Nightmare on the Street

This is a rather strange early Australian attempt to ape the American slasher films, but it is only really interesting in the places where it deviates from them. It's one of a small number of slasher films that is set in a theater during a theatrical production, which not only provides a good setting, but also a lot of very worthy victims (theater actors, directors, critics, etc.) as well as a very believable reason why no one notices the initial disappearances (theater people being as self-absorbed and narcissistic as they get). Unfortunately, the back story is very lame, involving a young acting ingenue (Jenny Neumann) with a vague, troubled past (her mother died in a car accident after a sexual tryst). When she is cast in a new theater production, people start being brutally murdered. So who is the killer? Unfortunately, it's probably EXACTLY who you think it is.

The director of this movie was an unknown (at least outside Australia), but the co-writer/co-producer Collin Eggleston gave the world both the idiotic sex film "Fantasm Comes Again" and underrated nature-gone-amok thriller "Long Weekend". Jenny Neumann also appeared in American slasher semi-classic "Hell Night" where she played the English girl (you know, the one who WASN'T Linda Blair)who spends her entire screen time in bed with a guy without ever actually taking off her underwear. Regrettably, she doesn't get naked here either, but pretty much everyone else does. This movie stands apart from the rest of the slasher films in the sheer gratuitousness of its gratuitous nudity, including a LONG scene where one corpulent Aussie lass is chased butt-naked out of the theater and into the street by the killer. In this respect the movie kind of resembles Pete Walkers sexploitation/early slasher film "The Flesh and Blood Show", but it's not a patch on that one.

The film also compares pretty unfavorably with Michel Soavi's film "Stage Fright" with which it is often confused, and a lot of the decent, if micro-budgeted, horror films being made Down Under in the late 70's/early 80's. On the plus side, it's a lot better than "Cut" and some of the crap that has been seeping out of the country more recently. See it if you can find it, but don't go out of your way.

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!...

I certainly didn't have very high expectations and I still was disappointed. Production wise pretty good, actors were not bad, the plot wasn't any worse than in any other movies of the kind, but.... no. It was tiresome to watch through, waiting for anything at all to redeem this movie, but ... no, nothing really. Only psycho sexual slasher thriller cliches used a million times already in the early 80's, following unoriginal plot to the uninteresting end. Even the nudity and sex was was boring, and though I had hoped Brian May score would've been interesting, even that was unfortunately generic and merely ok.

Australia's answer to the slasher market… well kind of, as this weird, trashy psychodrama does contain numerous elements found it slashers. Not perfect by any stretch, but it especially does a good job constructing its stalk and slash sequences with stylish verve and a real mean streak to boot. Like other reviewers mentioned it has a striking resemblance to Michele Soavi's late 80s slasher "Stagefright" and there's a touch Giallo evident. The POV shots do at times strike a nerve; just listen to the heavy breathing. The suspense when it's on, is gripping and the attack scenes are brutal and bloody. Hearing the glass slice the skin really does come through in these scenes. Also it doesn't skimp on the sleaze and nudity either. However it's too bad that the editing throws up some random scenes that are poorly linked, or don't add much to the unfolding situations and the final twist is so easy to pick up on that it's no surprise when its revealed. When it's not focusing on the stage cast and crew being dispatched, it's somewhat textbook in its tired dramas. Surprisingly the opening sequences are very effective in setting up a scarred character.

There were some names attached to this Australian production that horror fans will recognise. Jenny Neumann playing the lead character, the aspiring actress with a troubled past would be known for her part in the Linda Blair's starring slasher "Hell Night" the following year. Also attached to the project was Colin Eggleston as writer, who brought us the eco-horror "Long Weekend" and would later churn out an even more stranger and ultra-slick slasher in "Cassandra" (1986). You could also throw in director John D. Lamond who was behind some Ozploitation films like "Felicity" and "Pacific Banana".

Lamond ups the atmospheric traits (good use of a theatre setting), keeps the drama thick with touch oddness and stays rather traditional in the set-up. No surprises, but just like our central character it can be a neurotic and twisted jumble. Although towards the closing stages it does feel fairly rushed and contrived. The performances are acceptable, if at times a little over-colourful and the dialogues did have that blunt nature to them. And that music score is far from subtle.

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.