American Nightmare

While the 1981 slasher film AMERICAN NIGHTMARE is not a classic by any means, it stands out from most of its contemporaries. This is because it seems to be much more influenced by the Italian "giallo" films (mystery-thrillers featuring flashy gore sequences) than by the teen-oriented slasher films which were produced in great numbers in Canada and the United States during the late 1970s and early 1980s. If you're simply looking for dumb teens getting killed off by masked madmen, you should stay away from AMERICAN NIGHTMARE. The film's plot concerns musician Eric Blake (Lawrence Day), who is trying to find his runaway sister who has disappeared into the sleazy world of stripping and prostitution in Toronto. At the same time a slasher is on the loose, targeting those involved in Toronto's sex industry in a twisted scheme to rid the world of "moral degenerates."

This film was obviously made on a very low budget, and that limits its ability to look like a giallo. It is poorly filmed and dimly lit in most scenes. While the gore scenes are competently done, they lack the visual style that is the hallmark of the giallo. Simply stated, AMERICAN NIGHTMARE lacks the vivid colors and visual flair that are typically found in the best giallo films by directors such as Dario Argento and Lucio Fulci.

At the same time, AMERICAN NIGHTMARE is not worthless either. The film has a serious, grim tone, which I think is appropriate given the unpleasantness of the material. The acting is competently done. The low budget and on-location filming in Toronto also gives the film a gritty, realistic feel. Also, despite the fact that this film is extremely obscure, there are some notable cast members. Veteran character actor Michael Ironside, seen most recently in THE PERFECT STORM, portrays a detective investigating the murders in one of his earlier film roles. And oddly enough, this is the feature film debut of Alexandra Paul, who at barely age 18 appears nude in the film, in what surely is not one of her prouder moments.

This film is worth a look for fans of slasher films, but it must be noted that it is very hard to find. I believe the film is best viewed as a mild companion piece to Fulci's superior THE NEW YORK RIPPER.

** out of ****

The son of a powerful entrepreneur receives a post from his sister, pleading for him to rescue her from an unspecified danger. With only the letter's return address as a lead, he begins a dot-to-dot descent into the seedy urban underbelly, gathering bits of information from one sleazy miscreant after another.

Along the way, a good-natured stripper comes to his aid, and love blooms between the two. Meanwhile, hookers, exotic dancers, and various other reprobates are dropping dead, the victims of an unseen madman.

This is a better-than-expected film, one that joyfully wallows in the sleaze of its urban environs, but manages to rise slightly above the lowbrow caliber of gratuitous exploitation cinema. Fine performances and steady pacing catapult American NIGHTMARE above the average for films of its type, but the tawdriness of the subject matter at hand should keep the grindhouse crowd pleased, as well.

6/10...reccomended.

Wealthy pianist Eric Blade (Lawrence Day) tries to locate his missing runaway sister in an unnamed (and presumably US) metropolis. His journey takes him to seedy sex shops and strip joints. Of course, the police (include a detective played by one "Mike" Ironside) aren't really interested in a missing hooker until they find out she is the daughter of a wealthy businessman. Even then they spend their time following the "obvious he didn't do it" guy while the quick audience members have already correctly guessed the real culprit 10 minutes in. Despite being a tad predictable, this is still worth watching for the the sleaze factor. This ranks right up there with films like MANIAC and NEVER PICK UP A STRANGER in terms of on screen skank. I'm just saddened that my Northern neighbors think so lowly of us that they called this American NIGHTMARE. I guess Canadian NIGHTMARE didn't have that ring to it.

Despite what the title states, the movie actually takes place in Toronto. Though like most Canadian movies, it is hesitant to say where it's actually taking place - you have to look for clues, such as seeing part of the CN Tower in the background during the final sequence.

As for the movie itself, it's pretty poor overall. It's relentlessly padded, with only a few turns in the story itself. Much of the movie consists of people talking, or to showcase the abundant nudity. Though that latter element may sound like it makes the movie worth watching, it's actually drearily presented, without it being the least erotic.

In fact, every location in the movie comes across as degenerate and filthy - never have I seen Toronto bathed in such an unflattering light. Actually, it's a change of pace for a Canadian movie, and with the movie taking place in a sleazy part of society, it seems somewhat appropriate. Though I'm sure this wasn't intentional, because this was a really low budget movie (only a $200,000 budget - Canadian dollars!), and the production values certainly show it, most notably the lack of adequate lighting.

To be fair, the slasher sequences aren't that bad - the squalid locations and the dark lighting actually give them some atmosphere, and the direction of these sequences show a little imagination (unlike the hopeless direction elsewhere.) And the movie does give B movie fans a chance to see Michael Ironside in not just an early role, but one that gives him the rare opportunity to play a good guy. Aside from those things, the movie is probably only of interest to people interested in Canadian tax shelter movies of this era.

I agree with the earlier "user comment" that described this film as a "Canadian Giallo." Having recently watched a number of Italian Giallos from the 1970s and 1960s, I find many of the characteristics of this film match up neatly with those of traditional giallos. (In particular, I can think of a number of similarities between this film and the giallo classic "Seven Blood-Stained Orchids.") For example, this film presents us with a murder mystery which really can't be called a "Whodunnit." Like many giallos, this movie has a gloved killer whose motivation for murder is revealed at the end. And as with many giallos, the police are largely ineffectual, so it is ultimately up to the protagonists to deal with the killer.

The acting is also pretty good for a low budget feature. In particular, Lora Staley, the female lead, turns in a very good performance as does Larry Aubrey, who plays a transvestite named Dolly. The male lead, Lawrence Day, is generally good though somewhat wooden in some scenes. The rest of the cast is, at least, competent.

The main negatives regarding this movie are a result of its low budget. Because of budget constraints, this movie was filmed in 16 mm format rather than 35 mm. The result is rather dull and dark looking images and rather washed out colors. Other users have complained that while there is much nudity in this film, it is not very erotic. I found most of the women in this movie to be very attractive, but the poor film quality simply does not do them justice. Aside from film quality, you also the common slasher film flaw of characters seeming to go out of their way to get themselves killed. In the case of this film, after becoming aware that the killer is targeting people within their group, characters continue to travel by themselves to areas where the killer has appeared previously and where -- surprise, surprise -- the killer tracks them down and kills them!

All things considered, the positives outweigh the negatives with respect to this film. It is easily worth a rental. For those who like to collect slasher/giallo flicks, it is a must-have to such a collection. For all others, it is worth buying if you can find it at a decent price.