Twisted Nightmare

Last updated
Twisted Nightmare
Twisted Nightmare poster.jpg
Theatrical poster
Directed byPaul Hunt
Written byPaul Hunt
Produced bySandy Horowitz
StarringRhonda Gray
Cleve Hall
Robert Padilla
Cinematography Gary Graver
Paul Hunt
Edited byAllen Persselin
Music byBruce Wallenstein
Production
company
Distributed byUnited Filmmakers [1]
Release dates
  • September 14, 1988 (1988-09-14)(New York City) [1]
  • November 4, 1988 (1988-11-04)(Los Angeles) [1]
Running time
94 minutes [1]
CountryUnited States [1]
LanguageEnglish

Twisted Nightmare is a 1988 American supernatural slasher film written and directed by Paul Hunt and starring Rhonda Gray, Cleve Hall, and Robert Padilla. Its plot follows a group of young people who return to a summer camp they attended in their youth, and are killed off by a hulking killer.

Contents

Plot

Laura receives a letter notifying her she has won a free weekend trip to Camp Paradise, a summer camp she attended as a child. She and her new boyfriend Shawn arrive at the camp, and Laura is reunited with a group of her old friends; among them are Jennifer, Laura, and Tak; and couples Nicole and Jerome; Gus and Sylvia; Ken and Julie; and Dean and Cheri. Laura is reluctant to be at the camp, as her developmentally disabled brother Matthew died there under mysterious circumstances two years prior. During the party, Sylvia and Gus are attacked and murdered in an outlying barn by a hulking, monstrous killer—Sylvia is hanged with a rope, while Gus has his arm torn off.

The next morning, Dean announces that he and Cheri are leaving, as he is suspicious of the "free weekend" letters they received. While the remaining others go for a hike, Ken and Julie remain at the main house. Ken goes to search for Kane, the Native American groundskeeper, to inquire about Matthew's death; meanwhile Julie finds Gus and Sylvia's bodies. She frantically phones the local sheriff, Elmer Goodes, but the phone disconnects, and she is killed outside. Meanwhile, while Tak and Shawn are hunting, Tak recounts Matthew's death: He explains how, two years ago, some of the group teased Matthew for allegedly being gay. Matthew entered the barn, where his body spontaneously combusted, after which he fled into the woods, engulfed in flames. His body was never recovered.

Back at the house, Ken returns and is unable to find Julie, but finds Kane in the barn, who threatens him with a shotgun. Ken flees, but gets caught on a bear trap in the woods before having his throat slashed by the killer. Jennifer and Laura return from hiking, and Laura begins cutting herself in the bathroom before taking a shower. Jennifer is trapped in the icehouse by the killer, while, Nicole, Jeff, Gerome, and Nancy go to the camp sauna. As Nancy and Jeff have sex outside the sauna, the killer impales them with a pole before bludgeoning Nancy with a hammer, and Jerome with hot stones.

Kane finds Shawn and Tak in the woods, and implores them to leave; he explains that his grandfather, a medicine man, cursed the land after it was taken over by Anglo settlers, and that mysterious deaths have since occurred there, particularly in the barn. Shawn and Tak are subsequently confronted by the killer in the woods, and flee back to the main house. Tak frees Jennifer from the icehouse, but is murdered by the killer. Jennifer manages to escape toward the barn. Meanwhile, as Sheriff Goodes drives toward the camp to investigate the call he received, he finds Dean and Cheri walking along a road; they explain that their car broke down. Goodes drives them back, and begins searching the property. Upon finding the bodies at the sauna, Goodes is decapitated. Back at the house, Dean searches for the others outside, armed with a rifle, but is confronted by the killer, who summons a bolt of lightning which electrocutes him to death. The killer subsequently impales Cheri on mounted deer antlers inside the house.

Outside the barn, Shawn witnesses Kane strangling Laura, and shoots him. After, Laura smiles and confesses that she orchestrated the reunion of the group to punish them for what they did to Matthew. Suddenly, a decayed and burned Matthew appears. Shawn attempts to kill him, but is unable to, and Matthew stabs Shawn to death with a pitchfork. Jennifer, who has observed the attack through the barn window, screams in horror. Kane knocks over several gasoline-filled barrels inside the barn before lighting a match, blowing up the barn with himself, Laura, and Matthew inside. Jennifer, the lone survivor, escapes in the sheriff's car. As Jennifer drives away, the flames engulfing the barn vanish and it is restored to its original form.

