Sam Panico Everyone likes to proclaim that the world is so much worse today than it ever has been. If you feel that way and weren't alive for the 1970s, allow me to debase you of this notion. The "Me Decade" was full of random violence, the fuel crisis, Three Mile Island, Watergate, Son of Sam, the end of Manson, Zodiac and religious orders that some would proclaim as cults, from the Process Church and the Moonies to Jonestown. We don't really have a modern analogue for these fringe groups that would spring up from time to time because it seems like the Hale-Bopp comet wiped the last of these off the planet.That's the world that Bad Dreams takes place in. In 1975, the Unity Fields cult decides to commit mass suicide by setting themselves on fire under the command of their leader, Franklin Harris (Richard Lynch of Invasion U.S.A., Sword and the Sorceror, Rob Zombie's Halloween and God Told Me To). Only one person survives, Cynthia (Jennifer Rubin, Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors), who still a kid when Harris set everyone on fire. She's been in a coma for over 13 years before she awakens to flashbacks of Harris being interviewed on a TV program. The final thing she sees is his face telling her that she belongs to him and he'd be coming back to take her life. This entire sequence is really well edited, showing how the cult's teachings had been accepted by every member, intercut with Cynthia being wheeled through a hospital as doctors struggle to save her life, all to the ominous strains of The Electric Prunes' "I Had Too Much to Dream Last Night."After awakening, Cynthia attends experimental group therapy sessions for borderline personality disorder, led by Dr. Alex Karmen (Bruce Abbott, the Re-Animator films). As she becomes more aware, she begins to remember more and more — including the thirty other people who died from dousing themselves in gasoline. Worse, she sees a burned and scarred Harris when she's trapped in an elevator, who reminds her that she is his property.What follows is an insane scene that shows the parallels between group therapy and cult behavior, as the discussion room becomes Unity Fields and Cynthia watches everyone ladle gasoline onto one another. Again, another hint is dropped that Cynthia is a "love child," as her mother is also part of the cult. One by one, the members walk to the front of the room and are baptized with gasoline, before Harris takes handfuls of the fuel and coats himself before lighting the room on fire. What starts as a peaceful embrace of death quickly turns into horror, as entire families go up in a blaze of pain, flames, and screams. Finally, Harris reappears to tell Cynthia that she and she alone screwed up and that her entire family is waiting for her, as they cannot move on without her death.Every waking moment is caught between reality and flashback, as even a simple shower brings back the violent baptism that brought Cynthia into Unity Fields. Directly after, another patient, one who wanted to know more about Unity's message, drowns herself in the pool. Another patient (the only one who has been nice to Cynthia) named Miriam attempts to escape the hospital. Helping her to an elevator, Cynthia waves goodbye, only to see Harris smiling and waving back. She gives chase, only to find Miriam's purse left behind…as Miriam jumps from a window, sending blood and glass all over the pavement.Read more at www.thatsnotcurrent.com/drugs-cults-burned- svengalis-bad-dreams-1988/

Predrag The film tell the story of the sole survivor of an interesting hippie-like commune/cult led by a David Koreshish type leader. Yet "Bad Dreams" is a cut above for many reasons. The first being that the film is filled with surrealistic arresting images-in particular, the house where the mass suicide took place is an intriguing looking building, tragically beautiful. Secondly, "Bad Dreams" encompasses a fascinating character in the African American female mental patient who frequently says mysterious and pseudo religious things and seems to be the only one who knows whats going on. Thirdly, the acting by all involved is really superior to what you find in most horror films. Rubin is especially good at emoting and I am mystified why I never heard of her before I watched this film.This movie actually, was more a psychological thriller than it was a horror, yet it had elements of both which is what I like in a movie. I want to be challenged more in my mind than I want to be scared out of my wits. This is why Bad Dreams scores on all fronts. Bruce Abbott does well as the young psychiatrist who counsels his seven patients. It was written, produced and directed well. I can think of no flaws in the movie. The attention to detail was flawless like when after the blood sprays all over the hospital in later scenes you see workers scrubbing the blood from the floors and walls and ventilation shafts. That was realistic! They did not just assume that the blood was gone. Jennifer Rubin's portrayal of Cynthia, a naive yet scared girl hit on all cylinders. I so wish that she had not given up acting. She was by far one of the best actresses of her generation. From A Woman Her Men and a Futon to "Miami Vice," she could do it all and she shines bright in this psychological-horror movie. See the movie for her portrayal alone.Overall rating: 7 out of 10.

