Bad Dreams & Visiting Hours [DVD] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]

I got this package because I like Bad Dreams and I had never got round to Visiting Hours. A two birds with one click job.
BAD DREAMS.
One of the best examples of the post-Nighmare On Elm street slasher-like horror thrillers. The production values are good, the story is interesting and the actors do a great job. If you like late 80s horror this one fits with films like Retribution, in that avoids the then popular fashion for mixing horror and comedy. The extras are very good, with a making of doc, cast inteviews, trailers, comemntaries and an alternative ending.
VISITING HOURS.
I feel like a complete wazzock about film. I'm a slasher fan to the point where I've got copies of films like Fatal Games, Silent Madness and hundereds of others. Visiting Hours should have been a must. It comes highly recommended, was made in Canada with a good budget, has Micheal Ironside as the killer and came out at the height of the slasher boom, plus it was a video nasty! But somehow I didn't like the look of it. William Shatner and Lee Grant just screamed soap opera histrionics. I told myself I'll get round to it eventually and then found other things to watch. And then finally I did. It's a really really smart flick! Characters that are set up as slasher fodder, not only survive but are given the dignity of resourcefulness and common sense. A couple of the attacks took me by surprise and the killer is fleshed out without being one of those annoying angst ridden cry-babies you're supposed to feel sorry for. Honestly, it's one I wished I could say I grew up with or even had watched years ago. It's up there with The Prowler as one of the best.

The latest release from Shout Factory, their "Killer Double Feature," offers two great 80's slasher films. The pairing of the brilliantly entertaining Bad Dreams, and the underrated Michael Ironside picture Visiting Hours. Both films were previously released by Anchor Bay, I missed out on getting these two films before so I figured that I'd just get this double feature since it was much cheaper. Bad Dreams follows the story of Cynthia (Jennifer Rubin, who you might recognise from Nightmare on Elm Street part 3), the lone survivor from a mass suicide committed by a cult called "Unity Fields" in the 70's. Members covered themselves with gasoline, struck matches and burned themselves, and their house down to the ground, leaving only this young girl and a shattered psyche. 13 years later, we are thrust into her world. Awaking from a coma in a psyche ward, Cynthia must not only come to terms with her past, but also a rash of recent inmate suicides.

She also seems to be chased down by the apperition of the cult leader (Richard Lynch), who seeks revenge. With one hell of a sense of humor and some great scares, this is both a film paired with some great supporting material and some nice gore scenes, but also genuinely an entertaining horror flick. The best aspect of this film however has to be Andrew Fleming's direction, it was stylishly made and had a great atmosphere plus it had that guy from Re-Animator (Bruce Abbott) as one of the doctors. And then there are the supplements. What a collection. First off, the transfer is actually solid. The soundtrack plays wonderfully here, and visually, the transfer does more than its job. A commentary with Fleming is featured here, giving this release some real re-watchability, as it is both insightful and entertaining. There are also some solid interviews with the cast and some features on the film's effects, and its original ending. Toss in a trailer, and you have a killer half of this release

Now the second film Visiting Hours, while not as good as Bad Dreams, it still managed to be entertaining. Unlike Bad Dreams, it doesn't have any supernatural elements but is more of a straight forward slasher/thriller taking place in a hospital. Visiting Hours is a forgotten slasher film from Jean Claude Lord, and stars Lee Grant, William Shatner and Michael Ironside. The story follows a journalist who is out to end domestic abuse, only to find herself being stalked and attacked by a misogynistic serial killer played by Ironside. With herself put into a hospital, she must stay safe as her attacker attempts to finish what he started. The film was pretty slow paced, but there is enough violence to satisfy fans of horror cinema. Ironside gives a fine performance and is pretty believable as the creepy serial killer the rest of the cast is also impressive. The film is pretty creepy and suspenseful, so fans of slasher movies won't be disappointed. It was also made the same year as the similar "Halloween 2". Overall, I enjoyed this one and you should too, especially if you like slasher movies. unfortunately the transfer looks mediocre and there are trailers, radio spots and TV spots as its only features. This was a great dvd release, I have no doubt that slasher fans will enjoy this.