Movies-TV

A waste of good film reel

No offense to the actors, but this film isn't worth the tape it's preserved on. What saves this film from the dregs of cheesy horror films are two things: a couple excellent death scenes (two words: the fan), and good actors. If you're a fan of Jennifer Rubin or the incomparable Dean Cameron, you'll be pleased to see these two get a large share of the airtime. If you're looking for plot, though, you'll be sorely disappointed. Cameron would get it three stars, but the general inconsistencies and basic lousiness of the film cost it one of those stars.

Underrated horror movie

Bad Dreams (1988) Directed by: Andrew Fleming Story by: Andrew Fleming & Michael Dick & P.J Pettiete & Yuri Zeltster Screenplay by: Andrew Fleming and Steven E De Souza Review: Bad Dreams is a late 80's horror movie that's often overlooked, it's got some good performances from Bruce Abbot, Jennifer Rubin and Richard Lynch. The rest of the cast do a pretty good job too.The movie does have a few similarities to A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: The Dream Warriors such has the burnt villain, the mental hospital and patients. The film has some pretty good FX such has the burnt body of Harris (Richard Lynch) and the gore effects. The Plot:A young girl named Cyinthia (Jennifer Rubin) is a part of a love cult called Unity Fields who one day commit mass suicide by setting themselves on fire. Cyinthia is the only survivor and after 13 years she comes out of a coma and finds herself in a mental hospital. Her memories of what happened are suppressed but with the help of Dr. Alex Karmen (Bruce Abbot) she slowly begins to remember. Soon she begins to see Harris who tells her to join them otherwise someone else will take her place until she accepts. Has her fellow patients in the group begin to commit there own suicides it's only a matter of time before Harris will come to claim her soul, could Harris be back from the dead or could there be another explanation to Cyinthina's Bad Dreams.Overall:Bad Dreams is a underrated horror movie that should be seen. It's got an interesting plot, good gore and make up effects, good performances and a great twist at the end. Check this film out.

Definite ELM STREET Clone Though Not Bad

BAD DREAMS is an okay horror that has a premise that pretty much tries to cash in on the Elm Street success. BAD DREAMS tries hard to be an original and stylish rip-off of the ELM STREET movies, but instead turns into garbled tedious rubbish. Richard Lynch, however, is perfectly cast and as usual makes for a sturdy villian. The deaths were cool, the special effects pretty cool, and the plot passable at best. The plot was a bit heavy handed though and was given too much plodding treatment. Though no one could deny that this is an ELM STREET clone, one could argue at best whether it was a stylish one or not. **1/2out of****For a not bad film that is worth at least one viewing.

From one dangerous mind control cult to another

A young women survives one death cult's mass suicide only to awaken from a coma 13 years later in the clutches of an even bigger death cult, modern psychiatry. The death cult she escaped sought Unity via self-immolation while the death cult of psychiatry seeks to cause her to self destruct through the miracle of modern pharmaceuticals.I didn't like this movie when I first saw it because the add campaign portrayed the Richard Lynch character as the next Freddy Kruger or Michael Myers but this is not really the case. This is really quite a smart psychological thriller with some gore and dark humor thrown in. Anyone who enjoys these elements will probably find something to like in this film.

A hooror flick who scares your pants off.

A spectacular film about a sect who burn themself in a house. Cynthia survives, and have been in coma for thirteen years. The mad sect leader comes back for her in the hospital, and the hunt begins. Many pasients gets slayed in bizarre ways, but it still keeps its thrill, and doese'nt get grose.

a good dream for horror fans

Well anyone out there who loves a great old horror film need not look further than bad dreams. A well scripted horror film made by great production company and a great director in Andrew flemming.
This is a sleeper of a horror missed by many but a must have in any horror collection along side great horrors such as Near dark, Vamp, the Third Exorcist film, the burning and Rosemarys killer that many horror fans may have missed.

If you liked Elm st 3 you will love this title

"Great Freakin' Movie"

I would definitely have 2 say, i expected alot less from this film, but I'm glad i did... It was "GREAT", very gorey & lots of action! I may have dozed off for a couple of minutes, but when i think of it... I was drunk outta my mind & it had to be at least 4 in the morning!! ENJOY!!!
LMAO
>:D

Only for viewers into cheap, ugly thrillers...

