Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.0

Nightmare Beach 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov August 1, 2024

Umberto Lenzi's "Nightmare Beach" (1989) arrives on 4K Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; video interview with composer Claudio Simonetti; and audio commentary by critic Samm Deighan. In English or Italian, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

Umberto Lenzi made Nightmare Beach under the alias Harry Kirkpatrick, and the cynic in me is willing to argue that he did so because he could not do it right. Here’s why: This film is a twofer -- one part of it is meant to appeal to folks that enjoy the traditional American spring break charmers, while the other part delivers the type of thrills and chills that ‘slasher’ fans enjoy. It is not a bad concept for a genre film, but Lenzi was the right director only for the second part. It is very easy to tell that it was so because in the second part he is a creator that brings in unique energy and atmosphere, while in the first part he is an imitator that borrows from other places. Oddly, right from the get-go, it feels like the imitator was the one that called all the shots and eventually put his stamp on the film. When Lenzi found out what had happened, it was probably too late to go back and fix the mess, so he just snubbed the imitator with the alias.

Spring break in Florida. The popular leader of a bad gang of bikers is arrested for murder, tried in court, and promptly sent to the electric chair. Everyone in the area breathes a sigh of relief, but the filled with anger bikers regroup and then begin terrorizing the local businesses and the many visitors who have arrived to enjoy the beautiful weather. During the confrontations a madman dressed in black begins electrocuting random partygoers and when someone discovers that the grave of the executed biker is empty, rumors begin to swirl around that he has returned.

But failed quarterback Skip (Nicolas De Toth), who has just lost his best friend, ignores the rumors and begins looking for the elusive madman. Along the way he also befriends the beautiful bartender Gail (Sarah Buxton), whose sister was killed by the vicious biker, and together they craft a plan to solve the mystery.

If the film was made exactly as the script dictated, then it is very fair to say that there wasn’t a lot of effort put into it. The mystery relies on a couple of basic misdirections that are so easy to dismiss that the suspense that is supposed to enhance the buildup never materializes. As a result, the only way in which the film can impress is by making the actual killing sequences look genuinely atmospheric and vile. The good news -- at least for folks that enjoy these types of thrills and chills -- is that Lenzi and his special effects guys make the madman’s appearances and killings look legit. The bad news is that everything else in the film looks like filler material.

Some of the silliest footage comes from a wild hotel, where hordes of drunk students and adventurous adults are supposedly having the time of their life. For example, some ‘businessman’ from out of town agrees to help a broke student continue her degree work with a fat check, but only after he spends the night in her room. Later on, a cowboy also becomes concerned about the girl’s education and stops by her room to hear more about her studies. A delusional minister (Lance LeGault) delivers a few totally random ‘truths’ about all the evil that spring break madness brings as well.

Old pros John Saxon and Michael Parks wander around doing their best to look concerned about the madman, but their talents are completely wasted. Needless to say, their characters are instantly forgettable.

Claudio Simonetti’s (Suspiria) soundtrack gives the film a touch of class, but it is not enough to hide its many flaws.

Nightmare Beach 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Kino Lorber's release of Nightmare Beach is a 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray combo pack. The 4K Blu-ray is Region-Free. However, the Blu-ray is Region-A "locked".

Please note that all screencaptures that appear with this article are taken from the 4K Blu-ray and downscaled to 1080p. Therefore, they do not accurately reflect the quality of the 4K content on the 4K Blu-ray disc.

Nightmare Beach entered Kino Lorber's catalog with this Blu-ray release in 2019. The 4K Blu-ray is sourced from the same 4K master that was used to produce the Blu-ray release. The native 4K presentation is not graded with Dolby Vision or HDR.

The overall quality of the 4K makeover is very good, and I think that the entire film has a very attractive organic appearance. In native 4K, delineation, clarity, and depth almost always gravitate around outstanding. A few darker areas have slightly thicker blacks that produce a bit of black crush, but I honestly do not think that this is an issue because the visuals there are still very strong. Color balance is convincing. I think that a few primaries are just a tad too warm, making the skin complexion of a few characters appear a bit creamy, but there are no troubling anomalies. Image stability is outstanding. The native 4K presentation produces tighter visuals with improved fluidity, so if you have a very large screen, it is definitely preferable over the 1080p presentation on the Blu-ray. My score is 4.75/5.00.

Nightmare Beach 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The original Blu-ray release of Nightmare Beach had English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 and Italian Dolby Digital 2.0 tracks. The 4K Blu-ray has four audio tracks: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0, English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, Italian DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0, and Italian DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. Optional English subtitles are provided.

I revisited the film with the English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track again, but quickly sampled the English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. In the areas that I sampled, I could not hear a meaningful discrepancy between the two. The beach contest and the elevator execution might be two areas where the 5.1 track opens up the dynamic field a little bit better, but I am unsure how one could tell without directly comparing the two tracks. I think that the DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track is perfect.

Nightmare Beach 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

4K BLU-RAY DISC

• Commentary - this audio commentary was recorded by critic Samm Deighan.

BLU-RAY DISC

• Commentary - this audio commentary was recorded by critic Samm Deighan.

• Nightmare Rock - in this program, composer Claudio Simonetti discusses his work in the film industry and the scoring of Nightmare Beach. In Italian, with imposed English subtitles. (16 min).

• Trailer - a remastered trailer for Nightmare Beach. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

Nightmare Beach 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Umberto Lenzi's name is attached to a lot of very good genre films that are rightfully considered cult classics. Nightmare Beach is not one of them. It is not a disappointing or bad film, it is just too predictable and lacking the great energy that make Lenzi's good films memorable. Kino Lorber's combo pack offers a solid native 4K presentation of Nightmare Beach with a couple of new audio options. If you enjoy Nightmare Beach, consider picking it up. RECOMMENDED only to the fans.