Frightmare (1983)

Director:

Norman Thaddeus Vane

Writer:

Norman Thaddeus Vane (writer)

Release Date:

September 1983 (USA)

Genre:

Horror

Tagline:

There is no escape, not even death...

Plot:

Drama students decide to pay tribute to their favorite horror star by stealing his body from his crypt for a farewell party...

Plot Keywords:

Crematorium | Supernatural Power | Medium | Murder | Grave Robbing

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Ferdy Mayne	...	Conrad Radzoff (as Ferdinand Mayne)
Luca Bercovici	...	Saint
Nita Talbot	...	Mrs. Rohmer
Leon Askin	...	Wolfgang
Jennifer Starrett	...	Meg
Barbara Pilavin	...	Etta Radzoff
Alan Stock	...	Oscar
Twyla Littleton	...	Actress in Commercial
Joe Witherell	...	Crewman
Janet Lee Orcutt	...	Script Girl
Carlene Olson	...	Eve
Scott Thomson	...	Bobo
Donna McDaniel	...	Donna
Jeffrey Combs	...	Stu
Peter Kastner	...	Commercial Director

Also Known As:

Body Snatchers (UK) (video title)
Horror Star (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

86 min | France:95 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:K-18 | Australia:R | France:-12 | Norway:18 | UK:18 | USA:R | Iceland:(Banned)

Filming Locations:

Glendale, California, USA

Company:

Screenwriters

Trivia:

Jeffrey Combs was cast principally because a brunette was needed to match the prop head made for the decapitation scene.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: During a scene towards the end of the movie where Conrad is walking up a staircase towards Stu, a hose can be seen spraying fog on the stairs.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Monster Squad (1987)

This Has to Be Christopher Lee's Worst Nightmare!

One of the last surviving horror screen greats - Conrad Radzoff - dies and has his body placed in a mausoleum with televised-before-death snippets of the great Conrad greeting you as you visit. Unfortunately for him and his captors, Conrad's body is "borrowed" by a gang of four boys and three girls and taken to a huge manor where they drink with him, toast him, dance with him, laugh with and at him, and then put him to bed in a casket which just happens to by lying in a room upstairs. News of the missing body reaches Radzoff's widow and her friend(who happens to be proficient in the black arts) and she holds some kind of ceremony that brings Conrad back to life so he can, in his own words, get "an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth." Well, Frightmare is an interesting "bad" film. Sure, it is cheap. The sets look like they were borrowed(which I am sure they were). The special effects and blood and guts are done liberally and with little credibility. The acting is average to below average with a few exceptions. Jeffrey Combs of Re-Animator fame is in tow, but really he does little in this rather thankless role as a horror obsessed teen that needs to steal a dead man's body for kicks. None of the "kids" except the pretty girl playing Meg is any good. Nita Talbot plays the "friend" of the Radzoffs with withering interest. Also, look for the big - I mean big - guy that plays the policeman. That is Porky himself of Porkys fame. But thankfully for all of us, one performance does rise above the material. Ferdy Mayne, an oft overlooked actor from Germany who had Christopher Lee features and did star as a vampire in The Fearless Vampire Killers, does a more than commendable job as the aging horror icon in public life and a real demon of a man in private life. Conrad Radzoff in a bad human being in life, living solely for his own pleasures and we see him kill twice before he is even dead(obviously none of the swinging teens at that point). Mayne is able to look very regal, speak very elegantly, and convey menace with ease. If for no other reason, one should see Frightmare for his performance. I do; however, believe that when they showed black and white clips of Radzoff that they used Christopher Lee footage(anyone have any thoughts?). Anyway, one can guess what happens and it does indeed: Radzoff goes out and goes after the kids that disturbed his peace. Again, the formula is trite and overused. The acting for the most part is anemic, and the direction oh so ridiculous. But Mayne gives a good performance in a sea of ineptitude. Definitely worth a little peek. Watching Mayne keep popping up on screens in his mausoleum brought a wry smile to my lips each time.