Ghastly horror item, which may have represented a dead-end for the slasher genre before Wes Craven revived it in the '90s, has cult-suicide survivor Jennifer Rubin spending thirteen years in a coma, only to awaken to a bizarre rash of deaths in her hospital ward. Although Jennifer shows promise in her role, and Susan Ruttan does well in a small part as a mental patient, this cruddy-looking B-flick is far more unpleasant than scary--what with tasteless asides, cheap effects, and googly-eyed Richard Lynch attempting to pull a Jim Jones. Good supporting players E.G. Daily, Damita Jo Freeman and Harris Yulin are sadly wasted. NO STARS from ****

not bad 80's horror flick

A young girl is part of a cult in some time period where they play the Chambers Brothers and Electric Prunes, and that would mean the 60's, right? I think so. The cult is run by a Jim Jones wannabe named Harris and his loyal brainwashed followers allow him to douse them with gas and they all go off to their next lives. Except for this young girl who miraculously was saved from the flames and rescued. Fast forward 13 years later and here's where you run into credibility problems a bit because it's 1988..and she's still pretty young and attractive for being in a coma for 13 years. Seems that the past is still around to haunt her though because she sees Harris about everywhere she turns and he's stalking the others in her group in the mental hospital in which she's staying. Her doctor is apparently not helping matters much either, but his assistant takes her under his wing and tries to make things a little better. OK, there's a few credibility gaps and plot holes here but this is still a decent sort of slasher flick, although not necessarily in the traditional sense. It also doesn't overstay its welcome by going on too long. There's a lot of good dream sequences and flashbacks and hallucinations to keep you wondering too. I saw this in the theater years ago & have always liked it, now it's on DVD & I can say that it still holds up well. 8 out of 10.

Bad Dreams

A influential cult leader, reminiscent of Jim Jones, Harris(Richard Lynch)seduces his communal group of worshipers to take part in a suicidal fire pact which explodes the house they live in..but, one survives, Cynthia(Jennifer Rubin)who awakens twenty years later to the care of Dr. Berrisford(Harris Yulin). Spending her days in a mental hospital without any family to speak of, Cynthis attempts to revive memories of her past before the house fire which took the lives of those she cared about. Her memories will assist the police in closing a case long spent open as Detective Wasserman(Sy Richardson), working the scene at that time, remains convinced that Cynthia's not the victim she seems to be. His feelings are assisted when members of Cynthia's therapy group, each known for suicidal tendencies, each begin killing themselves, with her nearby, believing she's a possible catalyst as to their sudden decisions to end it all under grisly circumstances. Before each member of her therapy group dies, Cynthia is either visited by Harris(..either as he was in the 60's or with charred burnt flesh)or sees him following them. Her assigned psychiatric physician, Dr. Alex Karmen(Bruce Abbott), doesn't believe in Cynthia's bogeyman manifesting from her nightmares to kill members of her therapy group and is convinced there's another type of motivation causing the strange suicides which have began to emerge. Karmen pursue the truth with odd resistance from his own superior, Berrisford, as Cynthia slowly falls prey to her hallucinations(..or are they?) of Harris who beckons to join his unity where those she once knew await her on the other side. If she doesn't end her own life Harris will continue to take souls..it's up to her.Slippery thriller, almost completely set in the mental hospital, where the viewer is to guess whether what Cynthia sees(..nightmare man, Harris, who pops up often to spook her)is real or a product of fantasy fueled by something malicious. Rubin's beauty is used rather well as she's often running around in a gown, conflicted and confused about her present mental state. Great villainous heavy Richard Lynch has a tailor-made star vehicle, often showcased in terrifying burn make-up, as the supposed supernatural killer causing the patients under Karmen's care to off themselves. Berrisford's philosophy and unorthodox methods of treatment for the patients under Karmen's care is of the utmost importance to the plot, but it's subtly infused within the story. While the similarities to "Nightmare on Elm Street" are striking(..Part 3 in particular which also starred Rubin in her first film and was set in a mental hospital), "Bad Dreams" ultimate twist at the end pries it apart from the Freddy Krueger franchise. Still, I imagine many will shrug their shoulders at this film as merely a rip from the franchise being that it concerns a nightmare man, with a burnt face no less, terrorizing Rubin. The title doesn't help the film's cause either. The film has a strong cast with Abbott(..fresh off the heels of "Re-Animator"), Yulin, as usual portraying the quietly malevolent and untrustworthy type of character who reeks of malicious intent, and Dean Cameron(Summer School)as a jokester with a nasty streak that explodes into violent rage at the very end when alone with Cynthia. Those familiar with Susan Barnes sweetheart in LA Law will find her very profane and confrontational patient Connie quite a polar opposite(..or polarizing, to be more specific). The gore is limited but there are inspired sequences of violence such as what one patient does to himself with surgical scalpels, the aftermath of a couple who decide to hurl themselves into the hospital turbines(..lots of blood spray spurting from ventilation shafts leave quite a lasting impression), and a suicidal leap onto the steps from an upper floor window. But, Lynch's burn make-up delivers the ultra-creepy goods. I think despite seeming unoriginal and rather familiar(derivative), "Bad Dreams" remains quite entertaining as the plot plays out and all the pieces fall into place. And, if anything, you have Lynch's tour-de-force performance to enjoy. Great little kill-fantasy played out in Karmen's mind after Berrisford fires him.