Cast

Production

The screenplay for Twisted Nightmare was copyrighted under its working title, Ancient Evil, on July 1, 1987. [1] The film's opening titles erroneously date the copyright as 1982; this contradicts the 1987 copyright at the film's end credits, as well as a March 6, 1987 listing in Variety . [1] The film was shot by writer-director Paul Hunt and cinematographer Gary Graver, [1] who had previously worked as a cinematographer for Orson Welles on The Other Side of the Wind . [2]

Release

Twisted Nightmare was released regionally in the United States on May 20, 1988, and later premiered in New York City on September 14, and in Los Angeles on November 4. [1]

Home media

The film was released on VHS on March 29, 1989. [3] It premiered on Blu-ray in May 2017 by Code Red. [4]

Critical reception

Upon the film's Los Angeles premiere, Chris Willman of the Los Angeles Times called the film "an absolutely bottom-of-the-barrel spookfest about a killer and some evil Indian spirits terrorizing fornicating young folks at a summer camp. Surely there's a more intriguing story behind how this sleepy slimeball of a horror film ever earned a theatrical release than there is in the senseless plot line itself". [5]

Related Research Articles

<i>Wes Cravens New Nightmare</i> 1994 film by Wes Craven

Wes Craven's New Nightmare is a 1994 American meta supernatural horror film written and directed by Wes Craven, creator of 1984's A Nightmare on Elm Street. A standalone film and the seventh installment in the A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise, it is not part of the same continuity as previous films, instead portraying Freddy Krueger as a fictional movie villain who invades the real world and haunts the cast and crew involved in the making of the films about him. In the film, Freddy is depicted as closer to what Craven originally intended, being much more menacing and less comical, with an updated attire and appearance.

<i>I Still Know What You Did Last Summer</i> 1998 film by Danny Cannon

I Still Know What You Did Last Summer is a 1998 slasher film directed by Danny Cannon and written by Trey Callaway. Jennifer Love Hewitt, Freddie Prinze Jr. and Muse Watson reprise their roles, with Brandy, Mekhi Phifer and Matthew Settle joining the cast. It is the second installment in the I Know What You Did Last Summer franchise. The film takes place one year after the events of I Know What You Did Last Summer. It received negative reviews and grossed $40 million on a budget of $24–65 million. A direct-to-video sequel, I'll Always Know What You Did Last Summer, was released in 2006.

<i>Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives</i> 1986 film by Tom McLoughlin

Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives is a 1986 American slasher film written and directed by Tom McLoughlin, and starring Thom Mathews, Jennifer Cooke, David Kagen, and C.J. Graham. It is a sequel to Friday the 13th: A New Beginning (1985) and the sixth installment in the Friday the 13th franchise, being the last one to feature Tommy Jarvis (Mathews) as the protagonist. Continuing from the events of the previous film, the plot follows Tommy after he accidentally resurrects mass murderer Jason Voorhees (Graham) while attempting to destroy his body to ensure he will not return. While Jason returns to Crystal Lake for another killing spree, Tommy must overcome his fear of the masked killer that has haunted him for years and find a way to stop him once and for all.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sylvia Young Theatre School</span> Private day and boarding school in London, England

Sylvia Young Theatre School is an independent school in Marble Arch, London, England. It is a specialist performing arts school named after its founder and principal, Sylvia Young OBE.

<i>Dont Go in the Woods</i> (1981 film) 1981 American slasher film directed by James Bryan

Don't Go in the Woods is a 1981 American slasher film directed by James Bryan and written by Garth Eliassen. The film follows four campers confronted by a murderous woodsman slaying hikers on a wooded mountainside. It is one of the infamous "video nasties" banned in the United Kingdom in the 1980s.

<i>A Nightmare on Elm Street</i> 1984 American slasher film by Wes Craven

A Nightmare on Elm Street is a 1984 American supernatural slasher film written and directed by Wes Craven and produced by Robert Shaye. It is the first installment in the A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise and stars Heather Langenkamp, John Saxon, Ronee Blakley, Robert Englund as Freddy Krueger, and Johnny Depp in his film debut. The film's plot concerns a group of teenagers who are targeted by Krueger, an undead child killer who can murder people through their dreams, as retribution against their parents who burned him alive.

<i>A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors</i> 1987 film by Chuck Russell

A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors is a 1987 American fantasy slasher film directed by Chuck Russell in his feature directorial debut. The story was developed by Wes Craven and Bruce Wagner and is the third installment in the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise and stars Heather Langenkamp, Patricia Arquette, Larry Fishburne, Priscilla Pointer, Craig Wasson, and Robert Englund as Freddy Krueger. Nancy Thompson, now a psychiatrist, and Kristen, a patient who can bring others into her own dreams, team up with other kids to launch a daring rescue into the dreamland and save a child from Freddy Krueger.