robocopssadside-1 Cynthia (Jennifer Rubin, A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors) had 13 years of peace and security. Sadly, these years took place while she was in a coma. When she awakens from her long lapse, she is at loss with the world; and simply is not ready for the 80's. She finds herself in a mental hospital with an extremely vivid group of crazies. Quickly, Cynthia tries to convince Dr. Alex Karmen (Bruce Abbott, Re-Animator) that she does not belong there. However, he feels letting her problems out during group sessions will help her prepare from a fresh start. Sorry to say, it does not take long for Harris (Richard Lynch, Invasion U.S.A.), the sadistic organizer of "Unity" to come for Cynthia; and take her to a new light after death.Now first off, yes. Bad Dreams is a certainly not a unique story; but this is actually a movie that takes from others and succeeds, if not surpasses in creativity. The opening shot is purely an introduction of the cult itself and the suicide. Both aspects will haunt Cynthia for the duration of the film. Harris returns to her for one simple motive, because she survived. He wants her to join them in eternal bliss by killing herself. As long as she refuses to rejoin with "Unity", a mental patient from the hospital will take her place in perfect harmony.This was the first film director Andrew Fleming (The Craft) tagged under his belt; and the movie has many interesting shots to offer. Flashbacks and old video documentations of the "Unity" cult are shown brilliantly, leaping back and forth from close ups of Harris' face to his brainwashed followers. The flashbacks of him are mixed into video footage of interviews with the sect. Harris' supporters are realistically disturbing casting an emotionless glare in their eyes and so convinced that all they feel is love.The flashbacks that Cynthia has to undergo are the most unsettling. While in the middle of a group discussion at the hospital (Cynthia, Dr. Karmen and the crazies), she is whisked away back to the cult house, the day of the tragic event. She lives the nightmare twice. All of the group members surround the room doused in gasoline waiting for death. Anticipating what is past the dominion of life as the flames begin to spread over the carpet and hardwood floor. Then the fire attacks. Lovers clench one another as they burn. A father and his two sons hold each other tight as they melt away. Some are screaming in torture, others are crawling across the floor still believing they are headed some place special. In the center of all the carnage stands Harris in flames, taunting Cynthia to come with them. This is one of the most grisly scenes of Bad Dreams, and one of the best.Between the years 1987 and '88, Jennifer Rubin could not seem to stay away from mental hospitals, nor could she get rid of homicidal maniacs with a massive burn scab for a body. First, she did Elm Street 3 then this gem. She is no stranger to the horror genre, yet her performance ends up being only decent. Cynthia's character comes off a little hazy; a deeper perception of unstableness with herself, as well as things around her should have been made clearer. Overall, Rubin does enough to get the job done; she just does not stand out. Bruce Abbott plays Dr. Alex Karmen, and you can bet his degree did not come from Miskatonic Medical School. He grows a closer attachment to Cynthia than the rest of his patients; because he knows deep down she does not belong there. Abbott, like Rubin does a well enough job to keep the story sturdy, but nothing to write home about.Richard Lynch usually plays the villain in films, and he has the ability to do so effectively. Harris is still a different role for him, though. He manages to pull off being evil and menacing with a touch of passive serenity in unison. His appearance also comes in two flavors, regular or burnt to a crisp. That is right; Cynthia is haunted by visions of Harris in before and after the fire aspects. Lynch stands out here, and his significance in the role is one reason the movie succeeds. Dean Cameron (Summer School) plays Ralph, the most intriguing of all the patients. He is blatantly honest, and extremely on edge. When his tension builds, he cuts a whole in his body to release his anger in order to calm down. Anytime Cameron is on screen in Bad Dreams, he steals the show completely. This character alone gives the film a truly uneasy mood.The makeup FX are handled by Michele Burke (Terror Train, Bram Stoker's Dracula, Interview with the Vampire), and some gory suicide style deaths are presented. The greatest achievement is the makeup job on Richard Lynch, though. Harris makes Freddy Kruger look like a pretty face. He is totally barbecued from head to toe. The little additions throw this film to the top of the gross-out scale, though. His right ear hangs from his head by a tiny thread of skin, teeth burnt brown around the edges, and one of his eyes blinded white. Scorched skin all over his face and skull are slightly peeled and curled up, like burning newspaper around wood in a fireplace. This character is no joke, and Burke did a fantastic job at making him horrendous as possible.Somehow, Bad Dreams manages to be unique, despite its similarities to Elm Street 3. Ultimately, it ends up being all together different, and refreshing.

Noel Barton Bad Dreams is a much better movie than it's given credit for. The problem is that it was a blatant attempt to cash in on the Nightmare On Elm St franchise and it's glaringly obvious, particularly with it's similarities to the third movie. I'll make my point with this list: 1. Bad guy gets burnt alive and comes back to haunt people in dreams (although in 'Bad Dreams' it's more hallucinations really so I don't know why they called it such other than to attract Elm St fans.) 2. Both 'Bad Dreams' and Elm St 3 are set in very similar looking hospitals where they have "group sessions" and one of the patients is played by Jennifer Rubin. The patients begin to see visions/dreams of a burnt man before dying.3. At one point needing a hall pass is mentioned which sounded like a reference to Elm St 1.4. A doctor in this is the same actor who plays a doctor in Elm St 1.5. In Elm St 3 Phillip falls from a high window to his death which appears like a suicide. The same happens with a character in this movie and the music in each of these two scenes are strikingly similar.I'm sure there were others but you get the picture. Otherwise they're really very different movies. Bad Dreams lacks the imaginative dream sequences and really over the top fantastic deaths of Elm St 3 but it plays things very seriously and a result is at least a much scarier horror movie. The villain is played by Richard Lynch which is the most perfect piece of casting as he looks scary to start with; you see visions of him both burnt and not burnt and the not burnt ones are actually scarier! What I don't understand is why they created so many similarities to Elm St 1 and 3 as the movie is very strong in it's own right and by the end you realise it has little in common otherwise. Maybe it was the production company asking for a new Elm St style movie so they tried a little too hard to please them. Maybe if it wasn't for the similarities this movie would be considered a classic. In any case, this is an underrated 80's horror gem with a great plot and scarier than average.