Jump to content

Deadly Dreams: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
→Release: found better release info
SporkBot (talk | contribs)
Bots
1,245,011 edits
m Remove template per TFD outcome
(43 intermediate revisions by 26 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{Short description|1988 film by Kristine Peterson}}
{{Infobox film
{{Infobox film
|name = Deadly Dreams
|name = Deadly Dreams
|image = DeadlyDreams.jpg
|image = DeadlyDreams.jpg
|caption = Video poster
|caption = Video poster
|writer = [[Thom Babbes]]
|writer = Thom Babbes
|starring = {{plainlist|
|starring = [[Juliette Cummins]]<br>[[Mitchell Anderson]]<br>[[Xander Berkeley]]<br>[[Thom Babbes]]
⚫
* [[Mitchell Anderson]]
⚫
* Juliette Cummins
⚫
* [[Xander Berkeley]]
* Thom Babbes
}}
|director = [[Kristine Peterson]]
|director = [[Kristine Peterson]]
|producer = [[Matt Leipzig]]
|producer = Matt Leipzig

⚫
|company =
|distributor = Virgin Vision<br>MCEG
|distributor = Virgin Vision
|music = [[Todd Boekelheide]]
|music = [[Todd Boekelheide]]
|editing = Bernard F. Caputo
|cinematography = [[Zorran Hochstatter]]
|cinematography = Zorran Hochstatter
|budget =
|budget =
|released = {{Film date|1988| | |U.S.}}
|released = {{Film date|1988|10|26}}
|runtime = 79 minutes<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/deadly_dreams|work=[[Rotten Tomatoes]]|title=Deadly Dreams|url-status=live|archive-url=https://archive.today/20200405005649/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/deadly_dreams|archive-date=April 5, 2020|access-date=April 5, 2020}}</ref>
|runtime = 79 minutes
|language = English
|country = United States
⚫
|language =
}}
}}
'''''Deadly Dreams''''' is a 1988 American [[slasher film]] directed by [[Kristine Peterson]].
'''''Deadly Dreams''''' is a 1988 American [[psychological horror]] film directed by [[Kristine Peterson]], and starring [[Mitchell Anderson]], Juliette Cummins, and [[Xander Berkeley]].


==Plot==
==Plot==
Alex Torme is haunted by the brutal murder of his parents on [[Christmas Eve]] when he was a child: His wealthy father's business associate, Norman Perkins, shot them to death over a financial dispute, and taunted Alex and his older brother, Jack, while donning a mask made from the face [[Fur|pelt]] of a [[fox]]. Perkins then turned the gun on himself, committing suicide. Alex suffers recurring nightmares in which he is stalked by Perkins.
Orphaned at age 10 when his parents were brutally murdered on Christmas Eve, every night Alex dreams the same dream: cornered by a man in a wolf's mask, a knife is brought to Alex's throat, and then he wakes. But waking moments confirm his worst fears, and soon Alex is trapped in a tangle of suspicions, lies, and fear. Reality fades into terror as he is left alone to fight the relentless force that haunts his Deadly Dreams.<ref>{{cite web |title=Deadly Dreams – USA, 1988 |url=https://horrorpedia.com/2017/07/24/deadly-dreams-usa-1988-horror-movie-overview-cast-plot-reviews-trailer/ |website=www.horrorpedia.com |publisher=Horrorpedia |accessdate=17 August 2018}}</ref>


An aspiring writer, Alex is pressured by Jack, who has taken over the family's business, to join him. Alex begins dating Maggie Kallir, a young dance student from New York City. Meanwhile, Alex discovers a fox mask in his friend Danny's house, and becomes convinced that Danny, a comical prankster, has been posing as Perkins to torment him, causing Alex to end their friendship. Maggie accompanies Alex to his parents' estate, where Jack resides, for dinner. Jack questions Maggie about her past, and catches her in a lie about working for a dance company in New York that does not exist. He proceeds to expose her, accusing her of being a [[gold digger]] only after Alex's inheritance.
⚫
==Cast==
⚫
* [[Mitchell Anderson]] as Alex Torme


