IMDb RATING
5.6/10
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A mental patient embarks on a murder spree upon escaping from an institution.A mental patient embarks on a murder spree upon escaping from an institution.A mental patient embarks on a murder spree upon escaping from an institution.
John L. Watkins
- Man with Cigar
- (as John Watkins)
Bill Milling
- Paul Williamson
- (as William Milling)
William Kirksey
- George's Father
- (as William S. Kirksey)
Candese Marchese
- Candy, the Jogger
- (as Candy Marchese)
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaIn some sources Tom Savini is credited as the film's make-up effects artist and some video prints still bear his credit as "Special Effects Director." Based on Savini, he was only a consultant and threatened to sue over the use of his name to promote the film. Savini said that what he did consisted solely of advice: "I'd tell them that something needed to look more organic, or how something should be lit. But none of the effects work in the film is my own." Savini's name is excluded from the credits in the subsequent Blu-ray releases (U.S. "35th Anniversary Edition" from Code Red and the UK release from 88 Films).
- GoofsAccording to his patient record displayed on the computer screen, George suffers from "schizophernia" (spelling error).
- Quotes
Man with Cigar: SORRY? You lose a dangerously psychotic patient from a secret experimental drug program, and all you can say is "I'm sorry"?
- Alternate versionsThe original UK cinema version was heavily cut by the BBFC with edits made to closeups of throat slitting and repeated stabs during the telephone murder, the pick axe killing, and axe blows (including blood frothing from a man's head) during the climactic flashback. The film was then listed and banned as an official video nasty, and a successful prosecution was brought against the distributing company World of Video 2000 in 1984 for releasing an unauthorized video version (which was 1 min longer than the cut cinema print). The film was finally granted a video certificate in 2002 though the print submitted was an edited U.S version, which restores the ice pick murder and around 1 minute of dialogue scenes but still has edits to the throat slashing/stabbing scene and some brief cuts to the climactic flashback nightmare murder. Finally in 2015 was the uncut version given an 18 rating from BBFC.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Terror on Tape (1985)
- SoundtracksNecessary Evil
Sung by Those Northern Women
Music and Lyrics by Jack Eric Williams
Featured review
Caught this at an Arizona drive-in, back about 1983. It truly bothered some of my friends, but we all thought it was better than the co-feature, "Happy Birthday To Me". I hunted for quite a while looking for this, and finally found it at a Pawn shop in St. Paul, on VHS. Guess some folks have also been looking, and it is on DVD as "Nightmares In A Damaged Brain". But the disc runs about 94 minutes, and is missing some gory highlights, as well as a few touches of plot. the one you want was just "Nightmare", and runs about 98 minutes. the version you want came from 21st Century releasing, and is worth the hunt, if this is your sort of thriller. I wish everyone good luck, but I'm not giving mine up.
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