S.A.B.

I was appalled and disgusted at the blunt humor this movie offered when I first saw it in the theater, only because of its shock value. I mean they don't leave any of the bodily humor to your imagination. However, when I bought the movie for my sister-in-law for Christmas as a joke, I actually enjoyed it thoroughly when we sat and watched it again. There is so much underlying humor in this movie for adults, you cant miss the genius in it. Well Bodily Humor genius that is.

If you can get through the zit popping, puking and other disgusting characteristics of Bill Murray's character and pay attention to David Hyde Pierce and Chris Rock's back and forth then you are bound to leave the movie having had several good belly laughs.

While this subtly shockingly, gruesome humor is new to me, I must agree with Bill Murray's character at the end of the movie...

"Out with the old, and in with the new"

I watched this show from day 1. Saturday nights fourth show on that nickelodean line up. I was 14. I still love this show and recommend it to anyone of any age. It is a funny, creative and sometimes creepy. While it may scare the younger meager crowds it is entertaining and decent, what every tv show should be, especially the ones aimed at kids. It left me wanting to be apart of "the Midnight Society" and everyone else I knew too. So....turn off the lights and enjoy.

While the 1981 slasher film AMERICAN NIGHTMARE is not a classic by any means, it stands out from most of its contemporaries. This is because it seems to be much more influenced by the Italian "giallo" films (mystery-thrillers featuring flashy gore sequences) than by the teen-oriented slasher films which were produced in great numbers in Canada and the United States during the late 1970s and early 1980s. If you're simply looking for dumb teens getting killed off by masked madmen, you should stay away from AMERICAN NIGHTMARE. The film's plot concerns musician Eric Blake (Lawrence Day), who is trying to find his runaway sister who has disappeared into the sleazy world of stripping and prostitution in Toronto. At the same time a slasher is on the loose, targeting those involved in Toronto's sex industry in a twisted scheme to rid the world of "moral degenerates."

This film was obviously made on a very low budget, and that limits its ability to look like a giallo. It is poorly filmed and dimly lit in most scenes. While the gore scenes are competently done, they lack the visual style that is the hallmark of the giallo. Simply stated, AMERICAN NIGHTMARE lacks the vivid colors and visual flair that are typically found in the best giallo films by directors such as Dario Argento and Lucio Fulci.

At the same time, AMERICAN NIGHTMARE is not worthless either. The film has a serious, grim tone, which I think is appropriate given the unpleasantness of the material. The acting is competently done. The low budget and on-location filming in Toronto also gives the film a gritty, realistic feel. Also, despite the fact that this film is extremely obscure, there are some notable cast members. Veteran character actor Michael Ironside, seen most recently in THE PERFECT STORM, portrays a detective investigating the murders in one of his earlier film roles. And oddly enough, this is the feature film debut of Alexandra Paul, who at barely age 18 appears nude in the film, in what surely is not one of her prouder moments.

This film is worth a look for fans of slasher films, but it must be noted that it is very hard to find. I believe the film is best viewed as a mild companion piece to Fulci's superior THE NEW YORK RIPPER.

** out of ****