Butcher, Baker, Nightmare Maker

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AllMovie awarded it two-and-a-half out of five stars and labeled it "an especially unique entry into the slasher film cycle in the 1980s" based on its influences, the 1960s Gothic horror films. [24] Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times wrote, "Unfolding deftly under Asher's direction, Night Warning combines darkly outrageous humor with persuasive psychological validity." [25] Variety called it "a fine psychological horror film" in which Tyrrell "gives a tour-de-force performance." [26] In Horror Movies of the 1980s, John Kenneth Muir rated it 3.5/4 stars. Muir called it "a true gem of the decade" and "the 1980s' most twisted, bizarre cinematic vision of motherhood." [27] Banal 'Butcher' doesn't cut it as a horror movie". Corvallis Gazette-Times. Corvallis, Oregon. November 27, 1981. p.17 – via Newspapers.com. Given a regional release in Oregon in November 1981 through Comworld Pictures, the film expanded to other U.S. cities in early 1982, and was nominated for a Saturn Award for the Best Horror Movie of 1982 by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films. It was reissued theatrically in 1983 under the title Night Warning, under which it was subsequently released on home video. The film has attracted critical discussion for its early positive portrayal of a gay male character. Villainous Incest: Cheryl declares that she's her son Billy's girlfriend after seemingly killing his real girlfriend.

Enter a narrow-minded police detective, Detective Carlson (Bo Svenson), who suspects Billy to be gay, and all the drama of the murder gets whittled down to a police procedural against homosexuality. There are other investigators on the case and they disagree with Carlson’s dogmatic suspicions concerning Billy and the victim, but nothing truly gets in his way until it is way too late. And the showdown between a stubborn cop and psychotic woman is one for the record books. Leone’s response to the comments made was humorous, deciding to take some time to promote the film in a tweet: Steven Eastin Interview (HD, 9 Mins.) - The actor talks about working with everyone in the film and his character specifically.Alexander, Chris (November 29, 2016). "In Praise of 1982's Night Warning". ComingSoon.net. Archived from the original on February 13, 2019 . Retrieved February 13, 2019. Deceased Parents Are the Best: Billy lives with his aunt because his parents died in a car crash. The plot would never have happened without this event. Except that it's a lie, because Cheryl is his mother, and she keeps his father's corpse in a Stalker Shrine. Aunt Cheryl’s insidious transformation coincides with Billy’s maturation. His interest in girls, particularly high school sweetheart Julia ( Julia Duffy ), and his plans for college both trigger Cheryl. She accommodates Billy’s academic ambition after expressing dismay, however, this is not a compromise so much as it is a part of her master plan. Not long after getting the supposed thumbs-up to fly the nest, McNichol’s unaware character comes home on his seventeenth birthday to find his blood-spattered aunt holding a knife and standing over a dead man’s body.

Susan Tyrrell stars as Cheryl, who raised her nephew (Jimmy McNichol) since his infancy after his parents were killed in an auto accident. Now a high school senior and basketball star, Billy is a candidate for a college scholarship; he has also become romantically involved with his pretty classmate Julia (Julia Duffy). Nightmare Maker achieved cult status through it's inclusion on the DPP 'Video Nasty' list, which has also lead to it becoming a 'lost' film. It's somewhat unfortunate that William Asher's film was included on the infamous list, as aside from a couple of gory scenes; there really isn't anything in this film that warrants it's banning. Nightmare Maker focuses on themes of insanity and incest, and the way that the director portrays these themes is bold and uncompromising…although I find it hard to believe that this film was banned for it's themes by the same set of censors who made such decisions as banning 'The Driller Killer' merely for it's artwork. The plot focuses on Billy Lynch; a young man living with his aunt after his parents were killed in an unfortunate car accident. However, his relationship with his aunt isn't how she would like it; as the aunt has designs of a sexual nature on the boy, and does her best to ruin all of his plans; including his relationship with his girlfriend, and his hopes of winning a scholarship. All in all, making his life a nightmare... BUTCHER, BAKER, NIGHTMARE MAKER is a film that i had heard about long before I actually got a chance to see it. I had heard some pretty crazy things about the picture but in all honesty, nothing you read can prepare you for what an incredibly strange picture that you're going to see. I've seen a lot of very weird and very surreal movies in my life but there's really not another picture out there like this one. Is that a good thing? Probably so because this thing is just so out there in so many ways.

