American Nightmare (film)
A pianist hunts for his missing sister in a seedy urban underworld.
American Nightmare is a 1983 Canadian slasher film directed by Don McBrearty. It features the feature film debut of Alexandra Paul and was executive-produced by Paul Lynch, who had previously directed Prom Night (1980). The screenplay, influenced by rising crime rates in American cities, follows a pianist investigating his sister's disappearance amid a series of murders targeting sex workers.
Quick Facts
- Director
- Don McBrearty
- Producer
- Ray Sager
- Screenplay
- John Sheppard
- Story
- John Gault; Steven Blake
- Starring
- Lawrence Day
- Lora Staley
- Lenore Zann
- Michael Ironside
- Larry Aubrey
- Music
- Paul Zaza
- Cinematography
- Daniel Hainey
- Editing
- Ian McBride
Facts from the source article.
Did You Know?
- Film scholar André Loiselle identifies the film as a North American variation on the Italian giallo film.
- Writer Denis Meikle notes that the screenplay borrows several elements from the Jack the Ripper murders.
Plot
In a large unnamed American city during winter, a prostitute named Isabelle is killed in a hotel room by a john wearing latex gloves and using a straight razor. Her brother Eric, a concert pianist, arrives after receiving an incoherent letter from her. Isabelle's transsexual neighbor Dolly tells Eric that Isabelle worked as a stripper and prostitute under the name Tanya and has been missing for days. Eric seeks help from his estranged father Hamilton Blake, CEO of Blake Industries, who refuses and dismisses Isabelle's lifestyle. Eric visits the strip club where Isabelle worked and speaks to dancers Louise and Andrea. Andrea is later murdered in her bathtub by the same assailant, who slashes her wrists and drowns her; Dolly briefly spots the killer leaving. The death is ruled a suicide, but Louise doubts it. Eric traces calls from Isabelle's apartment to a cheap hotel.
Release
American Nightmare opened theatrically in Edmonton on March 18, 1983, through Pan-Canadian Film Distributors. It aired on television in the United States on May 10, 1983, with distribution by Manos Films Limited. The film was released on VHS in the United States and Canada in June 1984 by Media Home Entertainment. Scorpion Releasing issued a DVD on November 6, 2012.
In his book Legacy of Blood: A Comprehensive Guide to Slasher Movies, Jim Harper wrote that the film is handled in traditional slasher style with stylistic flourishes. Scott Aaron Stine called it a seedy murder mystery that would interest fans of 1970s sleaze. Brett H. of Oh, the Horror! noted its decaying and seedy aspects. Jacob Helgren of Hysteria Lives! recommended the film.
Rhett Miller of Canuxploitation! described it as a uniquely Canadian perspective on American depravity, comparing it to the giallo genre's critique of urban decay.
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