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 Dr
Harris (Richard Lynch), leader of the Unity Fields cult, gives
his followers a gasoline bath before torching the compound.
Love Child Cynthia (Jennifer Rubin) is the only survivor and
spends the next thirteen years in a coma. After awakening, Cynthia
is placed in the Borderline Personality Group to help her adjust
to life in the 80's. Before long, a crispy Harris returns with
an offer; join the cult on the other side or he will kill every
member of the group.
Bad
Dreams is Fox Studios' attempt at a Freddy Franchise. It's
almost painful to see the number of elements "borrowed" from
Nightmare on Elm Street 3. Just replace Craig Wasson
with Bruce Abbott and you have this film. This is sad because
there are a number of good performances in Bad Dreams.
Harris is a creepy villain because of Lynch's strong performance.
Rubin maintains a sense of childhood innocence throughout her
performance.
Writers
Andrew Fleming and Steven DeSouza do add a nice subplot to Love
Child. Everything Rubin's character loved and believed in turned
to ashes. How does one live in a world where hope is dead? There
is a real sense of lost innocence in these scenes. Another wise
choice is the absence of one-liners from Harris. Fleming's direction
is adequate, but he loses control of his lesser actors.
Fans
of 80's films will want to see this for the familiar faces.
Dean (Chainsaw from Summer School) Cameron does a good
job of balancing between humorous and manic. E.G. Daily spends
most of her screen time hiding behind her hair, but her character
is still sympathetic. Charles (the voice of Roger Rabbit)
Fleischer makes a cameo as Ron the Pharmacist. He gets to reveal
a big secret before palming a bottle of liquid pot. At the time
of its release, Gale Anne Hurd was seen as a super producer
with a golden touch.
Despite
the obvious similarities to Elm Street 3, Bad Dreams
is worth watching. This film has some gore, a large body count,
suspense, and a twist ending. Some may see Bad Dreams
as a studio's attempt at cashing-in on a hot trend, while others
may find a flawed gem.
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