Red Evil Terror

This is an unanticipatedly imaginative TV terror movie revision of Cinderella, all the more effective for being guided by the same directorial hand that gave us the unrelenting physical horrors of 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre' and 'Eaten Alive' in his 70s heyday.

Amick (of Twin Peaks domestic violence 'Shelley' fame), in a standout performance is the lowly collegiate struggling to juggle her studies with the demands of caring for both her home and her decrepit grandmother, whilst her Aunt and cousin live it up night after night. Cue a reversal of fortune when she lands the job of props mistress in a production of 'Romeo and Juliet' and falls under the spell of a sensuous red cloth which, as spooky professor Perkins points out, is an original Aztec witchcraft cloak; and which she transforms into a dress, with murderous results.

Clearly a waste of time for the underwritten Perkins and sad to see such a talented and perennially underused actor ill and jaded in a career on the wane, although far worse was yet to come (ie 'In The Deep Woods'). The film is also bereft of the sort of shock value that one would need to swallow the tall tale being presented at face value. Still, it does sort of work on a surprisingly engrossing level of creepy subtleness, and this is aided by a slinky visual quality and the billowing symbolism of the red dress; captured on film stock in what must have been one of the very last TV movies to be shot this way.

Amy is a spinster in making - a wallrose (albeit played by Mädchen Amick!) whose Ivory soap purity and sweetness is exploited by everyone. Then the bright red fabric falls into her hands.

This is the last TV films shot in film, one of those films where the plainly dressed modern protagonists live in the well-dressed Victorian mansions, and the evil things happen during stormy nights. It is directed by Tobe Hooper, bur it has no sleazy, gross ambiance of Texas Chainsaw Massacre - this is actually quite clean film, without foul language, gore or other gross-out filth and depravity for your viewing pleasure. Mädchen Amick is a striking beauty, and there is a hilarious scene, where she and the actor playing her boyfriend fight against the the wardrobe of woe, while she is dressed only in her underwear - plain white, of course. She definitely looks good, but otherwise the scene will guarantee laughs.

Amusing diversion.

"I'm Dangerous Tonight" disappoints mainly in the plot department. Once you've realized the basic concept, the script looks one-note and unsurprising. But, judged by TV-movie standards, this thriller is surprisingly violent and sexually charged. Director Hooper brings some peculiar, kinky undertones to the material, playing with the role-reversal of the concept; there is a definite link between erotic tension and violence here.

As you may have guessed, Perkins doesn't play the villain here. He is pretty much wasted in a small supporting role, but he manages to give a classy performance. Amick is the lead here, and she's striking.

Billy Ocean sung "Red Light Spells Danger" in the late 70s already, but if he had seen this movie in 1990, I'm sure he would have altered the title slightly and re-released his catchy dance hit!

"I'm Dangerous Tonight" unites four of my favorite people in the horror/cult industry. We have director Tobe Hooper (although this is one of his more inconspicuous efforts), the iconic Anthony 'Norman Bates' Perkins (but regrettably in a rather small role), Dee Wallace-Stone (in a marvelously psychotic role), and the astoundingly beautiful Mädchen Amick (at the peak of her success in between the two seasons of "Twin Peaks").

The film can be considered unremarkable and mediocre overall, but nevertheless it's engaging and fun from start to end thanks to the great cast, simple but effective plot, and a few grisly moments. The plot revolves around an ancient red cloak that was worn by evil Aztec Priests during their sacrifice rituals. Psychology student Amy O'Neill processes the cloak into a sexy prom dress that everyone in her surrounding wants to wear. The dress, however, brings the vilest and most sadistic fantasies of its carrier to the surface.

Definitely a decent late 80s/early 90s made-for-television thriller, made slightly more intriguing by the insertion of two unusual time lapses. After a nasty car accident, the dress mysteriously vanishes but reappears on the lovely shoulders of Dee Wallace-Stone, and it takes a while before we figure out how it got from A to B. During the finale as well, there's a bizarre moment when Amy seems defeated but then she comfortably wakes up in her bed with the dress. The explanation for that is also rather cuckoo. I don't know if these lapses were intentional or due to sequences getting cut, but it helps to keep you alert in a film that is unfortunately (because a TV-movie) rather low on graphic violence and bloody make-up effects.

Amy, a college psych student comes across a red garment in a chest she just bought to use in a play. She keeps it and makes it into a party dress. However the first time she puts it on, it influences her and changes the way she acts. By bringing out her darker side. Soon everyone seems to want a piece of this garment. From her college professor she finds out it's an Aztec cloak that was used in sacrificial ceremonies.

I'll go to say that I never even heard of this Tobe Hooper supernatural thriller opus. Striking and strange, but the one-idea premise and languidly cut n' dry script doesn't really build upon its interesting background and teetering imagination enough. Maybe this is due to its restrictions of being a cheaply produced made-for-TV production, but I seem to doubt it as it could be associated to material being adapted from a short story. On the other hand it's probably best to not really delve deep into it though, because of uneven logic and it borderlines on tacky. The plot does have a 'Cinderella' touch to it, and seems to have that everything, but the kitchen sink drama quality to it. All the characters that come and go are stereotypically painted, but the performers were better than the material. The gorgeously fixating Madchen Amick confidently grows from her sweet performance as Amy. Anthony Perkins keeps it professional and likes to just pop up randomly as the suspicious college professor. Dee Wallace Stone is great in her minor role that reeks of attitude. R. Lee Ermey in a small role engages with his sombre detective. Corey Parker makes for a likable love-interest for Amick. Also appearing are Natalie Schaffer, William Berger and Jack McGee.

You can really see Hooper's able illustrative style shining through this work. He subtly mixes the eerie violence together with sexual seductiveness. Sure it can become silly and lousy with its jolts, but still it stays dangerously ominous and tautly handled with its imagery. It might not have the biting flair of some his previous early work ('The Texas Chainsaw Massacre', 'Eaten Alive' and 'The Funhouse') though. He milks it out slowly, letting the atmosphere unfold and the possessive force evolve. For a TV production the film is smoothly shot, very well lit and effectively scored.

A modest TV feature, which has some obvious and stodgy patterns.