Watch Nightmare in Chicago For Free

Wonderful Movie

Sorry, this movie sucks

A lot of perfectly good film show their cards early, establish a unique premise and let the audience explore a topic at a leisurely pace, without much in terms of surprise. this film is not one of those films.

Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

This early television film directed by Robert Altman is a way ahead of it's time portrait of a serial killer. Surprising in tone and style, especially for TV of that era. Lots of hand-held camera, dark lighting, and subtle acting. Also pretty sexually intense and violent for American television of the time. Some of the psychology is obvious and on-the-nose, and some of the cop stuff as they chase the killer is stiff, 'coincidental' or non-sensical. But there are chilling, disturbing and nightmarish moments, and a fascinating relationship that develops between the killer and one of his captives. The acting isn't great, but it's not bad either. Far better than most Hollywood treatments of the same subject 40 years later.

The first and last time I ever saw "Nightmare in Chicago" was back in 1971, on New York' s Channel 9 (WOR-TV back then). I was seven -yes, seven!- years old when I watched it with my younger brother (my parents were busy playing a game of Parchese on the kitchen table after dinner, oblivious to the kind of "kiddie show" we were watching) and I still remember it vividly, some parts more than others. The multi-car pile up caused by Phillip Abott's psychotic character Georgey-Porgie was definitely a winner. The fact that Porgie wore shades at night invigorated his morbid nature even more - boy did Altman really outdo himself with this classic crime-and-suspense piece! It puzzles me how such a masterpiece has not made it to video, particularly at this day and age...I hope to God the original film hasn't been compromised and lost!!

I've been hoping this would be released on one format or another ever since I watched it on TV in 1974, when I thought it the equal of anything Fellini, Godard, or Antonioni had produced. Of course, I was 18 years old at the time and high on acid, and had yet to see the films of Fellini, Godard, & Antonioni but to this day I am convinced that Altman really broke the crime genre mold with this one. Ted Knight is a revelation as a beleaguered authority figure, displaying acting chops apart from what we would associate with the pompous clown TedBaxter. I would love to see this again. My recollection is that it was full of textural details and was truly creepy.

One of the more amazing artifacts from the 60s, this Altman film (shown in two parts on Kraft Suspense Theater) anticipates David Lynch's deadpan industrial style of film-making and the serial killer phenomenon (in both real life and movies). A wild cast, Phiilip Abbott (later Efram Zimbalist Jr's boss on The FBI) is Georgie Peorgie the Tri-State Killer, who casually strangles a woman in crowded strip club (originally shown on television in about 1963!) and triggers car crashes on the highway for his own amusement. Appearing are Ted Knight (yes, Ted Baxter) Robert Ridgely, Charles McGraw (Narrow Margin? Anyone?). This movie is intense and truly nightmarish, since the on-location production took the crew to Chicago, the actual freeways and freeway rest stops in and around the "Tri-state" area. It only exists as a film shown on television, since I have been looking for it for years and no known commercial copy is in distribution. It used to show up on television in the 70's, but it hasn't been seen for a long time. Think "Carnival of Souls" in color with Chicago and crowded streets and highways subbing for deserted Kansas. Don't miss it if you get the chance!UPDATE I've since acquired the superhappyfun DVD of this movie, most of the cast (Carrol O'Connor, Andrew Duggan, Michael Murphy) are NOT in this film as listed here in IMDb. Neither is Mary Frann. The main highlight of the visual style is still the on-location filming on the streets and in a strip joint in Chicago, several scenes set in cars as Georgie drives around on the freeways and in the highway oasis above the freeways. My original remarks were based on my own last viewing sometime in the late 60s or early 70s and my memory was little hazy as to the cast. Still pretty socko. Highly recommended.