American Nightmare Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.0
Audio		3.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		3.5

American Nightmare Blu-ray Movie Review

American Nightmare is an underrated horror film from the video-store era. Produced by Richard T. Carey (Suburban Nightmare, Hallow’s End) and Jon Keeyes, American Nightmare stars Scream Queen Debbie Rochon. The supporting cast includes Brandy Little, Johnny Sneed, Chris Ryan, Robert McCollum, Kristin McCollum, Heather Haase, Kenyon Holmes, and Rebecca Stacey.

Nightmares sometimes arrive when one least expects them. On a spooky Halloween night, callers are phoning in to a local radio DJ’s request with stories of their secret fears and nightmares. The dark stories shared over-the-air become new nightmares when a serial killer decides to reenact the fears of the radio callers.

With four college students now found dead, the killer decides to set forth on a new mission and bring more nightmarish games to the table – stalking victims one-by-one. Jane Toppan (Debbie Rochon) is determined to take out her victims at every turn of the night. Can anyone survive the psychopathic terror of Jane? Or will everyone end their journey… with an American nightmare.

The best thing about American Nightmare is the performance by Debbie Rochon. Rochon has a lot of fun with her role and she clearly enjoys the part enormously. There is a sense of passion to the part and the performance is more enthusiastic and entertaining as a result. Fans of Rochon should certainly consider checking out the film for her performance as it’s a special one for the actress – significant to her career and filmography.

There are some decent production elements and American Nightmare looks better than it’s low-budget might suggest. The production design by Troy Blevins and Lowen Shivers isn’t the most sophisticated but it does feel appropriate for a horror-film of the era. The art direction by Eric Whitney (Hallow’s End, Suburban Nightmare) isn’t a total home run, either – but given the film’s budget it looks decent for a genre production. The costumes designed by Debra Knotts are effective for the characters and there are some sexy costumes for Debbie Rochon.

The cinematography by Brad Walker (Hallow’s End, Suburban Nightmare) is dark and gothic during some segments. In other scenes, the cinematography is a bit static looking and appears to resemble the type of cheerful bright visuals on an episode of a sitcom. As a result, American Nightmare is a mixed bag visually and it’s not as impressive in this regard.

The score composed by Peter Gannon (Satellite) and David Rosenblad (Hallow’s End, Mad Bad) doesn’t make much of an impression but it doesn’t hamper things much either – the music could be a little bit better but it’s not too bad. The score is a decent backdrop for the film. Perfect? No. It does add some ambiance, though.

Edited by Robert J. Castaldo (Night Vision, Hallow’s End), American Nightmare is a decent film but it feels like it could have used some more refined editing at times. Castaldo did a decent job here but there’s also a sense of the film being a bit overlong even with its relatively brief running time. An imperfect edit.

Written and directed by Jon Keeyes (Suburban Nightmare, Hallow’s End), American Nightmare is fun and it offers some nice entertainment as a horror film. The filmmaking never feels too ambitious or refined but for an independent low-budget horror film one gets the sense that Keeyes still has a vision – something to build towards – to make the film worth seeing. American Nightmare gained a small cult following as a horror film and it makes sense why some audiences gravitate towards it. There’s some decent entertainment to be had and the lead villain makes the film well worth seeing. It’s underrated, despite some otherwise average production elements.

American Nightmare Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Released on Blu-ray by Terror Vision, American Nightmare is presented in 1080i MPEG-4 AVC encoded high-definition. The feature- film has received an upscale of the footage. The release is sourced from a new upscale of a 2K transfer from the original 16mm film. The transfer was supervised by director Keeyes' for the Terror Vision home-video presentation. The presentation looks a bit uneven with segments of the film looking slightly more filmic than others – there's a clear video-quality like appearance to the presentation and it certainly underwhelms. The transfer isn't a home run but consideration must be given to the director's involvement with the presentation. Is the source an especially ideal one? No, it is not, and the transfer has clear limitations. Colors look somewhat muted and aren't as robust as ideal. The inherent softness of the image isn't going to impress anyone too much but it's passable given the unavailability of better elements.

American Nightmare Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The audio is presented in English uncompressed PCM 2.0 stereo. The audio sounds average-at-best on the release. Dialogue is clear and is well reproduced. The score is integrated well within the sound mixing. The track doesn't demonstrate the kind of high fidelity one expects or hopes for when the elements are superior. Unfortunately, the source audio sounds limited and expectations need to be tempered.

American Nightmare Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The release comes with a gorgeously designed o-card slipcover and package design. The slipcover itself has excellent artwork – it immediately captures attention and draws one in to the world of the film. A great cover art. The inner art features more key art (different from the slip design) and this element makes the package feel extra special in hand. A nice and nostalgic trip back to the video store era.

The release includes a booklet featuring writing by star Debbie Rochon, Terror Vision's Brad Henderson, and Fangoria's Michael Gingold. The booklet is a great inclusion for the American Nightmare release and it adds to the video-store era quality of the Terror Vison releases and the boutique label's vision for distributing both classic and under-seen horror and genre films. Well-worth reading.

American Nightmare was a video-store staple when originally released and it has gained a cult following over the years. The booklet certainly has some nice writings by Rochon about her role and approach to her performance. Henderson offers some nice nostalgia about the video- store experience and the importance of the Terror Vision boutique Blu-ray label and the company's vision. Gingold provides an insightful article about Rochon's roles and her part in American Nightmare. There is no doubt in my mind that fans will appreciate the thoughts shared with these essays.

On disc supplements include:

Audio Commentary

Dreaming a Nightmare: The Making of American Nightmare (SD, 25:12) explores the making-of the feature- film.

20 Years Later (HD, 1:06:31) provides some reflection on the legacy of American Nightmare and the significance of the feature-film.

The Legacy of Jane Toppan (HD, 10:22)

Trailer (HD, 1:16) promoting the release of American Nightmare.

Ghoultown Still Gallery (HD, 13:23)

Rehearsal Footage (SD, 13:42) showing some behind-the-scenes material for die-hard fans to explore.

Debbie at Cinema Arts Centre by Alexia Anastasio (HD, 23:33)

Caligari Sound Files (HD, 25:55)

American Nightmare Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

American Nightmare is a fun gothic horror film with a worthwhile performance by star Debbie Rochon. Rochon has fun with the killer role and certainly enjoys the part – chewing up the role with all of her unique weirdness. The film is a bit underrated and has developed a decent cult following as a genre film. Fans of Debbie Rochon and American Nightmare will be pleased to find a release with a nice selection of bonus features and a gorgeous collectible o-card slipcover, too. The release comes with a booklet offering some nice writings by star Debbie Rochon, Terror Vision's Brad Henderson, and Fangoria's Michael Gingold as well. American Nightmare is worth checking out and Terror Vision has put together a package fans will be pleased to own and display on their shelf.