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.
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.