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What is most fascinating about the film is its portrait of tormented psychology. Up against Susan Tyrrell, Bo Svenson gives an equally fascinating performance as a cop who ignores all evidence to the contrary and pursues his own dogged agenda hounding young Jimmy McNichol with accusations of being a closet homosexual. What is most intriguing about the film is the fact that it does not concentrate on the psychology of the psycho of the piece (Tyrrell) but rather on the psychology of the victim (McNichol) caught up in her schemes. Character actor Susan Tyrrell plunged into the role of Cheryl Roberts, making it her own and blessing Butcher, Baker, Nightmare Maker with a show-stealing performance. Tyrrell is indeed the big draw here, but the rest of this horror gem is surprisingly well-crafted, ripe for analysis, and should not go overlooked. You’re probably thinking, “well, that movie sounds god-awful and extremely problematic.” The thing is, BBNM makes it clear that Detective Carlson is no hero. In some ways, he is the ultimate villain of the story. His character reminds viewers that people who are supposed to help us when we’re in trouble may actually be sinister. The movie is firmly on the side of Billy, the hero of the story, who is very close to the gay basketball coach, even after the coach is outed. Homophobia is depicted as a terrifying threat, which I believe is a fantastic message to carry into 2022. Thomas, Kevin (February 12, 2004). "Deathly delights vamp it up in a retro horror show". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved February 5, 2015.

No Bisexuals: It's possible that Phil Brody was bisexual since he was married to a woman before his romance with Landers. Of course, this doesn't matter to Det. Carlson (and the police department) since he's wildly homophobic. Released in October of 2004, Dumplings was adapted from the Lilian Lee book of the same name, and later cut into a short film collected in the anthology Three…Extremes . The star of the show is Mrs. Li, an aging starlet whose marriage is slowly dying due to her husband’s infidelity. Blaming her appearance and infertility, Mrs. Li begins paying lump sums of cash to a medicine woman named “Aunt” Mei for miracle dumplings: with a bit of ginger, cabbage, pork, and a potent secret ingredient minced extra fine, Mei cooks up dumplings that restore the youth of the eater. Just one problem…the secret ingredient is fetuses. Solid direction and atmosphere are abundant, while the performances really bring the script to life. Susan Tyrrell is fantastic as the overbearing, sexually-repressed aunt, and Jimmy McNicol plays the "normal teenager" impressively. Bo Svenson is appropriately repugnant as the homophobic and misguided police detective. Dennis, Jeffery P. (2006). Queering Teen Culture: All-American Boys and Same-sex Desire in Film and Television. New York: Psychology Press. ISBN 978-1-560-23349-7. When Carlson, with some help from Sergeant Cook (Britt Leach), finds out that Phil was gay and having a clandestine affair with Billy's coach, Steve Eastin (Tom Landers), he starts to wonder if Billy was gay too, unsure if he was the one who killed Phil or if he was covering for his aunt. Meanwhile, word gets out about Eastin, which leads Billy into getting into a fight with mouthy teammate Eddie (Bill Paxton). When Cheryl finds out that Billy might be getting a basketball scholarship and leaving town, her behavior becomes increasingly unhinged.Butcher, Baker, Nightmare Maker Blu-ray". Blu-ray.com. Archived from the original on February 13, 2019 . Retrieved February 13, 2019. Horror film scholar John Kenneth Muir writes extensively regarding the themes of motherhood in Butcher, Baker, Nightmare Maker in his book Horror Films of the 1980s, specifically the warped relationship that Billy's aunt Cheryl (whom he later discovers to be in fact his mother) has with him. [4] Muir points out several motifs surrounding this theme, such as the milk Cheryl uses to drug him, "a symbol of her twisted motherhood... Billy is rendered impotent by the milk, infantilized by Cheryl's inappropriate and inimical ministrations." [4] Muir also suggests that the film may potentially be engaging with the American stereotype that overbearing mothers produce gay sons, as Billy's sexuality is questioned by those around him throughout the film. [4]