Bad Dreams

The First time I remember seeing this movie was back in the late 80s, when it was being played on HBO late one night. I remember at the time I thought the movie was pretty cool. I didnt see the movie again until about a year ago , when I picked up a used copy of it. Since then I have watched the movie a couple times, and I think its pretty awesome. its got some scary sences, and its definately got that old style 80s horror feel to it, which I miss. Its also crazy how similar this movie is to the 1987 masterpeice,A Nightmare on Elm Street 3- Dream Worriors. This movie's main star is Jennifer Ruben, who played Taryn in Nightmare 3...and just like in Nightmare 3, Bad Dreams is about a group of troubled kids who are in a mental institution, being haunted in there dreams by a burned boogeyman. It was cool to see Jennifer Ruben in another horror movie. This, and Nightmare 3, are the only two movies I can remember her in. Check out "Bad Dreams" if you want to see another cool late 80s horror movie.

Cynthia (Jennifer Rubin) is been in coma for over 13 years. She's the only survivor from the "Unity Field". It's a cult group that committed suicide, when they set on fire by the leader Harris (Richard Lynch). Once she wakes up from her coma, she's been seeing visions and having strange nightmare. Which it seems that Harris is trying to speak to her from the dead. Dr. Berrisford (Harris Yulin) thinks its best for Cynthia if she placed in a group session with Dr. Alex Karmen (Bruce Abbott). When Cynthia slowly starts remembering with the incident, now the patients are dying one by one. Now Cynthia is trying to stop the madness with the help of her psychologist. It seems that the evil spirit of Harris wants her dead. Which Alex knows that Cynthia isn't crazy and tries to end her bad memories.

Directed by Andrew Fleming (The Craft, Dick, The In-Laws "2003") made an intriguing hallucinogenic horror film that has some effective horror moments and good performances by the cast. The premise seems a bit familiar to "A Nightmare on Elm Street 3:Dream Warriors" at times. Especially when Rubin had a supporting role in the "Nightmare" franchise. Dean Cameron (Best known from "Men at Work" and "Summer School") and E.G. Daily (Who's known as the voice of Tommy Pickles in the TV "Rugrats") are also in the movie. "Bad Dreams" is quite impressive for two-thirds of the way but the last act feels rushed and out of touch with the rest of the picture. Fleming, who directed his first film handles like a pro on his first feature. The main problem, the screenplay by the director and Steven E. de Souza (Commando, Die Hard, 48 Hrs) could have been much stronger at times, especially towards the last act. But still, it's well made and horror fans will enjoy it. It's worth a look, despite some flaws. From a story by the director, Michael Dick, P.J. Pettiette and Yuri Zeltser. Gale Anne Hurd also produced it. She's best known for producing movies like "Aliens", "The Hulk" and "The Terminator". (*** ½/*****).

Everyone likes to proclaim that the world is so much worse today than it ever has been. If you feel that way and weren't alive for the 1970s, allow me to debase you of this notion. The "Me Decade" was full of random violence, the fuel crisis, Three Mile Island, Watergate, Son of Sam, the end of Manson, Zodiac and religious orders that some would proclaim as cults, from the Process Church and the Moonies to Jonestown. We don't really have a modern analogue for these fringe groups that would spring up from time to time because it seems like the Hale-Bopp comet wiped the last of these off the planet.

That's the world that Bad Dreams takes place in. In 1975, the Unity Fields cult decides to commit mass suicide by setting themselves on fire under the command of their leader, Franklin Harris (Richard Lynch of Invasion U.S.A., Sword and the Sorceror, Rob Zombie's Halloween and God Told Me To). Only one person survives, Cynthia (Jennifer Rubin, Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors), who still a kid when Harris set everyone on fire. She's been in a coma for over 13 years before she awakens to flashbacks of Harris being interviewed on a TV program. The final thing she sees is his face telling her that she belongs to him and he'd be coming back to take her life. This entire sequence is really well edited, showing how the cult's teachings had been accepted by every member, intercut with Cynthia being wheeled through a hospital as doctors struggle to save her life, all to the ominous strains of The Electric Prunes' "I Had Too Much to Dream Last Night."

After awakening, Cynthia attends experimental group therapy sessions for borderline personality disorder, led by Dr. Alex Karmen (Bruce Abbott, the Re-Animator films). As she becomes more aware, she begins to remember more and more — including the thirty other people who died from dousing themselves in gasoline. Worse, she sees a burned and scarred Harris when she's trapped in an elevator, who reminds her that she is his property.

What follows is an insane scene that shows the parallels between group therapy and cult behavior, as the discussion room becomes Unity Fields and Cynthia watches everyone ladle gasoline onto one another. Again, another hint is dropped that Cynthia is a "love child," as her mother is also part of the cult. One by one, the members walk to the front of the room and are baptized with gasoline, before Harris takes handfuls of the fuel and coats himself before lighting the room on fire. What starts as a peaceful embrace of death quickly turns into horror, as entire families go up in a blaze of pain, flames, and screams. Finally, Harris reappears to tell Cynthia that she and she alone screwed up and that her entire family is waiting for her, as they cannot move on without her death.

Every waking moment is caught between reality and flashback, as even a simple shower brings back the violent baptism that brought Cynthia into Unity Fields. Directly after, another patient, one who wanted to know more about Unity's message, drowns herself in the pool. Another patient (the only one who has been nice to Cynthia) named Miriam attempts to escape the hospital. Helping her to an elevator, Cynthia waves goodbye, only to see Harris smiling and waving back. She gives chase, only to find Miriam's purse left behind…as Miriam jumps from a window, sending blood and glass all over the pavement.

Cynthia (Jennifer Rubin) wakes up after being in a coma for thirteen years. She is the sole survivor of a religious sect who burned themselves up. But the leader of the sect (Richard Lynch) wants her back and will stop at nothing to get her from beyond the grave. There might be more to Cynthia's bad dreams but will those around her die before she finds out.

'Bad Dreams' is a better than average 80's flick with a good plot and a nifty twist. Populated by some horror vets (Rubins and Bruce Abbott) and put together well by director Andrew (The Craft) Fleming. 'Bad Dreams' deserves more attention than it gets and the new DVD release is just the ticket.

I first saw this in the early 90s on a vhs.

Revisited it recently.

When my 7 year ol nephew asked me the plot, he being a small kid, he excitedly said that its a Nightmare on Elm Street copy aft hearing the plot.

I made him see Nightmare... but used to move away the screen during gory sequences.

This movie is very slow n not at all scary.

I dont kno what the makers were trying to achieve cos even one of the cop's name is Freddy and the lead actress Jennifer Rubin was a supporting actress in A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors.

Coming back to this movie, they shud have focused more on the cult group but alas.

The settings of the cultist's house is good but the movie terrible.