Frightmare (1983) Saturn International/Horror RT: 87 minutes Rated R (language, graphic violence, sexual content) Director: Norman Thaddeus Vane Screenplay: Norman Thaddeus Vane Music: Jerry Mosely Cinematography: Joel King Release date: September 9, 1983 (US) Cast: Ferdinand Mayne, Luca Bercovici, Nita Talbot, Leon Askin, Jennifer Starrett, Barbara Pilavin, Alan Stock, Carlene Olson, Scott Thomson, Donna McDaniel, Jeffrey Combs, Peter Kastner, Chuck Mitchell. Box Office: N/A
Rating: ***
As much as I enjoy Frightmare, I can’t deny it’s a frustrating viewing experience. It starts off strong with a great premise. It tells the tale of a has-been movie star who comes back from the dead after his corpse is stolen from his crypt by a group of film students. It loses momentum when it settles into a routine dead co-ed movie with the dead-alive actor picking off victims in a creepy old house. I get that what audiences wanted at the time. I have nothing at all against slasher movies. I love them. I’m just disappointed that writer-director Norman Thaddeus Vane (Club Life) couldn’t come up with something a little more creative. Still, Frightmare is pretty good.
Conrad Radzoff (Mayne, Howling II… Your Sister Is a Werewolf), at one time a respected actor in the horror genre, has reached the nadir of his long and distinguished career. He’s reduced to starring in a commercial for dentures. The director is what one might call “a cocky little prick”. In a display of the actor’s evil nature, he retaliates by casually pushing the young wannabe auteur off a balcony with his walking stick, killing him before a horrified crew. He then climbs into his limo and rides away as if nothing happened.
Conrad is in ill health and close to death. This is NOT bad news to those closest to him. Family members and friends can’t wait to see the last of him. He dies shortly after speaking to a group of film students at a retrospective of his movies. Obviously, he’s not going to go quietly into that good night. Conrad always has to have the last word. When his longtime director Wolfgang (Askin, Hogan’s Heroes) cruelly denounces him on his deathbed, he springs back to life long enough to smother the guy with a pillow before “dying” again.
After the funeral, the students come up with the brilliant idea of stealing his body from his mausoleum and taking him back to their place for an impromptu dinner party. Led by Saint (Bercovici, Parasite), the guys break in and are greeted by a video warning them of potential doom. Naturally, they ignore it and proceed with their twisted tribute to their favorite horror star. They put his coffin in their hearse- yes, they drive a hearse!- and take him back to their place. After a period of partying, they settle down for a night of casual sex. That’s when Conrad rises from the dead once more to pay back his hosts for their hospitality. Yep, it’s a blood bath!
In addition to Saint, the horror film bunch includes Meg (Starrett), Oscar (Stock, Poison Ivy), Donna (McDaniel, Angel), Bobo (Thomson, Police Academy), Eve (Olsen, Fraternity Row) and Stu (Combs, Re-Animator). Their names don’t matter too much since they seem to exist only as a group. However, they die grisly deaths. One victim has his tongue ripped out by Conrad. Another is burned to death. One victim is decapitated. Somebody is crushed to death. Sometimes it’s too dark to see clearly, but the decapitation scene is nice and bloody. As for their performances, they’re no better or worse than those in other slasher flicks.
The best performance in Frightmare comes from Mayne, of course. He camps it up to an infinite degree as a horror legend who brings to mind genre vets like Vincent Price, Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee. In fact, Lee was originally considered for the role. Of course, I doubt any of them are as vicious and evil as Conrad. BTW, I love that he’s dressed like a vampire complete with cape. Now that’s what I call a burial outfit! The cast also includes Nita Talbot (Night Shift) as a psychic friend of the widow Etta (Pilavin, A League of Their Own). They figure into an underdeveloped subplot about the search for the missing corpse.
One thing Frightmare has plenty of is atmosphere. It’s thick with it. I love the use of fog and smoke in and around the mansion. It adds a necessary element of classic horror. I wish the storyline was as strong as the aesthetics. I know it’s not particularly original, but why not have the deceased actor’s friends and family spend a night in his house in order to gain an inheritance of some kind? It sounds like B-movie gold to me. I’m not saying Frightmare is bad as is; I just think it could have been better. But why speak of what it could be? Let’s talk about what it actually is. The idea of the video monitor in Conrad’s crypt coming on at just the right moments is cool. The movie also benefits from a dark sense of humor. Once again, I refer you to the videos being shown in Conrad’s crypt.
The key word when it comes to Frightmare is camp. This movie is campy as hell. It’s made campier by the killer being the star of several campy old horror movies. It’s quite clever too. I’d love to love Frightmare, but I only like it. If it followed through on its early promise, it would be a different story. As it stands, it’s fun and enjoyable, but not the B-movie classic it should rightfully be.
