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Frightmare

  • 1983
  • R
  • 1h 26m
IMDb RATING
4.7/10
2K
YOUR RATING
Frightmare (1983)
When his loyal fans decide to steal his fresh corpse from the mortuary to party with it all night long, a true horror film star returns from the grave as a ghastly blood-sucker, bent on revenge. At least, will he spare his followers?
Play trailer1:26
1 Video
65 Photos
B-HorrorDark ComedyQuirky ComedyShowbiz DramaSlasher HorrorSupernatural HorrorTeen HorrorComedyDramaHorror

When his loyal fans decide to steal his fresh corpse from the mortuary to party with it all night long, a true horror film star returns from the grave as a ghastly blood-sucker, bent on reve... Read allWhen his loyal fans decide to steal his fresh corpse from the mortuary to party with it all night long, a true horror film star returns from the grave as a ghastly blood-sucker, bent on revenge. At least, will he spare his followers?When his loyal fans decide to steal his fresh corpse from the mortuary to party with it all night long, a true horror film star returns from the grave as a ghastly blood-sucker, bent on revenge. At least, will he spare his followers?

  • Director
    • Norman Thaddeus Vane
  • Writer
    • Norman Thaddeus Vane
  • Stars
    • Ferdy Mayne
    • Luca Bercovici
    • Nita Talbot
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    4.7/10
    2K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Norman Thaddeus Vane
    • Writer
      • Norman Thaddeus Vane
    • Stars
      • Ferdy Mayne
      • Luca Bercovici
      • Nita Talbot
    • 45User reviews
    • 37Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 nomination total

    Videos1

    Trailer
    Trailer 1:26
    Trailer

    Photos65

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    Top cast23

    Edit
    Ferdy Mayne
    Ferdy Mayne
    • Conrad Radzoff
    • (as Ferdinand Mayne)
    Luca Bercovici
    Luca Bercovici
    • Saint
    Nita Talbot
    Nita Talbot
    • Mrs. Rohmer
    Leon Askin
    Leon Askin
    • Wolfgang
    Jennifer Starrett
    Jennifer Starrett
    • Meg
    Barbara Pilavin
    Barbara Pilavin
    • Etta Radzoff
    Alan Stock
    • Oscar
    Twyla Littleton
    • Actress in Commercial
    Joe Witherell
    • Crewman
    Janet Lee Orcutt
    • Script Girl
    Carlene Olson
    • Eve
    Scott Thomson
    Scott Thomson
    • Bobo
    Donna McDaniel
    • Donna
    Jeffrey Combs
    Jeffrey Combs
    • Stu
    Peter Kastner
    • Commercial Director
    Chuck Mitchell
    Chuck Mitchell
    • Detective
    Jesse Ehrlich
    • Professor
    Ancel Cook
    • Nightwatchman
    • Director
      • Norman Thaddeus Vane
    • Writer
      • Norman Thaddeus Vane
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews45

    4.71.9K
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    Featured reviews

    6Lunar_Eclipse_Scoping

    Creepy and fun horror film

    I suppose I am a bit partial to Frightmare because I first saw it on television late at night about 15 years ago (back when ABC did Fright Night Theatre-anyone remember that?) and it did give me the creeps. Even though a lot of the film's aspects are a bit amateurish, it's still chilling and fun to watch, and I really loved the scene where the teenagers are dancing with Mayne's dead body around the dinner table. The film has a very unusual atmosphere and horror buffs should enjoy it, it's got a little bit of everything (i.e. gore, creative deaths, chills, spooky settings and locations). Mayne really hams it up in the film's opening sequences, and it fits here. Rent (or buy-I did) this one from your local video store. You'll have a blast. My rating: 6/10
    pumaye

    Stylish 80's horror

    Not really bad this peculiar mix of teen slasher and 30's horror movie, with good direction, creepy atmosphere, Jeffrey Combs in one of his earliest role, and a very good lead in the role of the old horror star returning from the grave to punish his fans (well, they have stolen his body and made fun of his corpse, so they deserve their fate). To search, find and enjoy
    Sanguinaire

    Gothic Gore

    Frightmare is an interesting attempt to combine the old thirties style horror with eighties slasher. Ferdinand Mayne stars as Conrad Ragzoff, an arrogant old ham horror actor who dies of a stroke. Some of his fans steal his body from his tomb(what fans!) and all heck breaks loose. Mayne is lots of fun, appearing on a special monitor in the tomb and taunting his soon to be victims. The opening parts of the movie are wonderful; showing Conrad's old movies, him taking care of an unlikeable director, etc. The scenes in the old house, where Conrad stalks the kids, are a little more basic, but still entertaining.

