Pesadilla americana

I was very disappointed with this film and did not think it was even worth the £4.50 i paid to rent it out! I think it should have been in the comedy section as i spent most of the film either laughing because it was so rubbish, or fast-forwarding through all the slow, tedious parts. The music did not at all fit in with the film and i felt embarrassed to watch it - for the actors and for the producers. I am not sure if any one else noticed, but when she shot her sister (who was then dead), she somehow still had enough life in her to blink about 3 or 4 times!!! What is with that? You would think that when they watched it back someone would notice and maybe edit it out??? Or better still get a better actress, but then again taking a look at the rest of the film i guess not. I take into consideration that the writer my have had a good idea - pity it didn't turn out that way!

My friends and I rented American Nightmare expecting that it would be pretty cheesy. In fact, we have spent many weekends watching (and enjoying)cheesy horror films that are obscure, usually for good reasons. However, American Nightmare was probably the worst movie I have seen in a long, long time. Now, there are horror movies that are so bad they are good because they are funny. (Evil Dead is a great example) After a while, American Nightmare wasn't even funny anymore. The plot didn't make any sense AT ALL, and although most of the actors were fairly decent (and that might be a stretch), the dialogue was so poorly written we spent more time laughing at what they were saying than watching their performances. (one of my favorites- "Go to www.I killed your friends.com"- and yes, there was a web site by that title in the film, but it never got explained) At first I hoped that the bad script was just tongue in cheek due to the whole, predictable concept... but it's doubtful after watching it progress. The film is just taken very seriously by it's actors/director for what it actually is. The beginning of the film- the flashback to the original killing spree- starts a trend in the movie of just not making ANY sense. Although I fully believe that audiences should not have things spelled out for them, a little help would have been nice to make the movie watchable. The movie played on every cliche in the horror movie book (the characters, needless nudity, really typical scenes), which if used properly can make for a pretty decent(funny)film. But as the movie employed every bad horror film technique there is, it also tried desperately hard to be an "artsy" or "innovative" film, by not explaining the murderer's motives at all, and then giving a "twist" ending that didn't answer any questions. The whole thing seemed like a bunch of poorly made movies seared together without any explanations. If we don't know anything about these people, why should we care? You never find out why the murderer is killing this lady's friends, and the "she's just psychotic" thing doesn't work. (even with a really bizarre knife scene) If motives were given, I missed them due to the poor audio quality in some parts. The really standard sound effects were not very balanced with the dialogue. This movie lacked organization, A PLOT, characterization, creativity, and was really over the top and melodramatic. (and it didn't resolve anything) It just sucked, very badly. My friends have made more developed, interesting movies on a cam-corder in the middle of the night. Watching a marshmellow in the microwave is more climatic. And on a technical note, most of the lighting was so strange, it just made the whole thing even worse. AVOID THIS FILM. It's not even good for a laugh.

I wasn't quite sure what to expect from this. The first 30 minutes of the movie were somewhat boring, and the lighting during the movie just seemed way too bright and detracted from it appearing like a horror film. It got some better in the last hour, but the ending was out there and hard to make any sense of. The acting was mid-line quality, not great but not horrible. I think some of the characters could have been cast better. It must be said that the movie did contain a few really unique things in the script. All in all, not a bad movie per se as far as low-budget goes, but not a "scary" horror film for most viewers.

When it comes to horror movies, I am more than willing to suspend disbelief, ignore sub-par production values, and overlook plot holes in the interest of a good scare. This movies simply has no good scares to offer. It can't even be enjoyed as camp. Bad dialogue, bad acting, bad direction, the kills were predictable and poorly staged, the music was annoying, the camera work was wretched, even the costumes were bad. I felt really bad for the actors, who were obviously trying, but who had to deal with terrible, contrived dialogue and an obvious lack of direction. I doubt they got any rehearsal, either. It's embarrassing to watch, and so boring than making it through to the contrived "surprise" ending requires tremendous endurance. It's quite easily one of the worst movies I've ever seen.

I don't normally write reviews, but this one was so bad that I felt compelled to warn others. This movie is a complete waste of time. If you must watch this movie, don't miss the "Making of"-featurette. The writer/director seems to be under the impression that making the killer a woman was kind of bold, daring move. (Seen it.) He and the cast spend half an hour deconstructing this film as if it's a new-age "Citizen Kane." It's like listening to a group of third-graders take you behind the scenes of their Christmas pageant. They truly think they've created something of substance. It's sad, really… The only reason I gave this movie a "2" is because I think "1" should be reserved for true atrocities, like "Manos: Hands of Fate" and "Space Mutiny." So "American Nightmare" isn't the WORST movie I've ever seen, but I'd have to say that it's somewhere in the bottom fifty.

I was wondering at the end of the movie as whether I have missed any scenes....did not understand...the motive for the killer is not established well...

The whole story revolves around a party and it is very hard to believe that no one sees/hears the murders and the screaming...the killer gets away easily after the murders which is totally illogical...

Music was not synchronized with the scenes. I am quite puzzled as who the resort owner is and his relationship with the killer. I also do not know why the Killer cried at the end..quite funny

Not worth the money - 50 rupees (approximately 1 USD)...I would rate 1/10...