IMDb RATING
5.6/10
4.6K
YOUR RATING
A mental patient embarks on a murder spree upon escaping from an institution.A mental patient embarks on a murder spree upon escaping from an institution.A mental patient embarks on a murder spree upon escaping from an institution.
John L. Watkins
- Man with Cigar
- (as John Watkins)
Bill Milling
- Paul Williamson
- (as William Milling)
William Kirksey
- George's Father
- (as William S. Kirksey)
Candese Marchese
- Candy, the Jogger
- (as Candy Marchese)
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe film's original UK distributor was sent to prison for releasing an unapproved version.
- GoofsAccording to his patient record displayed on the computer screen, George suffers from "schizophernia" (spelling error).
- Quotes
Man with Cigar: SORRY? You lose a dangerously psychotic patient from a secret experimental drug program, and all you can say is "I'm sorry"?
- Alternate versionsThe original UK cinema version was heavily cut by the BBFC with edits made to closeups of throat slitting and repeated stabs during the telephone murder, the pick axe killing, and axe blows (including blood frothing from a man's head) during the climactic flashback. The film was then listed and banned as an official video nasty, and a successful prosecution was brought against the distributing company World of Video 2000 in 1984 for releasing an unauthorized video version (which was 1 min longer than the cut cinema print). The film was finally granted a video certificate in 2002 though the print submitted was an edited U.S version, which restores the ice pick murder and around 1 minute of dialogue scenes but still has edits to the throat slashing/stabbing scene and some brief cuts to the climactic flashback nightmare murder. Finally in 2015 was the uncut version given an 18 rating from BBFC.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Terror on Tape (1985)
- SoundtracksNecessary Evil
Sung by Those Northern Women
Music and Lyrics by Jack Eric Williams
Featured review
"Nightmare (in a damaged brain)" is a dark and sinister mixture between William Lustig´s "Maniac" (1980) and John McNaughton´s "Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer" (1986). The nightmarish atmosphere of Scavolini´s film is combined with some creepy and bizarre flashbacks - the most memorable one is the scene when young madman George Tatum beheads a prostitute and splits the head of his father with an axe..! Gore galore!! Main actor Baird Stafford is almost as great as the legendary Michael Rooker, supporting actor Mik Cribben filmed some years later the Troma-shot "Beware! Children at play"... "Nightmare" is one of the most disturbing, but also fascinating movies about psycho-killers that deserves much more praise and attention than it actually gets!!
- DJ Inferno
- Nov 24, 2001
- Permalink
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