (David Jones). The car stunts and explosions are top notch, but the helicopter chase is jaw dropping in its recklessness.

With such a great meeting of B-movie vets, it is suffice to say their paths have crossed before. Hauser and Hopkins both worked on the aforementioned Mutant as well as the TV films Ghost Dancing (1983) and Dark Horse (1985). Hauser and Brion James appeared in a unconnected trilogy of sci-fi films including this, Dead Man Walking (1988) and Street Asylum (1990). Hopkins and James appeared alongside each other in Radioland Murders (1994) while James and George Kennedy both appeared in the National Lampoon feature Men in White (1998). And both Hauser and Kennedy had roles on "The Young and the Restless," but never together in the same season. Whew!

In NIGHTMARE AT NOON, the small town of Canyonland has been chosen as a test site for a secret government experiment. Said experiment is led by a mysterious figure known as "The Albino" (Brion James with flour on his face and hands). When a local hillbilly is reduced to dog chow, we know the government is up to no good!

Innocent vacationers (Wings Hauser and Kimberly Beck) pick up a hitchhiker (Bo Hopkins) and head into town. Stopping at a diner, the trio witnesses an incident that escalates into utter chaos and death! Normal citizens are becoming superhuman maniacs! Our heroes, joined by the sheriff and his deputy / daughter (George Kennedy and Kimberly Ross), must gun down half the populace to survive!

Soon, government operatives arrive, complete with flamethrowers! This all leads us to the big, mono y mono finale, complete with a tacked-on helicopter chase sequence!

FUN FACTS: #1- Our government can pull off a secret operation like this, yet can't manage to balance the budget! #2- The automobiles in Canyonland are made out of napalm, bursting into mushroom clouds whenever hit, even slightly!

Enjoyable 1980's cheeeze / action-schlock for the true connoisseur!...

A scientist/terrorist/general loon (not really sure what he is) puts a toxin in the local water supply that turns ordinary folk into rampaging zombie-like creatures. Wings Hauser, Bo Hopkins, and Company set off to put a stop to . . . well, to put a stop to whatever is going on. That's really all you need to know. The rest is either unexplained or makes no sense at all anyway.

Is Nightmare at Noon good? No. Is Nightmare at Noon fun? You bet ya. Zombies, a mysteriously mute albino, explosions, Wings Hauser . . . what more do you need? For all its many (many, many, many, many, etc.) faults, being dull is not one of them. There's a shoot-out, chase scene, or murderous rampage around every corner. Highlights for me include: Brion James albino get-up - including white eyes, hat, and suit; George Kennedy - always a pro regardless of the material; the green acid-filled zombies; Kimberly Beck - always enjoy seeing her; and the above average amounts of sweet 80s cheese. God, what a good time!

We begin with the 'Albino' (Brion James, his character is never given a specific name) sitting in the back of an APE van, APE being short for AGENCY FOR THE PROTECTION OF THE ENVIRONMENT. He is operating a computer console. The message 'CANYONLAND POPULATION:963 ELEVATION:4014 EXPERIMENT STATUS:INITIATE' flashes up on a monitor in front of him. Along with several heavily armed guards he removes a test tube from a briefcase that contains an unknown fluorescent green liquid. He fires it from a high-tech gun into the town of Canyonlands water supply, a river. Back to the monitor, 'EXPERIMENT STATUS:INITIATED'. Ken Griffiths (Wings Hauser) is a lawyer who is travelling along in his posh camper van with his wife Cheri (Kimberly Beck) when they stop to pick up a hitchhiker and ex cop named Riley (Bo Hopkins). The three stop at a café in Canyonland for something to eat. While they eat their food a man named Charley (Neal Wheeler) walks in and sticks a knife into Lori, the waitresses (Jean Pflieger) hand. Charley attacks Ken and Riley when they try to intervene and the police are called. The 'Albino' types on his computer again, this time he jams all forms of electronic communication and sets up a magnetic field around the town which renders any electronic device useless, including cars. A female officer called Julia Hanks (Kimberly Ross) shows up and manages to restrain Charley. Her dad turns up too, Sheriff Hanks (George Kennedy) but Charley goes crazy and steals a police car and kills a woman in hair curlers (Tabi Cooper) and a Deputy (Mark Haarman) who just happens to be Charley's son, before he is pumped full of lead by the Sheriff. Charley bleeds green blood, which everyone quite rightly thinks is strange. More and more incidents of people killing each other are reported. The entire town seems infected and it's up to Sheriff Hanks, Julia, Riley, Ken and Cheri to stay alive long enough to put a stop to the mind-altering experiment. Who will survive and will they be able to stop the organisation behind this experiment?