<i>Ladybugs</i> (film) 1992 film by Sidney J. Furie

Ladybugs is a 1992 American sports-comedy film starring Rodney Dangerfield and directed by Sidney J. Furie. Dangerfield plays a Denver businessman who takes over a girls soccer team that the company he works for sponsors. The film also stars Jackée Harry as his assistant coach, Ilene Graff as his girlfriend, Jonathan Brandis as his girlfriend's son, and Vinessa Shaw as his boss' daughter.

<i>Shocker</i> (film) 1989 film by Wes Craven

Shocker is a 1989 American supernatural slasher film written and directed by Wes Craven, and starring Michael Murphy, Peter Berg, Cami Cooper, and Mitch Pileggi. The film was released by Universal Pictures on October 27, 1989, and grossed $16.6 million.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kristen Parker</span> Film character from the A Nightmare on Elm Street series

Kristen Parker is a character from the A Nightmare on Elm Street series. She is a co-protagonist and final girl of the third film of the series A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors and the false protagonist in the following film A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master, and has appeared in various merchandise as well. She is played by actress Patricia Arquette in Dream Warriors and Tuesday Knight in The Dream Master. She is the central member of the titular Dream Warriors, seven teens who have to learn to fight as a group in order to survive their spectral tormentor, enigmatic murderer Freddy Krueger, and has the ability to bring others into her dreams as well as being an Olympic-level acrobat in her dreams.

<i>The Prey</i> (1983 film) 1983 American film

The Prey is a 1983 American slasher film directed by Edwin Brown, and starring Debbie Thureson, Steve Bond, Lori Lethin, and Jackie Coogan. It follows a group of campers in the Rocky Mountains who are stalked and murdered by a disfigured assailant.

<i>The Pool Boys</i> 2008 American comedy film

The Pool Boys is a 2011 American comedy film directed by James B. Rogers. It stars Matthew Lillard, Brett Davern, Rachelle Lefèvre, Efren Ramirez and Tom Arnold.

<i>Plump Fiction</i> 1997 American film

Plump Fiction is a 1997 American parody film written and directed by Bob Koherr and produced by Rhino Entertainment. It is a spoof of mid-1990s films in general, and violent, convoluted films more specifically; the overall story is a send-up of 1994's Pulp Fiction, complete with intertitles and an out-of-sequence storyline, with other movies such as Reservoir Dogs and Natural Born Killers also parodied.

<i>The Barrens</i> (film) 2012 American film

The Barrens is a 2012 American horror film written and directed by Darren Lynn Bousman and starring Stephen Moyer and Mia Kirshner.

<i>Bells of Capistrano</i> 1942 film

Bells of Capistrano is a 1942 American Western film directed by William Morgan and starring Gene Autry, Smiley Burnette, and Virginia Grey. Written by Lawrence Kimble, it is a story of a singing cowboy who helps out a beautiful rodeo owner when her competitor gets too rough. The film features the popular songs "Forgive Me", "At Sundown", "In Old Capistrano", and "Don't Bite The Hand That's Feeding You". Bells of Capistrano was Autry's final film before entering the service for World War II.

<i>Death Spa</i> 1988 American film

Death Spa is a 1988 American supernatural slasher film directed by Michael Fischa and starring William Bumiller, Brenda Bakke, Merritt Butrick, Ken Foree, Karyn Parsons, Rosalind Cash, and Vanessa Bell Calloway. Its plot follows a series of mysterious deaths occurring in a high-tech Los Angeles health spa, resulting from the spirit of the owner's deceased wife, who possesses the club's intricate computer system.

<i>Are You There God? Its Me, Margaret.</i> (film) 2023 film by Kelly Fremon Craig

Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. is a 2023 American coming-of-age comedy drama film written and directed by Kelly Fremon Craig, based on the 1970 novel of the same name by Judy Blume. The film stars Abby Ryder Fortson as the title character, along with Rachel McAdams, Elle Graham, Benny Safdie, and Kathy Bates.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "Twisted Nightmare". American Film Institute Catalog . Retrieved March 12, 2018.
  2. Nelson, Valerie J. (November 19, 2006). "Gary Graver, 68; maverick cinematographer tried to complete Orson Welles' final film". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 12, 2018.
  3. "Twisted Nightmare". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved March 12, 2018.
  4. "Twisted Nightmare Blu-ray". Blu-ray.com. Retrieved March 12, 2018.
  5. Willman, Chris (November 8, 1988). "MOVIE REVIEW : 'Twisted Nightmare' Writhes in Its Twisted Plot". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved March 12, 2018.