Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.5

Nightmare Sisters Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf October 30, 2016

Feeling the urge to bang out another feature after working on a series of B-movies such as “Sorority Babes in the Slimeball Bowl-O-Rama,” director David DeCoteau decided to challenge himself with a Corman-esque task. Instead of developing a film from the ground up, DeCoteau simply raided the materials he had access too, partnering with writer Kenneth J. Hall to create 1988’s “Nightmare Sisters,” which was shot over four days, working with a screenplay that was crafted in a week. Armed with short ends, a cheap 35mm camera, leftover props, and a working relationship with lead actresses Michelle Bauer, Linnea Quigley, and Brinke Stevens, DeCoteau set out to make a cheapie horror romp with broad comedy and ample nudity. Keep those standards in mind, and “Nightmare Sisters” is a triumphant achievement of limited creative goals, watching the cast and crew pull off an amazingly accomplished effort in next to no time, while still managing to include some laughs and pleasing oddity in what’s essentially a rush job to feed the once ravenous home video market beast.

At the Tri Eta Pi sorority, nerd Marci (Brinke Stevens), buck-toothed musician Melody (Linnea Quigley), and plump junk food addict Mickey (Michelle Bauer) are excited to have a fun evening with boys from the nearby fraternity, calling up Freddy (Marcus Vaughter), Duane (William Dristas), and Kevin (Richard Gabai), inviting them to a party. However, the guys are thwarted by their frat overlords, who want to sample the ladies themselves, forcing the pledges to sneak out of the house and enjoy themselves in secret. While the party begins as a tame night of innocent fun, a move to more supernatural entertainment with a séance accidentally triggers the spirit of beheaded fortune teller Omar (Michael Sonye), who curses the ladies. Shedding their modesty, Marci, Melody, and Mickey transform into sex kittens eager to devour the guys, using oral sex to send their souls to Hell.

As most low budget productions tend to do, “Nightmare Sisters” takes its time before it enters the sorority slaughterhouse, initially focusing on Omar’s fortune telling business, where he helps a desperate woman contact her cheating husband. Problems arise with the loss of his head, reaching too far into the “black abyss,” setting the character up for later mischief when his special crystal ball ends up in Marci’s possession, picking up the portal to Hell during her flea market rounds. In a movie that runs under 80 minutes, the Omar encounter and main titles eat up a good chunk of screen time, finally shifting over to the saga of Marci, Melody, and Mickey, and their quest to shed their virginal ways with help from equally inexperienced young men.

“Nightmare Sisters” is notable for its casting, permitting Brinke, Bauer, and Quigley a rare opportunity to relax their Scream Queen identities for a moment and play unattractive geeks, each with a defined setback to their sex life. Introductory scenes are amusing, watching the cast dig into this rare shot of nerdom, having a blast burying their natural attributes for the first act, relying completely on comedic exaggeration. Once the party begins, “Nightmare Sisters” becomes even more ridiculous, studying the gang’s innocence with the sexual promise of Twister and one-on-one time, with Marci boring her date as she flips through a family photo album. With the séance comes supernatural transformation, restoring the leading ladies to their original visual power, delivering a substantial amount of nudity as the sorority sisters turn to slathering themselves with a peach pie and take an extended bubble bath to entice the hapless frat guys, who try to balance their awareness of demonic happenings with their own hornball needs.

Sexuality plays a major part in “Nightmare Sisters,” with the ladies using a literal death blow to eradicate their victims, rendering victims a pile of smoking ashes once oral favors begin. Hall and DeCoteau aren’t subtle, but there’s no reason to be, eventually going all in on absurdity with nutty, circus-style scoring, a musical number from Melody, and a climatic battle between Father Perrin and a succubus puppet ready to dominate the world. Production limitations are obvious (a few scenes are completely out of focus), but DeCoteau keeps the film moving along, perfectly at ease with broad comedy and topless antics, fully aware that there’s little to “Nightmare Sisters” worth remembering beyond its exploitation touches.

Nightmare Sisters Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.85:1 aspect ratio) presentation is yet another triumph for the Vinegar Syndrome crew, gifting the feature a whole new life on Blu-ray after decades of video and television distribution. Obviously, there are focus issues with a movie that was shot in four days, but clarity is strong, delivering a level of detail that brings out the best in facial close-ups and set decoration, making the frame easy to study. And sexuality is crystal clear, sure to please fans of the Scream Queens. Colors are tastefully refreshed, offering bold and bright primaries, finding costuming offering the most vibrant hues. Greenery and exotic lighting is also impressive. Delineation is secure. Grain is fine and filmic. Source is in terrific shape, only finding inherent roughness during process shots and the periodic appearance of light blue scratches.

Nightmare Sisters Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 1.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix also deals with production issues, finding weird levels an inherent issue. The track goes as far as it can, holding on to dialogue exchanges to the best of its ability. Music occasionally threatens the clarity of banter, but nothing is lost. Soundtrack cuts sound deep enough to pass, with adequate percussive thump to give the tunes a beat. Sound effects are identifiable and effective.

Nightmare Sisters Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Intro (2:07, HD) with director David DeCoteau welcomes viewers to the Vinegar Syndrome Blu-ray experience, offering a few bits of trivia about "Nightmare Sisters" before sharing his delight with the movie's HD refreshing.

• Commentary features director DeCoteau and actress Linnea Quigley.

• TV Version (81:34, SD) offers the same story as the original cut of "Nightmare Sisters." The major change is found with nudity, bringing back Quigley, Bauer, and Stevens a few years later to reshoot saucy sequences with the actresses fully clothed. Already a rushed production, the new additions are sloppy but effective, offering a different POV angle to temptress antics, including a bit of bed jumping with balloons to replace the famous bath sequence. As to be expected with a long passage of time between shoots, continuity is hilariously bad.

• Interview (11:58, HD) with writer Kenneth J. Hall provides a general understanding of the "Nightmare Sisters" quickie production schedule, which traveled from idea to finished movie in a matter of weeks. Hall discusses his multiple roles on the set, including the succubus puppeteer for the film's finale. He's well aware of the picture's quality, but remains proud of the work, still amazed how quickly it all came together.

• Bloopers (8:15, SD) collect flubbed lines and visible boom mics, also highlighting DeCoteau's impatience with screw-ups, constantly rushing his cast and crew through takes. Again, it's truly amazing how much the production accomplished in such a short time.

• A Trailer has not been included.

Nightmare Sisters Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

A special mood is required when watching "Nightmare Sisters," as any expectation for low-budget invention isn't going to be met. It's a big goof, and one with flashes of violence and amorous behavior, along with thickly scripted characters giving the effort a creature feature vibe from the 1950s. It's a fun movie from DeCoteau and his "4 Day Wonder" crew, who actually piece together a complete picture with limited resources, knowing exactly what nonsense to focus on to secure viewer attention.