This week's VHS is
Bruce R. Cook's 1989
horror
Nightwish.
Four undergrads and their professor get
more than they bargained for while searching for paranormal activity at an
old mansion.
I remember watching this as a teen, but
remembered absolutely nothing about it other than it starred Liz
Kaitan and Brian Thompson. I realize now my lack of recall was due to
the fact that the movie was largely dream logic nonsense. I feel Cook
wrote the beginning and the end with the middle being shot on
the fly.
It was very hard to get a handle on, as
it flowed along untethered for most of the running time with threats
varying from spiders, demons, aliens and ectoplasmic tentacles. Throw
in a couple of cringe-worthy mentally challenged characters for good
measure and you've got yourself a party. A really uneven and
confounding party.
Thankfully, Nighwish did offer a few
positives. Kaitan's appearance was a welcome one, as she was always
one of my favourite SQ's back in the day.
Clayton Rohner was on hand,
even if this was the least substantial of his
eighties horrors.
Perhaps most significant was Brian Thompson as Dean. I feel like he
was given free reign to do pretty much whatever he wanted here, as I
can't imagine his roadkill bloodlust, looping tribal music and unhinged demeanor were all in the script. Dean was a terrible
person, but the movie was such that his parts were among the most
palatable.
 |
Elizabeth Kaitan as Donna in Nightwish |
It should also be mentioned that this
was one of
KNB's earliest projects, perhaps even before
Berger,
Nicotero
&
Kurtzman adopted the moniker. As you would expect, the work was
solid, but sadly often underlit so it couldn't be fully enjoyed.
Nightwish was a not a winner. Given the
ending, I'm sure the lack of logical sense was intentional, but that
also didn't make it particularly engaging either. It may have made a
decent Outer Limits episode, but as a feature, not so much. But, then
again, eighty-seven minutes of Kaitan, Thompson and KNB is still
better than a kick in the jimmies.