Nightmare Circus (1974)

User Rating:

2.0/10   

Director:

Alan Rudolph

Writers:

Alan Rudolph (writer)
Roman Valenti (writer)

Release Date:

August 1974 (USA)

Genre:

Horror

Tagline:

Captive young girls... chained... abused... by a Madman!

Plot:

Three showgirls on their way to Las Vegas have car trouble and are stuck all night out in the desert...

Plot Keywords:

Mutant | Psychopath | Nevada | Madman | Whipping

Cast

Andrew Prine	...	Andre
Manuela Thiess	...	Simone
Sherry Alberoni	...	Sheri
Gyl Roland	...	Corrine
Sheila Bromley	...	Mrs. Baynor
Gil Lamb	...	Mr. Alvarez
Al Cormier	...	Sheriff Stanford
Chuck Niles	...	Derek Moore
Jennifer Ashley	...	Flower Child
Laura Campbell	...	Laura
Sonja Dunson	...	Sonja
Karen Fredrik	...	Karene (as Karene Fredrik)
Lin Henson	...	Lin
Jolene Lontere	...	Crazy Girl
Jeane Manson	...	Jean (as Jean Manson)
Leslie Oliver	...	Leslie
Marlene Tracy	...	Marlene
Byrd Holland	...	Club Manager
Nick Archondo	...	1st Deputy
Bill Holman	...	2nd Deputy (as Billy Holmes)
Bernie Schwartz	...	1st Hunter
Bill Conway	...	2nd Hunter
David Miller	...	Highway Patrolman

Directed by
Alan Rudolph		(as Gerald Cormier)

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Alan Rudolph		writer
Roman Valenti		writer

Produced by
Marvin Almeas	....	associate producer
Shirlee F. Jamail	....	executive producer
Alan Rudolph	....	producer

Original Music by
Tommy Vig

Cinematography by
E. Lynn

Makeup Department
Douglas J. White	....	special makeup effects

Art Department
Stephane Goulet	....	property designer

Special Effects by
Byrd Holland	....	special effects

Stunts
David Keith	....	stunts

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Allan A. Apone	....	costumer

Production Companies

• CMC Pictures Corp.

Distributors

• Twin World (1975) (USA) (theatrical)
• Code Red DVD (2008) (worldwide) (DVD)
• AIR Video (1987) (USA) (VHS) (as "The Barn of the Naked Dead")
• Astro Distribution (2001) (Germany) (DVD)
• Legend House (2008) (USA) (DVD)
• Nostalgia Video (????) (USA) (VHS)
• Platinum Video (????) (Australia) (VHS)
• Regal Video (????) (USA) (VHS)

Also Known As:

Barn of the Naked Dead (USA) (reissue title)
Terror Circus

Runtime:

86 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:R

Company:

CMC Pictures Corp.

Trivia:

Star Andrew Prine has been quoted as saying, "This is the only movie I ever regretted making".

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Making the Cut: A Look Back at the Centerfold Girls (2009) (V)

Barn of the Fully-Clothed Dead?

Hey now, make no mistake, there is NO nudity in this movie, not even a little, but I guess Barn of the Fully-Clothed Dead would not have generated much interest. The cover is nice and lurid though, just like I like them. The movie is pretty much typical early 70's stuff. It's kind of creepy and atmospheric, with lots of desert scenery. Three "showgirls" are on their way to Vegas for a show, travelling in a P.O.S. Ford Station Wagon? Ford as in Found on Road Dead, that is. Because that's what it does, despite the fact that a gas station attendant tells them their thermostat needs replacing. Of course when the car breaks down they "don't know what's wrong with it"? OK. Anyway, a nice young man named Andre comes along and picks them up, of course he's not REALLY nice and takes them back to his barn so they can hang out with all the OTHER women that apparently didn't listen to the gas station attendants or however else they got there. This guy seems to be under the impression that the women are his own private little circus and they're trained animals. Cuckoo? You betcha. For extra fun there's a mutant in the toolshed too, which happens to be dear old dad after he wandered into a nuclear testing range. And he's not looking too good these days. Anyway, this is nothing great or superior, but if you're a fan of 70's drive in "horror" then you'll probably like this. I don't understand how this got an R rating though, maybe because of the abuse to women? But even that's relatively tame. Might be worth seeing once depending on what you like.