Nightmare a Bittercreek

RELEASED TO TV IN 1988 and directed by Tim Burstall, "Nightmare at Bittercreek" stars Tom Skerritt as Ding, an alcoholic trail guide who leads four vacationing women on horseback in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. They unwittingly stumble across a ruthless group of paramilitary Neo-Nazis and engage in a deadly game of cat & mouse in the rugged wilderness. Will they make it out alive? The women are played by Lindsay Wagner, Constance McCashin, Joanna Cassidy and teenaged Janne Mortil.

The DVD cover curiously mis-advertises the movie with images of the KKK, the Confederate flag, a noose and a grizzly bear. NONE of these items are in the movie; the story takes place in the mountains of Northern California, not in the South. This is a dead serious adventure film and, despite the inherent limitations of its TV budget, as well as lame clichés and dated score, is one of the best survival movies I've ever seen.

If you favor films like "The Edge" (1997), "Deliverance" (1972) and "First Blood" (1982) then you'll appreciate "Nightmare at Bittercreek." In terms of technical production it's by far the least of these because it's a TV flick, but in spirit it's nearly as good in its own way and arguably on par. It's similar to the TV movie "Relentless" (1977) with Will Sampson, but significantly more compelling.

Except for the opening in town, practically the entire movie takes place in the rugged high country with magnificent sylvan sceneries, including awesome waterfalls. In addition, the human interest is strong, as the story makes you care for the disillusioned cowboy, the four women and Buster, the guide's dog.

The guerillas are wisely depicted in a vague manner, camouflaged silhouettes in the forestry or malevolent voices on a walkie-talkie. There are scenes of quality suspense and nigh horror, all grounded in reality (except for, like I said, a couple of eye-rolling clichés). For instance, a rivalry with another trail guide (Dwight McFee) is revealed at the beginning, which leads to a tense and believable confrontation, not to mention a knockdown-drag-out brouhaha. The sequence is expertly done and smacks of real life.

I can only attribute the low reviews to nitpicky film snobs who get off on panning low-budget productions. The fools.

THE MOVIE RUNS 92 minutes and was shot in the North Vancouver area. WRITERS: Scott Swanton & Greg McCarty.

GRADE: B+/A-

In NIGHTMARE AT BITTERCREEK, a group of three women (including Lyndsay Wagner and Joanna Cassidy) and a teen girl are on a trek through the deep woods to meet the women's husbands.

They're unaware that a group of Aryan survivalists are also in the area. When the women witness these neo-Nazis commit murder, their hike becomes a fight for survival. Tom Skerrit co-stars as a local cowboy who helps the women out in their struggle.

NIGHTMARE is a solid made-for-TV thriller. It contains plenty of suspense to offset any TV cheeeze. The teenager's constant blubbering does get annoying, but not enough to ruin things. Ms.' Wagner and Cassidy are stellar as always...

The Nightmare At Bitter Creek starts at a raid on a farm house conducted by the local sheriff who urges caution, rightly as it turns out because he's come on a nest of white supremacists who have all kinds of fire power. Several escape into the woods they know quite well.

Not knowing about these guys four women, Lindsay Wagner, Joanna Cassidy, Janet Motil, and Constance McCashin get ready for a girl's camping trip, a little roughing it in the woods themselves. They have Tom Skerritt as a guide and move into the rugged area where the Neo Nazis are hiding.

These guys maybe on the run, but that doesn't stop them from wanting a little fun, Aryans have their needs like the rest of us. And if the women aren't willing they're certainly good for target practice if nothing else.

After seeing the women and Skerritt escape by going down a waterfall like it was an amusement park ride, I threw my hands up in the air and proclaimed this is ridiculous. I now proclaim that to all of you.