Later, Alex finds a butchered deer in his bathtub, but it disappears when he reports the incident to authorities. Maggie and Danny attempt to calm him, but he accuses Danny of planting the dead animal there, [[gaslighting]] him. Some time later, Maggie visits Jack, and the two have passionate sex. It is revealed that the two have been conspiring together in an attempt to trigger a psychological breakdown in Alex.
⚫
* [[Juliette Cummins]] as Maggie Kallir


Meanwhile, Danny, who is suspicious of Maggie, breaks into her apartment and uncovers a photo album containing pictures of her with Jack, along with newspaper clippings about Alex and Jack's parents' murder. Upon her return, Danny confronts Maggie, but she forces him out. Maggie and Jack proceed to murder Danny with a rifle, staging it as a suicide.
⚫
* [[Xander Berkeley]] as Jack Torme


Maggie lures Alex to his family's remote cabin on his birthday, where he is met by a drunken Jack. Jack confesses his resentment toward Alex over his lack of dedication to the family business, and the fact that Alex is due to inherit a large portion of it despite his lack of involvement. A fox-masked hitman hired by Jack chases Alex through the woods, shooting him in the shoulder. He collapses on a road, and a car driven by Maggie approaches. The assailant proceeds to throw Alex on the hood of the car and slit his throat as Maggie looks on coldly.

Several days later, during Christmas, Jack suffers a nightmare in which Alex, lying dead in the morgue, awakens and attacks him. Maggie goes to get Jack a drink to calm him. Meanwhile, an unseen assailant enters the bedroom and murders Jack. While Jack is being murdered, Maggie phones her mother, and leaves a message saying that her father—who was in fact Norman Perkins—can finally "rest in peace."

⚫
==Cast==
{{Cast list|
* [[Mitchell Anderson]] as Alex Torme
**Timothy Austin as Young Alex Torme
* Juliette Cummins as Maggie Kallir
* [[Xander Berkeley]] as Jack Torme
* Thom Babbes as Danny
* Thom Babbes as Danny
* [[Duane Whitaker]] as Norman Perkins
* Geoffrey Forward as Mr. Torme
* Gyl Roland as Mrs. Torme
* [[Troy Evans (actor)|Troy Evans]] as Sheriff
* [[Stacey Travis]] as The Librarian
* Gray Ainsworth as The Hunter
* Michael Leopard as Sportsman #1
* [[Beach Dickerson]] as Sportsman #2
* Jaime Kaplan as Boy With Toy Gun
* Lynn Philip Seibel as The Coroner
* Al Guarino as The Bartender
}}


==Release==
==Release==
''Deadly Dreams'' was released [[direct-to-video]].<ref>{{cite book|title=Video Trash & Treasures|last=Morse|first=L.A.|publisher=Harper & Collins|year=1989|isbn=0-00-215439-0|page=182}}</ref>
An article in ''[[Fangoria]]'' stated that ''Deadly Dreams'' was available on home video by the Virgin Vision label as early as October 1988.<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Fangoria]]|title=Video Chopping List|pages=12-13|last=Barsky|first=Larry|issue=78|volume=8|ISSN=0164-2111|publisher=O'Quinn Studios}}</ref> It was released for the first time on [[DVD]] by Code Red on September 19, 2017.<ref name="allmoviedvd">{{cite web |title=Deadly Dreams (1988) - Kristine Peterson |url=https://www.allmovie.com/movie/deadly-dreams-v12766/releases |website=Allmovie.com |publisher=AllMovie |accessdate=7 August 2018}}</ref>
An article in ''[[Fangoria]]'' stated that the film was available on home video by the Virgin Vision label as early as October 1988.<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Fangoria]]|title=Video Chopping List|pages=12–13|last=Barsky|first=Larry|issue=78|volume=8|issn=0164-2111|publisher=O'Quinn Studios}}</ref> It was released for the first time on [[DVD]] by Code Red on September 19, 2017.