Dreams ain't bad enough

A perfect example of the late-80s mediocrity that all but killed the horror genre. A young cult member (Jennifer Rubin)is almost killed in a mass suicide. She lays in a coma for several years, and when she awakens, she is plagued with images of the Cult Leader (Richard Lynch)reaching out for her from beyond the grave. A totally unspectacular film that has only the always interesting Harris Yulin to recommend it. The story is pedestrian, and the film is directed by Andrew Fleming, who would later bring us The Craft, in a wholly unimaginative manner. A few last act surprises are thrown in at the end, but structurally they occur just where you'd expect them. It is writing of the most formulaic variety. The film was released in the era of A Nightmare on Elm Street, and the original ad campaign promoted the film as a new take off on that series. And in some of the film's narrative conceits, you can spot the influence of those films. Yet, although this is more competent than that series was at its worst, even (or especially)the worst Elm Street film expressed more flailing ambition and memorable vulgarity than this very witless film ever comes close to.

Underrated Entertainment!

"Bad Dreams" came out around the same time as Nightmare on Elm Street and is very much a product of the 80s and horror filmmaking style at that time. The film tell the story of the sole survivor of an interesting hippielike commune/cult led by a David Koreshish type leader.

Yet "Bad Dreams" is a cut above for many reasons. The first being that the film is filled with surrealistic arresting images-in particular, the house where the mass suicide took place is an intriguing looking building, tragically beautiful.

Secondly, "Bad Dreams" encompasses a fascinating character in the African American female mental patient who frequently says mysterious and pseudo religious things and seems to be the only one who knows whats going on.

Thirdly, the acting by all involved is really superior to what you find in most horror films. Rubin is especially good at emoting and I am mystified why I never heard of her before I rented this film.

Lastly, I think most viewers miss an interesting touch in the film, at one point, Cynthia is sitting in the grass turned around in the exact same pose as the painting by Andrew Wyeth "Christina's World"! It was a really awesome touch that I think may go unappreciated by those not farmiliar with this painting.

In short, "Bad Dreams" is a must see, with a great twist ending also. A must for any horror fan or suspense lover.