    Jeffery Combs is good, but the movie really belongs to Mayne. He seems to enjoy himself and makes the movie lots of fun. So basically, it's not one of the great horror movies or anything like that, but still well worth seeing for fans of eighties horror.
    EyeAskance

    Featureless 80s teenkill froth.

    Conrad, a legendary star of classic horror films, is a narcissistic killer as monstrous in reality as he is on the screen. Shortly after his death, his corpse is stolen by a group of young cinephiles(among them is horror linchpin Jeffrey Combs in an early role). This prompts his devoted widow to enlist the aid of a mystic in retrieving the evil actor's soul from the fire-pits of Hell. Once reunited with his body, Conrad proceeds to wreak bloody vengeance against the young graverobbers.

    FRIGHTMARE is a largely unimpressive and routine supernatural slasher with atrocious editing and exanimate characters. To the film's credit, however, it does manage to serve up sporadic atmospheric moments which are effectively punctuated by the creepy sound of multi-layered echoes and whispers. It's a prescriptive and nonessential 80s chiller overall, but it might suffice as a tolerable time-filler when nothing better is at hand.

    4/10.
    7HumanoidOfFlesh

    Supernatural slasher with some stylish touches.

    Conrad Radzoff is more or less a combination of Vincent Price and Christopher Lee:two famous Gothic horror icons.He sleeps in his coffin like Bela Lugosi and he considers himself a superstar.Unfortunately the times of his stardom are falling apart as he only gets silly roles in commercials.So Conrdad kills his director and after murder he suddenly dies.His body is kept in creepy Gothic mausoleum.A group of university students decide to steal his coffin and defile his corpse.But Conrad isn't really dead.He rises from his slumber and kills defilers one by one..."Frightmare" by Norman Thaddeus Vane is a likable supernatural slasher with few gory deaths including decapitated Jeffrey Combs.The storyline is absurd with standard scare techniques,but if you like supernatural slashers with levitating coffins give this one a chance.7 horror stars out of 10.

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    Related interests

    Bridget Hoffman in The Evil Dead (1981)
    B-Horror
    Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Sian Clifford in Fleabag (2016)
    Dark Comedy
    Jeff Goldblum, Bill Murray, Willem Dafoe, Cate Blanchett, Bud Cort, Anjelica Huston, Michael Gambon, Noah Taylor, Matthew Gray Gubler, Seu Jorge, and Waris Ahluwalia in The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004)
    Quirky Comedy
    Margot Robbie stars in Quentin Tarantino's "Once Upon A Time In Hollywood."
    Showbiz Drama
    Roger Jackson in Scream (1996)
    Slasher Horror
    Daveigh Chase in The Ring (2002)
    Supernatural Horror
    Jennifer Love Hewitt and Freddie Prinze Jr. in I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997)
    Teen Horror
    Will Ferrell in Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)
    Comedy
    Mahershala Ali and Alex R. Hibbert in Moonlight (2016)
    Drama
    Mia Farrow in Rosemary's Baby (1968)
    Horror

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The film scenes which are supposed to show Ferdy Mayne's heyday are actually black and white clips of 'Tempi duri per i vampiri' (1959) which feature Christopher Lee in a relatively early role.
    • Goofs
      During a scene towards the end of the movie where Conrad is walking up a staircase towards Stu, a hose can be seen spraying fog on the stairs.
    • Connections
      Featured in Joel King: Man with a Camera (2015)

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    FAQ16

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • September 9, 1983 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Horror Star
    • Filming locations
      • Beverly Hills, California, USA(Greystone mansion)
    • Production company
      • Screenwriters
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $120,000 (estimated)
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 26m(86 min)
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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