It's no Elm Street, but great fun nonetheless
Added 9/30/2009
Bad Dreams is some decent 80's horror that seems to borrow a bit from A Nightmare on Elm Street 3 - Dream Warriors, and coincidentally it stars Jennifer Rubin of the the same movie. After a cult engages in a mass suicide, the lone survivor spends the next 13 years in a coma. When she awakes in the mental ward, she begins having "bad dreams" about her cult leader, Harris, coming back to claim her like he did her fellow cult members. In her struggle to escape Harris, he begins driving all of the other patients to commit suicide in her place. Or maybe there's a more simple explanation behind what's happening at this hospital.
Bad Dreams is a fun time, but nothing too special. It finds a good balance between being serious, gory, and incorporating goofy humor, (see the parking lot scene). It was also nice to see Bruce Abbott of the Re-Animator series in another horror movie, though he wasn't nearly as good in this as he was in those movies. The only thing that really disappointing here was the total cop out ending, you'll have to see it for yourself to know what I mean.
A good time waster, recommended for 80's horror fanatics.
1 out of 1 people found this helpful.
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Ham acting at its worst!
Added 1/27/2009
After watching this schlock, I realized my mistake. I actually bought this nonsense and thought it was a scary movie! Boy was I wrong this flick isn't good enough to scrape mud off the bottom of my shoes! If for some reason this movie is ever bought by anyone for a scare look someplace else. I guarantee you'll be laughing more than actually being scared!
0 out of 1 people found this helpful.
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"Great Freakin' Movie"
Added 1/8/2009
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
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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Bad Dreams
Added 12/2/2008
WOW, never thought I would ever find this movie Thank You Amazon I will be buying from you again. A lot of my freinds that I have showen it to , say that its one the best there have seen. THANKS
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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You'd be Stupid to Fall for the Marketing of "Bad Dreams"
Added 10/13/2008
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)
2 out of 3 people found this helpful.
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It's no Elm Street, but great fun nonetheless
Added 9/30/2009
Bad Dreams is some decent 80's horror that seems to borrow a bit from A Nightmare on Elm Street 3 - Dream Warriors, and coincidentally it stars Jennifer Rubin of the the same movie. After a cult engages in a mass suicide, the lone survivor spends the next 13 years in a coma. When she awakes in the mental ward, she begins having "bad dreams" about her cult leader, Harris, coming back to claim her like he did her fellow cult members. In her struggle to escape Harris, he begins driving all of the other patients to commit suicide in her place. Or maybe there's a more simple explanation behind what's happening at this hospital.
Bad Dreams is a fun time, but nothing too special. It finds a good balance between being serious, gory, and incorporating goofy humor, (see the parking lot scene). It was also nice to see Bruce Abbott of the Re-Animator series in another horror movie, though he wasn't nearly as good in this as he was in those movies. The only thing that really disappointing here was the total cop out ending, you'll have to see it for yourself to know what I mean.
A good time waster, recommended for 80's horror fanatics.
1 out of 1 people found this helpful.
|
Ham acting at its worst!
Added 1/27/2009
After watching this schlock, I realized my mistake. I actually bought this nonsense and thought it was a scary movie! Boy was I wrong this flick isn't good enough to scrape mud off the bottom of my shoes! If for some reason this movie is ever bought by anyone for a scare look someplace else. I guarantee you'll be laughing more than actually being scared!
0 out of 1 people found this helpful.
|
"Great Freakin' Movie"
Added 1/8/2009
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
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