==Reception==
==Reception==
{{expand section|date=August 2018}}
{{expand section|date=August 2018}}
⚫
''[[TV Guide]]'' gave the film a positive review: "This surprising and refreshingly taut low-budget horror film offers what most run-of-the-mill slasher films don't: a good story with a surprise ending".<ref name="tvguiderev">{{cite web |title=Deadly Dreams - Movie Reviews and Movie Ratings |url=https://www.tvguide.com/movies/deadly-dreams/review/127169/ |website=TV Guide.com |publisher=TV Guide |access-date=7 August 2018}}</ref>
Justin Kerswell from ''Hysteria Lives!'' gave the film 3/5 stars, writing, "DEADLY DREAMS eschews the jokey nature of most the late 80s slashers, and plays it completely seriously. This sombre tone works in the film's favour, but the somewhat languid pacing might put many off.

⚫
For those that stick around to the end are rewarded as the film goes off on tangents you might not expect in the average slasher movie - and is topped off with an especially effective 70's style cynical twist that took this slasher movie veteran completely by surprise."<ref name="kerswellrev">{{cite web |last1=Kerswell |first1=Justin |title=DEADLY DREAMS |url=http://www.hysteria-lives.co.uk/hysterialives/Hysteria/deadly_dreams.htm |website=Hysteria Lives.co.uk |publisher=Justin Kerswell |accessdate=7 August 2018}}</ref> [[TV Guide]] gave the film a positive review, writing, "This surprising and refreshingly taut low-budget horror film offers what most run-of-the-mill slasher films don't: a good story with a surprise ending."<ref name="tvguiderev">{{cite web |title=Deadly Dreams - Movie Reviews and Movie Ratings |url=https://www.tvguide.com/movies/deadly-dreams/review/127169/ |website=TV Guide.com |publisher=TV Guide |accessdate=7 August 2018}}</ref>
==References==
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist}}


==External links==
==External links==
* {{Allmovie|12766}}
* {{IMDb title|0094969}}
* {{imdb title|0094969}}
* {{Rotten tomatoes|deadly_dreams1988}}
* {{Rotten tomatoes|deadly_dreams1988}}
* {{tcmdb title|72563}}
* {{TCMDb title|72563}}


{{Kristine Peterson}}
{{Kristine Peterson}}
Line 50: Line 79:
[[Category:1988 films]]
[[Category:1988 films]]
[[Category:1988 horror films]]
[[Category:1988 horror films]]
[[Category:1980s slasher films]]
[[Category:1980s Christmas horror films]]
⚫
[[Category:American films]]
[[Category:American independent films]]
[[Category:American independent films]]
[[Category:American slasher films]]
[[Category:American slasher films]]
[[Category:English-language films]]
[[Category:American Christmas horror films]]
[[Category:Films about dreams]]

[[Category:1988 directorial debut films]]

[[Category:Directorial debut films]]
[[Category:1980s English-language films]]
[[Category:Films directed by Kristine Peterson]]

[[Category:Fiction about fratricide]]

⚫
[[Category:1980s American films]]
{{1980s-horror-film-stub}}
[[Category:English-language horror films]]
[[Category:English-language Christmas films]]

Revision as of 20:05, 21 December 2024

Deadly Dreams
Video poster
Directed byKristine Peterson
Written byThom Babbes
Produced byMatt Leipzig
Starring
CinematographyZorran Hochstatter
Edited byBernard F. Caputo
Music byTodd Boekelheide
Distributed byVirgin Vision
Release date
  • October 26, 1988 (1988-10-26)
Running time
79 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States

Deadly Dreams is a 1988 American psychological horror film directed by Kristine Peterson, and starring Mitchell Anderson, Juliette Cummins, and Xander Berkeley.

Plot

Alex Torme is haunted by the brutal murder of his parents on Christmas Eve when he was a child: His wealthy father's business associate, Norman Perkins, shot them to death over a financial dispute, and taunted Alex and his older brother, Jack, while donning a mask made from the face pelt of a fox. Perkins then turned the gun on himself, committing suicide. Alex suffers recurring nightmares in which he is stalked by Perkins.

