American Nightmare

A pianist is searching for his sister who has become a prostitute.A sadistic killer is preying on prostitutes.He kills his victims with a razor.Police hunt for the girl and the killer."American Nightmare" by Don McBrearty is a Canadian giallo with some slasher elements.The look of the film is dirty and grimy and there is enough sleaze and nudity to satisfy even the most demanding smut-peddlers.There is one extremely surprising twist involving the pianist's father that truly knocked me out of my seat.It's nice to see Michael Ironside in a small role as the cop.He was really believable as the killer in another overlooked Canadian slasher "Visiting Hours".Finally I must say that the killings are fairly brutal and effective for example one stripper is drowned in a bath-tub and the killer cuts her wrists.The water becomes red with her blood.So if you are a fan of Canadian exploitation cinema you can't miss "American Nightmare".7 out of 10.

The son of a powerful entrepreneur receives a post from his sister, pleading for him to rescue her from an unspecified danger. With only the letter's return address as a lead, he begins a dot-to-dot descent into the seedy urban underbelly, gathering bits of information from one sleazy miscreant after another.

Along the way, a good-natured stripper comes to his aid, and love blooms between the two. Meanwhile, hookers, exotic dancers, and various other reprobates are dropping dead, the victims of an unseen madman.

This is a better-than-expected film, one that joyfully wallows in the sleaze of its urban environs, but manages to rise slightly above the lowbrow caliber of gratuitous exploitation cinema. Fine performances and steady pacing catapult American NIGHTMARE above the average for films of its type, but the tawdriness of the subject matter at hand should keep the grindhouse crowd pleased, as well.

6/10...reccomended.

Most of the other reviews of this are pretty much spot on. This movie does have elements of the Italian giallo, but it is much more gritty and realistic than the garish and stylized gialli. It also resembles America slasher movies (many of which, like this movie, were actually Canadian tax shelter productions). It's not a TEEN slasher movie, however, with rutting adolescents being almost metaphorically bumped off by an unreal murderous "boogey man"; this is a more realistic movie, as much crime thriller as horror flick. It resembles gritty, urban films like "Maniac", "Nightmares in a Damaged Brain", or "The New York Ripper" but, for better or worse, doesn't quite attain that level of sordidness. It's more of a downbeat and sleazy but less harrowing film, like "Too Scared to Scream" or "Windows".

In a nod to "Hardcore" (as another reviewer noted) this movie is about a brother looking for his younger sister in the red light district of strippers and prostitutes. In a noirish touch the audience knows from the opening sequence that the sister is already dead, but the brother's search will bring him face-to-face with her killer, a vicious modern-day "Jack the Ripper" who is carving up wayward women with a straight razor.

A young Michael Ironside has a supporting role as police detective, and the murdered sister is played by a young Alexandra Paul. The latter has a long topless scene--and this might be the main reason this film is still sought out by anyone today. As for me though, I have a soft spot in my heart (or perhaps my brain-pan) for this kind of early 80's sleaze. If you feel the same way, you might want to check this one out.

There is a serial killer on the loose murdering young women who all work at a downtown strip club. After the brother of one of the victims shows up to uncover the killer, a stripper joins forces with him to stop the American Nightmare.

American Nightmare is a hard to find gritty 80's slasher filmed in my hometown of Toronto in Canada. The film starts with a young prostitute being viciously murdered by an unknown assailant. We quickly meet her brother Eric who is trying to find out who killed her. Along his journey we meet a very likeable transvestite named Dolly and some of his friends who work at the nearby strip club, one of which is named Louise. Eric takes an instant liking to her and works with her to discover the identity of his sisters killer.

American Nightmare is so filthy of a slasher film, you'll need to take a shower afterwards. We get trashy nudity and a script which includes very homophobic dialogue at times. It definitely feels like the depths of low down Toronto in the 80's. The death scenes (mostly stabbings) are extremely realistic and not just because of the special effects and blood. There is a brutality to them which makes it feel very real. The identity of the killer was shocking to me and there was backstory told that felt a tad rushed and a little nonsensical. That was a weak point for me for sure.

The acting is nothing great in this one, mostly unknown Canadian actors. Most notably include scream queen Lenore Zann and well known actor Michael Ironside who have very small parts. For people who know Toronto, you'll see some very familiar filming locations such as the CN Tower, downtown Yonge Street, and some office buildings around the CNE/Exhibition Grounds.

I appreciate American Nightmare for what it is. A cheap Canadian slasher flick from the 1980's that has some extremely tense moments with the killer and their victims. It isn't a must see horror film, but I would watch it if you get the chance. It gets a 6/10 for me for it's chase scenes involving the killer and it's overall decaying/depressing atmosphere.

6/10

Wealthy pianist Eric Blade (Lawrence Day) tries to locate his missing runaway sister in an unnamed (and presumably US) metropolis. His journey takes him to seedy sex shops and strip joints. Of course, the police (include a detective played by one "Mike" Ironside) aren't really interested in a missing hooker until they find out she is the daughter of a wealthy businessman. Even then they spend their time following the "obvious he didn't do it" guy while the quick audience members have already correctly guessed the real culprit 10 minutes in. Despite being a tad predictable, this is still worth watching for the the sleaze factor. This ranks right up there with films like MANIAC and NEVER PICK UP A STRANGER in terms of on screen skank. I'm just saddened that my Northern neighbors think so lowly of us that they called this American NIGHTMARE. I guess Canadian NIGHTMARE didn't have that ring to it.