Director – Henri Sala (Club Porno Pour Chattes)
Starring – Debbie Laster (Bad Girls Dormitory), Dale Midkiff (Dexter, Pet Sematary), and Debra Hunter
Release Date – 1986
Rating – 2.5/5
Blu Release Rating – 4/5
Tagline – “Horrifying humans, terrifying technology”
Troma has and always will be one of my favorite indie labels. They rarely let me down and offer up a variety of horror flicks for me to check out. I prefer their campy horror comedies with over the to top characters and impossible stories like The Toxic Avenger, Class of Nuke ‘Em High, Poultrygeist, and so many more. Troma is also a well known distribution company known for releasing The Taint, The Chainsaw Sally Show, and Rabid Grannies.
Recently, Vinegar Syndrome announced that they would be teaming up with Troma yet again to releaseNightmare Weekend in a DVD/blu combo. I had the film in the Toxie’s Blood Bank metal tin box set but never had the drive to watch it but once Vin Syn released it on blu I decided it was time to give the film a shot.
**Spoiler Alert**The film follows a young girl going to stay with her father. Her father is a brilliant scientist who created a super computer that can help people and better society. Unbeknownst to them, his sexy assistant has partnered with an evil corporation and plans on using the computer as a weapon and has invited three beautiful teens to stay on the property to further test the computer’s full capabilities. **Spoiler Alert**
Troma has given the horror community so many memorable characters with their original releases along with some amazing indie horror flicks through their distribution company but Nightmare Weekend is far from being one of their best releases. The film is one of their more serious releases, which is fine, but the film moves at a terrible pace resulting in a rather boring film.
The acting in this one is easily one of the best acted Troma releases to date. The entire cast is great and deliver some amazing performances. The cast works very well together and feed off each other in every scene. This helped the film flow a little better. I couldn’t imagine how painful this film would have been if the cast would have missed a step.
The story for this one is a valiant attempt at a sci-fi/horror hybrid with the implementation of the the technology of the time. This would have been a great story but so many scenes creep by which really tries the viewer’s patience. The film also has this awkward love story developing that pretty much ends with nothing resulting from it. Editing would have went a long way with this film.
Finally, the film has several amazing on screen kills. These kills are fucking brutal and will entertain the most dedicated of the gore hounds. The practical effects for these kills are fantastic which really makes those kills that more impressive. Overall, Nightmare Weekend is a missed opportunity with a story that fails to hold the viewer’s attention. The film has a great cast and some amazing kills but that is about it. It deserves at least one watch but there is no replay value.
Special Features –
2k Restoration
Thank God It’s Monday Featurette
Killer Weekend Interview
Trailer
Reversible Artwork
