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Such a frustrating disappointment

Don't listen to the Hype. It's awful

Captivating movie !

Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

Quite a fantastic little film, which revolves around the brutal killings of seemingly random victims, mainly prostitutes. It's hardly believable that a well to do, caring older brother would let his sister get into this much trouble, but in the end it becomes obvious why things turned out that way. Is it believable that the brother, a famous pianist, would fall in love with an exotic dancer from skid row? Maybe not, but it's portrayed with the necessary integrity. The nasty kill scenes and many gratuitous striptease scenes should clash with the serious themes, but they hardly do. The film maintains a certain amount of integrity, though I don't think it's for everyone - my love for gore and nudity admittedly helps a lot...The story (stories) evolves rather slowly, which leaves room for a believable way of Eric and Louise becoming more and more involved with each other. The ending may be a little far fetched (though I did have a feeling Uni-Save might have something to do with it), but it works well enough, even if the finale is a rather by the book way of concluding a thriller. It helps that Neil Dainard delivers a fine performance as the high and mighty baddie who believes he is just setting things right. The rest of the acting is rather okay, but nothing special.If a mix of gritty thriller and a good dose of exploitation elements might be your thing, check this one out! A good 7 out of 10 from yours truly.

This movie "American Nightmare" is one of the countless early 80's B thriller films that involves murder and sex mixed in to make it a watch. Something to watch to pass a little time anyway it's a note that Page Fletcher has a guest spot here this was just before he got his most memorable role on HBO's terrific "Hitchhiker" series. Anyway this is typical 80's B horror sex drama a man arrives in a city looking for his missing sister only to find that she was caught up in a world of underground staples like drugs, strip clubs and peep shows and even a sadistic murder who wants all of the girls dead. Along the trail of blood and scum dark secrets are revealed behind club doors and office doors. Look for Michael Ironside's turn as a cop overall good to pass time if you like early 80's B horror thrill films.

Most of the other reviews of this are pretty much spot on. This movie does have elements of the Italian giallo, but it is much more gritty and realistic than the garish and stylized gialli. It also resembles America slasher movies (many of which, like this movie, were actually Canadian tax shelter productions). It's not a TEEN slasher movie, however, with rutting adolescents being almost metaphorically bumped off by an unreal murderous "boogey man"; this is a more realistic movie, as much crime thriller as horror flick. It resembles gritty, urban films like "Maniac", "Nightmares in a Damaged Brain", or "The New York Ripper" but, for better or worse, doesn't quite attain that level of sordidness. It's more of a downbeat and sleazy but less harrowing film, like "Too Scared to Scream" or "Windows".In a nod to "Hardcore" (as another reviewer noted) this movie is about a brother looking for his younger sister in the red light district of strippers and prostitutes. In a noirish touch the audience knows from the opening sequence that the sister is already dead, but the brother's search will bring him face-to-face with her killer, a vicious modern-day "Jack the Ripper" who is carving up wayward women with a straight razor.A young Michael Ironside has a supporting role as police detective, and the murdered sister is played by a young Alexandra Paul. The latter has a long topless scene--and this might be the main reason this film is still sought out by anyone today. As for me though, I have a soft spot in my heart (or perhaps my brain-pan) for this kind of early 80's sleaze. If you feel the same way, you might want to check this one out.

Despite what the title states, the movie actually takes place in Toronto. Though like most Canadian movies, it is hesitant to say where it's actually taking place - you have to look for clues, such as seeing part of the CN Tower in the background during the final sequence.As for the movie itself, it's pretty poor overall. It's relentlessly padded, with only a few turns in the story itself. Much of the movie consists of people talking, or to showcase the abundant nudity. Though that latter element may sound like it makes the movie worth watching, it's actually drearily presented, without it being the least erotic.In fact, every location in the movie comes across as degenerate and filthy - never have I seen Toronto bathed in such an unflattering light. Actually, it's a change of pace for a Canadian movie, and with the movie taking place in a sleazy part of society, it seems somewhat appropriate. Though I'm sure this wasn't intentional, because this was a really low budget movie (only a $200,000 budget - Canadian dollars!), and the production values certainly show it, most notably the lack of adequate lighting.To be fair, the slasher sequences aren't that bad - the squalid locations and the dark lighting actually give them some atmosphere, and the direction of these sequences show a little imagination (unlike the hopeless direction elsewhere.) And the movie does give B movie fans a chance to see Michael Ironside in not just an early role, but one that gives him the rare opportunity to play a good guy. Aside from those things, the movie is probably only of interest to people interested in Canadian tax shelter movies of this era.