Pesadelos

NIGHTMARES (aka: STAGE FRIGHT) opens with a little girl inadvertently causing a car accident in which her mother is killed. Years later, Helen (Julie Neuman) is a struggling actress, auditioning for a part in a play. Still haunted by her mum's death, Helen is very insecure and emotionally unstable.

Meanwhile, a randy, naked couple are murdered in an alley. Everything seems to point to the guilt of one person, though the killer is never shown.

While Helen is busy working on her first relationship with a man, more grisly murders occur, including the butchering of the world's most odious theater critic.

In the end, it all adds up to very little, providing no real surprises or twists. This movie is for those who simply want a blood-soaked experience with extra helpings of nudity.

TWO INTERESTING FACTS: #1- Glass always breaks in big, knife-shaped shards, suitable for murdering people! #2- Having sex can only lead to death by knife-shaped glass shards!...

Stage Fright stumbles through the motions of early 80s slasher filmmaking with all the finesse of a community theater production gone wrong. This Australian attempt at giallo-inspired horror feels more like a dress rehearsal that should have stayed behind closed curtains, never quite finding its footing despite a theatrical setting ripe with potential.

Jenny Neumann carries the film as a traumatized actress haunted by her mother's death, bringing a commitment to the role that the material doesn't entirely deserve. Her performance anchors what could have been complete chaos, though she's often left stranded by a script that mistakes psychological complexity for vague brooding. Gary Sweet makes his feature debut in a supporting role, showing early glimpses of the screen presence that would later serve him well, though here he's working within the constraints of underdeveloped characterization.

The film's atmosphere occasionally sparks to life during its more violent set pieces, where Lamond demonstrates a crude but effective understanding of shock value. Glass becomes the weapon of choice, creating moments that crackle with visceral intensity even when the surrounding narrative feels limp. The theatrical backdrop provides some visual interest, with stage lights casting dramatic shadows that briefly elevate the production values beyond their obvious limitations.

Unfortunately, these fleeting moments of competence are undermined by pacing that drags between kills and dialogue that rarely rises above functional. The film borrows heavily from Italian giallo traditions but lacks the stylistic confidence or narrative sophistication to make those influences feel like anything more than surface-level mimicry. What should be mounting dread becomes tedious waiting, punctuated by bursts of violence that feel disconnected from any meaningful dramatic progression.

The supporting cast delivers workmanlike performances without distinction, moving through their roles with the mechanical precision of actors hitting their marks rather than inhabiting genuine characters. The direction shows occasional flashes of visual flair but lacks the consistent vision needed to sustain tension or build genuine atmosphere throughout the runtime.

Easy to watch slasher flick with basic thin plot starring jenny neumann from hell night.

Most of the ingredients for a good horror filmare here , blood ,deaths , naked bodies and sex.

Set around a theatre company and the performance of a new play the actors and the crew are picked off one by one,quite a short film that runs at a nice pace. The acting and the string score are quite good, the killings are basic worth a watch.

Heavy on style and wacky P.O.V. shots, but very low on anything resembling a cohesive story. We're essentially told who the killer is from the start of the film, but the script tries to pretend like we don't know and keep it a mystery, but it's so obvious that it makes you wish they'd just throw any mystery out the table and just show the killer as they're doing their slashing instead of filming nearly all the murders in P.O.V. mode.

Young Cathy accidentally kills her mother,who is making out with a man in the passenger seat of a car.Believing the man is hurting her mother,Cathy starts hitting him and her mother crashes the car sending her through the windshield.When an orderly tries to molest her,Cathy slashes his face with a broken glass.Years later Helen(Jenny Neumann of "Hell Night" fame)is an aspiring American actress auditioning for a Victorian comic play about death made by sarcastic director George.Soon a black gloved sex-hating killer wielding shards of glass starts killing members of theatrical play.Sleazy Australian slasher with lots of POV shots and fairly brutal glass slashings.The identity of the killer is blatantly obvious and there is a bit of graphic nudity.If you are a fan of "Flesh and the Blood Show","Theatre of Blood","Deliria" and "Opera" you may give this one a look.6 out of 10.