A good film in there somewhere

Hmmmmmmm. A burnt villain? A psych ward group slowly being killed? A sympathetic male doctor? Jennifer Rubin? Hey, this sounds exactly like A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 3: DREAM WARRIORS! And that is probably exactly what 20th Century Fox was hoping audiences would think with this attempt to cash in on the late 80s ELM STREET craze. It is too bad because hidden somewhere in BAD DREAMS is a good horror movie.With four writers getting a "story by" credit, BAD DREAMS reeks of shaping a object to fit the mold. Credited screenwriters Stephen de Souza and director Andrew Fleming present a fairly engaging mystery of a crazed doctor who is experimenting with various drugs on his patients to prove his theories on insanity. Unfortunately they unfold it in a scenario so similar to the third ELM STREET film that one wonders if litigation was ever pursued. Nowhere is this attempt more obvious than the sure to evoke Kruger title of BAD DREAMS. Shame no one in the film actually experiences bad dreams because all of the psychotic reactions are to drug induced hallucinations. I guess BAD HALLUCINATIONS didn't test well? The fact that nothing in this film comes off as original mars the plot's better aspects.To its credit, BAD DREAMS features a great cast. Female lead Rubin, last seen in A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 3 (!), may have hurt the film's chances of originality even more but she is good in her role. The casting of Richard Lynch as the cult leader is interesting if you know his back story. While under the influence of LSD in the 60s, Lynch actually did set himself on fire. Inspired casting or exploitation? You be the judge but Lynch is really creepy in the role. He keeps the character of cult leader Harris very sinister, something the ELM STREET series had long since abandoned with Freddy. Director Fleming should also get credit for casting Harris Yulin as the evil doctor. Yulin has very similar features to Lynch so it work well in the context of the story (Rubin sees Lynch in her hallucinations when it is really Yulin). Bruce Abbott, coming off his previous stint as a med student in RE-ANIMATOR (1985), graduates to a full fledged doctor and shows he is capable of carrying a studio backed feature, big sweaters notwithstanding. Perhaps the film's best performance is Dean Cameron as psychotic patient Ralph. Probably best known as horror fan "Chainsaw," Cameron delivers some well timed sardonic comedy (a lot of which was improvised according to his website).On top of the acting, BAD DREAMS is a very well made film. Fleming has a nice visual style and handles the scares well. In fact, I would argue this is a better made film than most of the ELM STREET sequels (and it was actually made for less). Both the cinematography and editing are top notch. All of the murders are well staged with the 70s fire/suicide being the highlight. In terms of horror films, Fleming went on to direct the well received THE CRAFT a few years later. In addition to a creepy score by Jay Ferguson, The Chamber Brother's "Time Has Come Today" is used effectively through out the film to evoke the 70s.Unfotunately this experiment in flattery didn't get very far with audiences, raking in only $9 million at the box office. A paltry sum when compared to the previous year's A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 3 ($44 million) or the same year's A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 4 ($49 million). It may not be true in the real world, but in the cinematic world Robert Englund can take Richard Lynch any day. As it stands, BAD DREAMS is a time capsule to remind genre fans how much influence Wes Craven's creation had back in the day.

Beware all Scalpels & Turbine Blades!

"Bad Dreams" is a story that is so horribly bad that is only great for a Friday nite when nothing else is on cable! Each character is quite irksome that you love to see them get bumped-off by madman Harris (Richard Lynch)! The horrendous parking lot hit-&-run scene between two rival doctors at the mental hospital is totally laughable because it's just so darn ludicrous! Also, Dean Cameron's character having a scalpel-happy, self-mutilation episode is just plain sicko (yikes!)

* * * out of 4

Years after being the soul survivor of cult leader Harris, (Richard Lynch) mass suicide, Cynthia, (Jennifer Rubin) wakes up from a coma and is placed into a group therapy session by her psychiatrist, Dr. Berrisford, (Harris Yulin) under the care of Dr. Alex Karmen, (Bruce Abbott) to adjust her to the new era. After being in a few sessions, she is able to recover her memories of what happened at the commune, which brings about a series of weird visions about Harris and her past. These convince her that he's back, which the staff doesn't believe her stories until a series of deaths strike the residents. Finally believing her story, they race to save her before Harris finds her.Good premise with good acting, but I was really confused why the movie ended randomly. Great movie though.Rated R.

