À la limite du cauchemar

Nice performances of main characters and second half of the movie are highlight of the movie, while the first part feels like some underground erotica movie. Still, that doesn't mean it's bad, since Susan Tyrrell looks like a fulfillment of every mature woman 's lover wet dream. It's nothing glorious, it's just a good thriller/slasher to watch and I as a horror movie fanatic wasn't disappointed. I give it 7/10 and a recommendation to people who like a decent slasher, but are not looking for perfection or God forbid, to be scared by it. Enjoy your stay with auntie! :D ;)

(***1/2 out of *****) I'm surprised this one isn't talked about more (at least, on a schlocky, cult-classic level). It's awesome! Susan Tyrrell ("Flesh & Blood") plays Cheryl Roberts, a frighteningly unstable woman who has to raise her nephew, Billy (Jimmy McNichol), when his parents are killed in a gruesome car accident in the opening scene. Aunt Cheryl's overaffectionate behavior towards her 17-year-old nephew sets the creepy tone for this movie from the first five minutes, but the main plot starts after she stabs a plumber to death for refusing her sexual advances. She claims that he was trying to rape her, so a police investigation starts up that uncovers dark, past secrets and a homosexual love affair between the plumber, Billy's basketball coach (Steve Eastin), and possibly Billy himself. Bo Svenson, acting a little like a gruff, B-movie Nick Nolte, chews up his scenes as the blindly homophobic Detective Carlson. But, Tyrrell is the real star here -- her progression from disturbing, obsessive aunt to all-out, screaming, homicidal madwoman is something to watch. This would probably be a two-star movie or less without her wonderfully tongue-in-cheek performance. On top of that, you get "Newhart"'s Julia Duffy as Billy's girlfriend (if you ever fantasized about seeing Stephanie Vanderkellen topless, here's your chance) and Bill Paxton (credited as `William'), a year after his scene-stealing role in the otherwise-mediocre slasher "Mortuary," in a couple of fun scenes as an a-hole b-ball teammate. My two big complaints with the film are the director's annoying use of slow motion every time someone's about to deliver a killing blow with one sharp weapon or another and a ridiculous textual epilogue (the kind you usually see at the ends of movies based on true stories) that appears before the end credits roll. Also, the front of the video box seems to be referring to a different movie ... ? Otherwise, hunt this one down and watch it with someone you love.

HIGHLIGHT: Everything that happens after Tyrrell cuts her hair short is a highlight, because that's when she goes completely off the deep end and earns her place in B-movie cinema's Hall of Over-The-Top Performances.

I'd heard about Night Warning, I was fortunate enough to see it at a weird-film society showing, and I finally found it sitting in a bin in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

There's one problem with the film, and we might as well deal with it up front. Director William Asher tries hard, but he's got a TV sensibility trying to cope with one of the nastiest scripts ever written and two of the wickedest performances ever turned in by SAG members. In the hands of a master, this thing'd still be playing at midnight showings all over the Western Hemisphere.

That aside, Susan Tyrrell's performance alone is worth the price of admission. Bo Svenson's performance alone is worth the price of admission. Julia Duffy's charming, unwrapped little mams together are worth the price of admission. Even Jimmy McNichol doesn't embarrass himself - no, he doesn't, watch it again, he's supposed to be a goofy, horny teenager in suburban/rural Arizona, not a sensitive coffee-house habitue, for godsake.

Let's go back to Susan Tyrrell. She puts on a clinic for actresses who want to know what "over the top" consitutes. When she flips out - lordie. All I'll say is that at approximately 1:15 into the movie, when she reacts to Julia Duffy breaking out a window, she makes a move with her head that's the single scariest thing I've ever seen an actor do on film, ever, anywhere, period. (And I've seen Jim Carrey trying to be sincere, thank you.)

And Bo Svenson is evil on skates. The script doesn't give him that much to work with, but he rolls right over that little obstacle. WHY does he rant, "I want those deviants off the streets!" Who knows, who cares? There's a story out on the Net that he was a royal pain on the set, and I could easily believe that this was a case of him getting to say things he's always wanted to say in public, and get paid for it.

Find this gem at any price. Know it. Live it.

The first word that comes to mind when describing "Night Warning" is "sophisticated"—a word I'm using loosely, though this low budget '80s shocker is definitely a cut above most. Susan Tyrrell stars as an overbearing aunt to a teenager, Billy (Jimmy McNichol), whose parents died when he was a child. As Billy nears adulthood, Billy's aunt becomes increasingly neurotic; enough to the point that she stabs a repairman to death in their house when he refuses her sexual advances. Enter a bigoted police detective who believes Billy was responsible for the murder by way of a gay love triangle between the repairman and his basketball coach, and what ensues is nothing short of mayhem.

Unusual in thematic content and character makeup, "Night Warning" (also known as "Butcher, Baker, Nightmare Maker") is an apt horror-thriller that is probably ten times better than one would expect. Directed by William Asher, a veteran most known for his direction of TV classics such as "I Love Lucy" and "Bewitched," the film has a superior edge over most of its peers in both content and execution.

Solid direction and atmosphere are abundant, while the performances really bring the script to life. Susan Tyrrell is fantastic as the overbearing, sexually-repressed aunt, and Jimmy McNicol plays the "normal teenager" impressively. Bo Svenson is appropriately repugnant as the homophobic and misguided police detective.

Aside from the classy direction, the script is also incredibly interesting in thematics; it's essentially a modern twist on Oedipus Rex, and the execution is fantastic. It's also extremely unusual (and pioneering) for its incorporation of a sympathetic, non-archetypical gay character maligned by circumstances and social bigotry. For 1982, it's definitely far from the standard— daring, in fact— and this alone makes the film a curious and unusual piece of eighties celluloid. That, and, who can't love Susan Tyrrell going on a stark-raving-mad murder spree?

Overall, "Night Warning" is a classy and well-executed horror film-cum-twisted family drama. Asher's direction is great, the special effects are on par, and the performances are glorious, both the understated and the outrageous. Of the slew of horror films from this era, "Night Warning" is an honest depiction of familial trauma, unwavering violence, and social oppression. It juggles its thematics with flair and moodiness, all while maintaining the impressions of a horror picture. Watch for: an early performance from Bill Paxton, and one of the greatest car crash sequences I've ever seen. 9/10.

If you've seen a million cheap 70's/80's horror movies with bodies in the cellar, 'shocking' revelations, and dreary drama interspersed with a few gory killings then you might consider this a notch above the rest. Not that there's anything original about it, but director Asher (whose claim to fame are directing TV sitcoms and those beach party movies) has a good handle on the demented nature of this material. He deliberately paces it only to finally unleash it all for a very twisted and kinetic climax. He also shoots a very well mounted, realistic looking car accident at the beginning. Basically the story concerns a very possessive aunt (Tyrrell) who goes completely over the edge when her 18 year old Billy decides to move out. Seems hard to believe that a kid could be living with someone for 14 years and only when he's ready to leave does he realize what a nut she is. Then again if you have a part for a good looking kid that is dull, simple, and clueless then Jimmy McNichol (you know Kristi's brother) is the perfect person to fill it. Tyrrell is fantastic, but then she always is with these types of roles. Her performance though is almost equaled to that of Bo Svenson. His brash, gruff, unorthodox investigator character becomes almost as frightening as hers. Great chance to see young Bill Paxton and pre NEWHART Julia Duffy (you even get to see her topless). A real refreshing change of pace here where believe it or not, NONE of the victims are oversexed, screaming teenagers.