This action/sci-fi/horror film was co-edited, co-written, co-produced and directed by Nico Mastorakis and I thought the fist half an hour or so was great fun but the rest of the film was massively disappointing. The script by Mastorakis and Kirk Ellis is at it's best and most entertaining when it's silly, but falls way sort when it tries to be serious. It features black vans that make a strange noise as they drive along for no apparent reason, silly but fun. There is a scene where Wings Hauser as Ken is distraught because his wife has become infected and tries to act, oh dear not fun at all. One moment the film is great fun and the next it totally sucks. The zombie townspeople are only in the first half an hour, after that it forgets about them completely and concentrates on Riley going after the people responsible. At which point it becomes a little dull as Riley just sort of follows 'Albino' across the Utah desert on horseback for what seems like hours. The bad guys are never identified as to who they really are and the purpose of the experiment is never discussed or elaborated on. I didn't like the ending either, the zombie townspeople just appear 'cured' with no explanation as to how, and I was surprised that the bad guy Brion James didn't get a big over-the-top death sequence. There are some great cheesy one-liners like "I've got a wife in there who's half nuts!", "you get any time off in hell, come see us again!", "I was right this whole towns gone psycho!" and my personal favourite after Riley shoots a mechanic named Floyd (Bob Miles) he walks over to the body and says "no charge for the parts and labour Floyd!". The 'I'll appear in anything for money' cast is great, Wings Hauser, Bo Hopkins, George Kennedy who is in a class of his own as far as I'm concerned and Brion James as the bad guy who is sadly underused and in fact doesn't say a single word throughout the entire film, his death sequence was disappointing too as his actual death wasn't shown. It has some reasonable stunt work and action scenes, I thought the helicopter chase at the end was really impressive for what was probably a low-budget film and there were some decent explosions and car crashes. I liked the rocky mountain scenery at the end as well, I thought it looked cool. There isn't really any blood or gore, a few people get shot and a knife is stuck in a woman's hand. I can't, in good conscience, recommend Nightmare at Noon because as a whole film it's not that good but there are parts here and there that I really enjoyed on a 'bad' film level. If you can watch it on T.V. for free or get a copy cheap then I would say you could do a lot worse, unfortunately you could probably do a lot better too. Could have been great, a bit of a missed opportunity. I have equally good and bad thoughts about it, you'll have to make up your own mind about this one.

Cult Cuts Volume 38. (Son of Shocktober 1)

#1/4: Nightmare at Noon (1988)

(7/10): Far from good but it's packed with enough energy and insanity to keep you engaged.

Nightmare at Noon is essentially what you get from a bootleg version of The Crazies, the basic premise is similar with a small town turned into psychopathic killers after drinking from the town water supply which had become contaminated with radioactive materials and a group of people who were not infected try to escape while fighting through the entire town.

Now where the differences lie is in the approach to it all, as in The Crazies, the contaminated water was accidental whereas in Nightmare at Noon it was an elaborate plan as the officials observe from a distance as they set up machines to disable all electrical systems in vehicles on the outskirts of the town and have radio jammers.

It's not scary really by any means but it's pretty cheesy and fun as it has George Kennedy, Wings Hauser and Bo Hopkins leading it making for a great B-Movie cast.

The effects are all over the place in quality but it doesn't take away too much, in some places I'd even go so far as to say that it adds to the charm of the film.

One thing that I can give the film some credit for is its cinematography in some places as well as its locations as its shot out in the rural desert, which is especially beautiful during the buildup to the finale where our protagonists are riding horseback through the desert seeking out the man who conducted this cruel experiment on their town.

In terms of acting Hauser and Hopkins probably pull off the best performances, Kennedy is fun in his but it's not because he's convincing.

Overall it's an interesting little film that gave Romero's classic a more cheesy 80s edge and amped up the action of its premise as it feels more action oriented than horror in some areas, but it came together in a memorable way.