A Movie That Affects Just Certain People

Well, the first time I saw this movie I literally became obsessed with the whole cult tragedy story, mainly because I was very young and looking for movies to satisfy me, but as I've gotten older, I can still say that this movie is one of my favorite scary, weirdy, "Halloween Mood" movies. I mean, it goes from the time this little girl was involved in a mass suicide (she survived) of course and then, it goes to 14 years later and she's still haunted by her past experiences. I guess with a movie like this, you can create your own kind of story line because it never said why she was in the cult group to begin with, so you can kind of make up a story of your own. But anyway, I thought it was a great movie, not because it was Academy Award winning acting nor did it have an extremely intellectual plot, but I liked it because it was good at a certain time of my life and now I can look at that film, and remember myself always! Ha!

The doctor's are crazier then the patients in this hospital!

***SPOILERS*** Top rate production values make "Bad Dreams" a notch or two above the average blood-splatter horror movie with a fine and very convincing performance by Jennifer Rubin as Cynthia a Wacco-like, this in a film that was made some five years before the tragedy at Wacco ever even happened, cult survivor who ended up in a coma that lasted for 13 years.Being put in a mental clinic for borderline personalities Cynthia is suddenly visited by her former and dead cult Guru Harris,Richard Lynch, who died together with his cult followers in a flaming holocaust, that he started, back at their cult headquarters or home in 1975. Harris sometimes appearing to look normal or in other scenes looking like an undercooked barbecue spear rib keeps popping up with only Cynthia seeing him. You like Cynthia don't exactly know if your in the real world or some kind of dream world with a number of scenes in the film making no sense at all looking like their spaced-out or drug-induced hallucinations.Every time that Harris shows up one of the patient's at the hospital ends up killing themselves which causes Cynthia to feel guilty that she's alive and, like Harris keeps telling her, wan't to join him in the world beyond. Dr. Alex Karman, Bruce Abbot, takes a very personal interest in Cynthia's mental condition and wan't to have her put into another hospital where she can get far better treatment then in the clinic that she's now but his boss Dr. Berrisford, Harris Yulin, overrules him. Dr, Karman checking out Dr. Berrisford's treatment of his patient's soon comes to realize that he's purposely treating them with highly toxic and dangerous drugs that's diving them to madness insanity and eventually suicide. Dr. Berrisford is replacing Harris, Cynthia former Guru, with himself as her both lord and master. Dr. Berrisford is obsessed with cult leaders like Harris and his ability to have his followers do anything that he wan't them to do including kill themselves or kill anyone that he would order them to. This all seems to be the ultimate power trip for Berrisford, That's if he can achieve it with the use of strong psychedelic drugs.It takes a while to get used to the constant flashbacks and psychic visions in the movie but when you start to get the hang of it you just go with the flow and don't get distracted by Harris and his constant surprise appearances, as a human being or a swiss crisp rib stake. There's a series of really gruesome, real and imaginary, scenes in the film that will shock you out of your seat, or skin. The real surprise in the film is saved for the final few minutes where Dr. Karman, finally realizing what's going on behind the scenes in the clinic, has it out with the crazed and determined psycho Dr. Berrisford, on top of the hospital roof. Both battle it out in a life and death struggle over the life and soul of a very spaced out and detached from reality Cynthia.

Damn good movie!

Jennifer Rubin, Dean Cameron, and the rest of the cast had amazing chemistry that really came through in the final product.

This movie is, indeed, a cut above the rest as it doesn't explain everything to the letter as other movies do. For me, that's what ruins the mystery and the chances of me watching it again.

What drew me the most to this movie was the soundtrack. Nothing like hearing The Chambers Brothers "Time Has Come Today" (during the initial suicide scene and when Cynthia revisited the horror awake and alseep) as well as "I Had Too Much to Dream Last Night" by The Electric Prunes (played as the ambulance took Cynthia away from the scene at the very beginning of the movie).

This movie is definitely worth watching many times.

Bad Dreams an original film.

I suppose this movie would have to be classified as a horror/thriller. It has plenty of thrills and manages to keep one on the edge of his seat. Jennifer Rubin and Bruce Abbott have plenty of onscreen chemistry and both their characters' relationship can be quite touching at times, particularly at the end of the film. Richard Lynch is absolutely perfect as the David Koresh-like Harris, who leads his devout, yet very confused followers, to their flaming deaths. It's the seventies clashing with the eighties as Cynthia (Jennifer Rubin) wakes up from a thirteen year coma in a psychiatric facility she was brought to back in 1973. I won't tell you the rest, I wouldn't want to give the plot away. I'll tell you this, for an eighties flick, Bad Dreams is certainly original. I loved it and I'm sure many of you out there will enjoy this one as well. See it for yourselves, you won't be sorry.

