Nightmare in Chicago (1964) (TV)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Director:

Robert Altman

Writers:

William P. McGivern (novel)
Donald Moessinger (writer)

Release Date:

2 April 1964 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama

Plot Keywords:

Serial Killer | Based On Novel

Cast

Andrew Duggan
Charles McGraw
Michael Murphy
Carroll O'Connor
Robert Ridgely
Ted Knight
Philip Abbott
Mary Frann
Ron Masak
Barbara Turner
Charlene Lee
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Bruce Gray
Jan Marsh	...	Background dancer

Also Known As:

Once Upon a Savage Night

Runtime:

81 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Company:

Roncom Films

Trivia:

This television movie was originally broadcast as an episode of "Kraft Suspense Theatre" (1963), one of the three episodes that Robert Altman directed.

A Must-See. Really!!

I cannot believe this movie has fallen into complete obscurity - never available on VHS or DVD here or abroad - the only place I could find it was as a $15 bootleg on ebay (it was worth every penny). The movie is really an accomplished piece of work. Director Altman shot most of the movie at night on location in the dark Chicago alleyways, highways, and desolate Illinois highway overpass "oases." The daytime scenes were shot in cheap industrial sepia tones that give even those scenes a creepy home-movie feeling (similar to "Last House on the Left"). As a resident of Chicago, I believe the movie caught the feel of the area terrifically.

This appears to be one of the first serial killer films which portray events from the point-of-view of the murderer. Though I can be a jaded viewer of films like this, the entire movie held me hypnotized by its eeriness, and I really couldn't believe I was watching a movie made in 1964 - it seemed way ahead of its time, in both its subject matter and technique. It has the aura of a strange experimental film (many of Altman's peak '70s films were virtually experimental films with big budgets and studio backing), yet the experiment is a complete success.

The only real drawback to the movie is a parallel plot thread following a government nuclear missile convoy on the tri-state highway that coincides with the female murder victims. This storyline probably ratcheted up the Cold War-era tension and paranoia in viewers when the movie was released in 1964, but it seems a bit dated now. Beyond that, the movie seems as fresh today as it probably was in '64.

A historical footnote: the composer is billed as "Johnny Williams", who is actually non-other than the prolific film composer John Williams, composer of "Star Wars" and countless Spielberg films. This was one of his first composing gigs, and his music even then had what would become his trademark orchestral feel.

With the critical acclaim Altman has received in the 40 years since this movie was released (he must have been a relative unknown back then), it really baffles the mind that this minor masterpiece has hardly been seen since. I felt true excitement after watching this for the first time, and felt compelled to write a review here - the film is a lost treasure from one of the greatest American filmmakers of the past half century, and it is just begging for a proper DVD release with a commentary by Altman on his experiences putting it together.