Nightmares (1983)

Directed by Joseph Sargent, it's split into 4 unconnected stories: 1) "Terror in Topanga" offers up that old chestnut about a dark night and an escaped killer on the prowl. Featuring Christina Raines and William Sanderson. 2) "The Bishop of Battle" stars Emilio Estevez as a video game expert determined to get to the final level on a new arcade game. Careful what you wish for! Also with Moon Unit Zappa. 3) "The Benediction" is a Duel take-off with Lance Henriksen as a priest who has lost his faith and may have run into the devil in the form of a menacing black truck on the highway. 4) "Night of the Rat" features a suburban family terrorized by, you guessed it, rats. With Richard Masur and Veronica Cartwright.The effects are chintzy (including some very early computer effects), and a lot of it is one-note. But there's a camp charm to it, and it makes good viewing for those in the mood for some cheesy but not ghastly frights. Featuring some early 80's punk music by the likes of X, Black Flag, and Fear.

The first two stories are mildly entertaining at best, and just barely even worth being classified as "horror". The third was more like exceptionally watered down science fiction than anything else, and never even borders on being "horror". That said, all of the first three stories might be worth a four, by themselves, if only because they are at least somewhat interesting, if predictable. Christopher Crowe, based purely on this film, is a marginally decent, though not exceptional writer.Then we get to the forth and we go from unoffensive, bland, and boring to plain out tragic and inexcusably awful. The change in writers from the first three "chapters" to the forth is obvious, and they did NOT save the best for last. The set up is there for a predictable revenge story, but it never comes to fruition and I'm left presuming that Jeffery Bloom's friends, family and co-workers told him that he could write because they cared more about his feelings than his potential career.

"Nightmares" is an acceptable horror anthology with 'Twilight Zone' aspirations. It was originally made for TV, but headed to theatres instead after NBC executives proved unwilling to pay for it. With the first three segments written by producer Christopher Crowe, and the fourth written by Jeffrey Bloom, it might therefore strike some hardcore horror fans as a little "safe". Still, it has an excellent cast of many familiar faces, and is paced more than adequately, with capable direction by Joseph Sargent ("Colossus: The Forbin Project", "The Taking of Pelham One Two Three"). The music score by Craig Safan is also noteworthy.There is no wrapround story or connecting thread, so I'll move right along to assessing the individual stories:"Terror in Topanga". A young wife (Cristina Raines) with a hopeless cigarette addiction heads out late at night for her fix. The fact that a knife wielding psycho is on the loose does little to dissuade her. Worth it for the twist ending that hearkens back to an old urban legend."The Bishop of Battle". J.J. Cooney (Emilio Estevez) is a kid hellbent on making it to the 13th level of the title video arcade game. Again, it's the ending that makes the story. The visual effects are pretty good for a movie made approximately 33 years ago."The Benediction". Lance Henriksen plays MacLeod, a priest who's suffered a crisis of faith, and leaves the church. While driving through the desert, he is menaced over and over by a mysterious character driving a black pick up truck. Overall, too reminiscent of "Duel" and "The Car", but there's one brilliant moment at about the one hour mark."Night of the Rat". Richard Masur, Veronica Cartwright, and Bridgette Andersen are the Houstons, a suburban family menaced by a monster rat. It may be tough going for a while since Masurs' character is so unlikable and stupidly stubborn. The special effects leave something to be desired.At its best, "Nightmares" is creepy and atmospheric, even if the stories aren't all that great. It's "The Bishop of Battle" that stands out, since it's the most unpredictable of the bunch, and due to its cool punk soundtrack.Anthony James, (an uncredited) William Sanderson, Lee Ving, Mariclare Costello, Louis Giambalvo, Moon Unit Zappa, Billy Jayne, James Tolkan (voice only), Tony Plana, Timothy Scott, Robin Gammell, and Albert Hague are also among those stopping by.Definitely worth a look for 80s horror enthusiasts and lovers of the anthology format.Seven out of 10.

I watched this on sci-fi tonight. I had not seen it for a number of years 22 to be exact. So it is a horror anthology story movie.First segment there is a killer on the loose. A woman goes out to buy cigarettes when she come back to her car guess where the killer is ??? The back seat? the front seat with a take out ? A bit unoriginal.Emilio Esteves is addicted to this one game and he just has to beat it he has to be the master. So he bunks off in the middle of the night to play the game in the arcade. The game looks so lame these days. It is vector-scan just like asteroids. So he get to level 12 out of thirteen and beats in. Then for level 13 the aliens come out of the arcade game. How lame can you get? The cheese factor was high on this segment. Lance Henrickson is a priest who finds his face after the devil sends someone to kill him in a 4 by 4 which behaves like the car out of the car. So lame it hurts. Lasty hour of the rat. A rat make home in a family house. The rat is a baddie and its huge. Now begins a fight between them and the rat. It ends so badly it is untrue. This anthology makes vault of horror look like a classic.