You'd be Stupid to Fall for the Marketing of "Bad Dreams"

So what do I do; I BUY THE MOVIE!!! Luckily for me, this movie isn't nearly as bad as I had feared. The prominent feeling surrounding this flick is deception. Heck, even the cover art is misleading; that picture never happens in the film. People who hate "Bad Dreams" wanted a "Nightmare on Elm Street" monster/slasher. I was open for anything since buying this was an after-thought. When this finally ended, I was pleasantly surprised. But before I deceive you into thinking this is cinematic brilliance, we should look deeper...

(I don't know if I can review this without spoiling it in some way, even though I will never say anything specific about anything that happens in the movie)

-AN AMALGAM OF SUB-GENRE
That's my favorite new word; "amalgam". It happens to work well here. You see, what you see is not exactly what you get, but what you get is worth seeing. At one point in this film you might sneer at the attempt at a "Freddy Krueger" re-hash. When the various modes of killing start, you might suspect a twist of `The Omen" has been tossed in. However, when it's all said and done, you were completely deceived and surprisingly, it all makes sense.

-DEATH BE NOT PROUD.
If that last bit sounds intriguing, don't get too excited. I'm going to temper things a bit. Yes, there are some unusual modes of death, but you don't really get to see them all and they aren't particularly creative. Usually, the gore is saved for the aftermath. There are some graphic gore moments but they're not what you'd expect or are accustom to. Regardless, there is a lot of blood and some very uncomfortable violence that is disturbing even if it's not all that realistic. And as long as we are in the gore mode, I should let you know there is no nudity at all. You will probably be thankful for this since most of the characters wouldn't do it for you anyway.

-MOSTLY UNREMARKABLE.
The actors in this film are ok. Nobody stands out. They dutifully do their jobs without adverse or advantageous affect. They simply move the plot along in convincing enough fashion. The camera work is standard fare with no groundbreaking or note worthy shots. It looks a lot like other movies made in the late 80s; very clean and unremarkable. Visually, the story is told in a very straightforward way. I didn't notice the music, which isn't a bad thing. It mostly stays out of the way while still preserving an uneasy mood. The story, however, was different and a complete surprise. I wasn't sure it started that way, but that's where it ended up.

-HANG ON SLOOPY!!
And hang and hang and hang. Perhaps the thing that bugged me most about "Bad Dreams" other than the really bad title was the ending. Not necessarily how the story played out, but how the action played out. We get some human stamina and endurance plausibility issues as well as shirking the laws of physics. As it is done in this film, it has been done in dozens of other films. I never liked when it happens, ever. I can only forgive this to a certain level as a bad choice. An endless number of other scenarios could have put plausibility in a better position without changing the plot at all. Despite this, the ending is a stunner for those with an open mind and a huge disappointment for those with the wrong expectations.

-WHAT EXPECTATIONS MIGHT THOSE BE, EK?
Don't go into this film looking for a monster/slasher. This is a psychological mystery in the most literal sense. It has plenty of creepy moments but is not particularly scary. The blood and gore is present and a bit overdone at times, but still amps up the fun a little bit since the pace is just a little slow. Even though it's not a mile-a-minute horror film, "Bad Dreams" was always interesting for me. My recommendations are very specific for this film.
-you're not looking for the typical 80s slasher.
-You don't mind a slightly slow pace and moderate character development.
-You don't expect any ground breaking visuals.
-You like to be surprised by the story.

Though not a great film, the story is unique for the time it was made and may surprise you even today. A good rental for sure.

-Story.....4.5 Stars
-Acting...3.5 Stars
-Gore......3.5 Stars
-Visuals...3.5 Stars
-E=MC2..2.5 Stars

Average= 3.5 Stars (amazon really needs more stars)