Really Awful Movies: Ep 176 – Nightmare

Nightmare is also known in some circles as Nightmares in a Damaged Brain.

It’s a 1981 horror film, made during the height of the slasher boom, and seems to have been forgotten amidst all the titles that were being churned out during the period.

Directed by Romano Scavolini, the lurid low-budget affair gained instead street cred when it was added to the Video Nasty list in the UK, and its distributor jailed for failing to remove some of its violent content. Still, when compared with others of its ilk, Nightmare is fairly tame.

The film also courted controversy by adding special effects man Tom Savini to its promotional materials, despite it being a movie Savini denies having worked on.

In the film, George Tatum (Baird Stafford) is given an experimental drug treatment by psychiatrists. Then, on the lam, he sojourns back down to his home in Florida.

Along the way, he has recurring nightmares (hence the name) of a violent incident from his childhood, which forces him to spree kill.

On this episode of the Really Awful Movies Podcast, Jeff and Chris discuss:

  • how we came to watching this film
  • the peep show circuit in major cities (a phenomenon that’s since disappeared)
  • the involvement of Tom Savini in Nightmares
  • mommy issues in horror films
  • daddy issues in horror films
  • depictions of New York City in horror, and other types of films.

Join us, as we delve into (say it with us) NIGHTMARE. There’s even a Bette Midler reference!

Every week, we upload new episodes of the Really Awful Movies Podcast. Send us an email if you like what you’re listening to.

 

 

Really Awful Movies: Ep 170 – Technology and Horror films with the University of Toronto’s Kevin Chabot

Technology and horror. And where these intersect. It’s interesting subject matter, whether it’s ghost hunters trying to record evidence of supernatural beings, or new technologies that are changing the way we communicate with one another through an online interface.

Kevin Chabot is currently a Ph.D. student in Cinema Studies at the University of Toronto. He earned a Master’s degree from Carleton University where he completed a thesis titled Bodies Without Borders: Body Horror as Political Resistance in Classical Hollywood Cinema. His dissertation project will examine the paranormal, and found-footage cycle of horror films and how they engage with the changing technological media landscape.

His research interests more broadly include horror film, classic and contemporary film theory, medium specificity, and intermediality.

Chris from the Really Awful Movies Podcast chatted with Kevin at the University of Toronto, in a discussion that focuses on:

The Exorcist

Friday the 13th

Halloween

Paranormal Activity

Black Christmas

The Purge

The Fly

…and many more

Really Awful Movies: Ep 164 – Freddy vs. Jason

The coming together of two forces in the world of horror: Freddy vs. Jason!

The gloved one has seen his power wane. And he needs to get kids scared of their dreams again. Why not bring the fear back? But again, he cannot get his strength back. So he enlists the help of none other than Jason Voorhees, rather than hitting the gym weights or doing push-ups.

Suddenly, the body count begins to rise…and cops, residents, and figures of authority are concerned. Is ol’ Fred back? What’s going on?

Freddy vs. Jason had no business being this fun. It could’ve been a total train wreck, but is surprisingly fun.