An aspiring writer, Alex is pressured by Jack, who has taken over the family's business, to join him. Alex begins dating Maggie Kallir, a young dance student from New York City. Meanwhile, Alex discovers a fox mask in his friend Danny's house, and becomes convinced that Danny, a comical prankster, has been posing as Perkins to torment him, causing Alex to end their friendship. Maggie accompanies Alex to his parents' estate, where Jack resides, for dinner. Jack questions Maggie about her past, and catches her in a lie about working for a dance company in New York that does not exist. He proceeds to expose her, accusing her of being a gold digger only after Alex's inheritance.

Later, Alex finds a butchered deer in his bathtub, but it disappears when he reports the incident to authorities. Maggie and Danny attempt to calm him, but he accuses Danny of planting the dead animal there, gaslighting him. Some time later, Maggie visits Jack, and the two have passionate sex. It is revealed that the two have been conspiring together in an attempt to trigger a psychological breakdown in Alex.

Meanwhile, Danny, who is suspicious of Maggie, breaks into her apartment and uncovers a photo album containing pictures of her with Jack, along with newspaper clippings about Alex and Jack's parents' murder. Upon her return, Danny confronts Maggie, but she forces him out. Maggie and Jack proceed to murder Danny with a rifle, staging it as a suicide.

Maggie lures Alex to his family's remote cabin on his birthday, where he is met by a drunken Jack. Jack confesses his resentment toward Alex over his lack of dedication to the family business, and the fact that Alex is due to inherit a large portion of it despite his lack of involvement. A fox-masked hitman hired by Jack chases Alex through the woods, shooting him in the shoulder. He collapses on a road, and a car driven by Maggie approaches. The assailant proceeds to throw Alex on the hood of the car and slit his throat as Maggie looks on coldly.

Several days later, during Christmas, Jack suffers a nightmare in which Alex, lying dead in the morgue, awakens and attacks him. Maggie goes to get Jack a drink to calm him. Meanwhile, an unseen assailant enters the bedroom and murders Jack. While Jack is being murdered, Maggie phones her mother, and leaves a message saying that her father—who was in fact Norman Perkins—can finally "rest in peace."

Cast

  • Mitchell Anderson as Alex Torme
    • Timothy Austin as Young Alex Torme
  • Juliette Cummins as Maggie Kallir
  • Xander Berkeley as Jack Torme
  • Thom Babbes as Danny
  • Duane Whitaker as Norman Perkins
  • Geoffrey Forward as Mr. Torme
  • Gyl Roland as Mrs. Torme
  • Troy Evans as Sheriff
  • Stacey Travis as The Librarian
  • Gray Ainsworth as The Hunter
  • Michael Leopard as Sportsman #1
  • Beach Dickerson as Sportsman #2
  • Jaime Kaplan as Boy With Toy Gun
  • Lynn Philip Seibel as The Coroner
  • Al Guarino as The Bartender

Release

Deadly Dreams was released direct-to-video.[2] An article in Fangoria stated that the film was available on home video by the Virgin Vision label as early as October 1988.[3] It was released for the first time on DVD by Code Red on September 19, 2017.

Reception

TV Guide gave the film a positive review: "This surprising and refreshingly taut low-budget horror film offers what most run-of-the-mill slasher films don't: a good story with a surprise ending".[4]

References

  1. ^ "Deadly Dreams". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on April 5, 2020. Retrieved April 5, 2020.
  2. ^ Morse, L.A. (1989). Video Trash & Treasures. Harper & Collins. p. 182. ISBN 0-00-215439-0.
  3. ^ Barsky, Larry. "Video Chopping List". Fangoria. Vol. 8, no. 78. O'Quinn Studios. pp. 12–13. ISSN 0164-2111.
  4. ^ "Deadly Dreams - Movie Reviews and Movie Ratings". TV Guide.com. TV Guide. Retrieved 7 August 2018.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Deadly_Dreams&oldid=1264378423"