Nightmares (1983 film)
Four urban legends become terrifying reality.
Nightmares is a 1983 American horror anthology film directed by Joseph Sargent. It consists of four short films based on urban legends, originally filmed as a two-hour pilot for a proposed NBC television series. The film is notable for its blend of supernatural and psychological horror, featuring segments on a backseat killer, a video game that consumes a player, a demonic truck, and a giant rat.
Quick Facts
- Director
- Joseph Sargent
- Producer
- Christopher Crowe
- Writer
- Jeffrey Bloom · Christopher Crowe
- Starring
- Emilio Estevez / Cristina Raines / Lance Henriksen / Richard Masur / Veronica Cartwright
- Music
- Craig Safan
- Cinematography
- Mario DeLeo · Gerald Perry Kinnerman
- Editing
- Michael Brown · Rod Stephens
- Studio
- Universal Pictures
- Released
- 9 September 1983
- Runtime
- 99 minutes
- Country
- United States
- Language
- English
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Nightmares was initially filmed in late 1982 as a two-hour pilot for a proposed series to be aired by NBC during its 1983-84 television season, but Universal Pictures executives decided to release it as a theatrical film instead. It has been a long-held belief that the four segments were initially conceived and shot for ABC's thriller anthology series Darkroom, but were deemed too intense for television. The film's segments are based on urban legends: 'Terror in Topanga' involves a woman encountering a killer in her backseat; 'The Bishop of Battle' follows a video game-addicted teenager consumed by his game; 'The Benediction' features a fallen priest stalked by a pickup truck from hell; and 'Night of the Rat' depicts a suburban family battling a giant rat.
Reader's Guide
Nightmares holds significance as a horror anthology that adapts urban legends into distinct, self-contained stories. Its production history is marked by uncertainty: originally conceived as a television pilot, it was instead released theatrically. The film's segments explore themes of obsession, faith, and domestic terror, with the 'Bishop of Battle' segment presaging later fears of video game addiction and virtual reality. The 'Night of the Rat' segment introduces a creature with psychokinetic and telepathic abilities, adding a supernatural layer to a household pest. The film's legacy includes its home media releases on VHS and Betamax in the 1980s, and later on DVD by Anchor Bay Entertainment. The article notes the unresolved belief that the segments were originally made for Darkroom, contributing to the film's mystique.
Did You Know?
- It has been a long-held belief that the four segments were initially conceived for ABC's Darkroom but deemed too intense for television.
- In 'The Bishop of Battle,' the arcade cabinet falls apart, and The Bishop of Battle's voice rings out, commending J.J. The Bishop of Battle soon appears, drawing closer and closer to a terrified J.J.
- The 'Night of the Rat' segment features a creature called 'The Devil Rodent' that can communicate telepathically.
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