Midnight Cabaret

My review was written in January 1991 after watching the movie on Warner video cassette.

"Midnight Cabaret" is a pretentious satanic shocker being released to home video after over two years on the shelf.

Pic, which received its R rating in 1988, is a leftover inherited by Warner Brothers in its purchase of Lorimar

Laura Herrington toplines sympathetically as an actress in Michael Des Barres' "concept" Broadway play "Midnight Cabaret", a purposely decadent piece showing at the Mephisto Theater.

Unconvincing conceit of director Peter Dingo is a throwback to Busby Berkeley musicals: what unfolds on stage is enacted (on the Universal backlot) on a much larger scale in violation of what the audience could actually witness in the theater.

Another porlbem is that these abstract chase scenes down studio streets are filmed in a stylized fashion that also is duplicated for Herrington's several nightmare sequences. Resulting hodgepodge is deliberately ambiguous as to what's real, but it's a cheat. So is the film's symmetrical structure and reliance on the gimmick of the play script coming true in real life.

The play's set pieces, including talk-songs by character actress Carolyn Seymour (well-cast as the devil's mother), are morbidly fascinating. Attention to detail is poor, with the Hollywood backlot settings never suggesting Manhattan (an impossible address is given as "1156 E. 85th St.").

Des Barres exudes an oily charm as the ostensible villain, and Herrington is easy to root for. Worst performance is delivered by Bruce Wright as a handome but incredibly wooden police detective. From the world of home video, the premier lading lady of late, Canadian bombshell Lydie Denier, opos up at film's end to set up a possible sequel.

Anyone who is a fan of Michael Des Barres' darker roles should see this -- It's as if they combined Murdoc from Cleo Rocks, Malcolm Graves from Ghoulies, the Blue Moon Killer from The Pretender, the Dark Priest from Charmed, and some LSD for good measure.

Don't let the cut-and-dried review on the back of the box fool you, however. The film weaves dreams, real-life, and Cabaret theater scenes together in such a way that you won't quite know what's what by the end, and that's a good thing.

My one complaint is that the leading lady is a bit flat in her role, but Des Barres more than compensates for her lack of screen presence.

The action of "Midnight Cabaret" takes place in New York.A beautiful actress(Laura Harrington)becomes the suspect in the series of murders of her fellow co-workers.The police inspector(Bruce Wright)finds a Satanic cult who wants to get the actress pregnant with the Antichrist child.Pretty stylish but slightly unremarkable clone of "Rosemary's Baby" set in Grand Guignol theatre.I expected more suspense and gore,however "Midnight Cabaret" is relatively bloodless.Some set-pieces are beautiful to look at,though.No nudity and sleaze,so fans of more exploitative horror movies will be disappointed.Still I liked "Midnight Cabaret" for what it's.6 out of 10.

I think all the actors in this movie were excellent. They had a great cast of characters. It really kept me on the edge of my seat. It was very moving. The set was my favorite cause I like unique places of setting. I havent seen any movie quite like it. Excellent piece of work.

Midnight Cabaret (1990) is a movie I watched on Tubi last month. The storyline follows a Broadway producer staging a dark play centered around the devil. When eerie events start mirroring the play's sinister plot, the cast and crew grow increasingly uneasy, setting the stage for a potentially dramatic grand opening.

This film is directed by Pece Dingo (Until We Meet Again) and stars Lisa Hart Carroll (Terms of Endearment), Michael Des Barres (To Sir, with Love), Paul Drake (Beverly Hills Cop), and Laura Harrington (Maximum Overdrive).

This is one of those movies where you keep waiting for something significant to happen, and when it finally does, it's underwhelming. The costumes, sets, and lighting effectively create a moody atmosphere with an '80s vibe, but that's where the positives end. The risqué subplot flirts with exploitation without fully committing, and while there's plenty of nudity, it feels disconnected from the main storyline. The conclusion attempts a twist but doesn't land as strongly as intended.

In conclusion, Midnight Cabaret explores multiple themes with potential but fails to tie them together in a satisfying way. I would score this a 3/10 and recommend skipping it.