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One of my all time favorites.

I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

Am i the only one who thinks........Average?

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

Troubled horror writer Edmund Blackstone (a fine and credible performance by Jonathan Frid of "Dark Shadows" fame) is tormented by nightmares that come hellishly true after Edmund, his family, and various friends find themselves being terrorized by a trio of dangerous escaped lunatics led by the ruthless Queen of Evil (the extremely alluring Martine Beswick in peak sultry'n'nasty form) at Edmund's remote house in the woods.Director Oliver Stone, who also co-wrote the quirky and thoughtful script with Edward Mann, relates the offbeat and intriguing story at a steady pace, maintains a suitably harsh and grim tone throughout, provides an extra cerebral dimension which gives this picture its own singular identity, and offers an idiosyncratic, yet provocative philosophical exploration on vice, wickedness, and such basic human foibles as greed, lust, vanity, and cowardice. The sound acting by the capable cast keeps this movie humming: Christina Pickles as Edmund's long-suffering wife Nicola, Joseph Sirola as arrogant and obnoxious rich jerk Charlie Hughes, a stupendously slinky and sexy Mary Woronov as Charlie's fed-up hottie trophy wife Mikki, Troy Donahue as hunky stud Mark Frost, Richard Cox as the dissolute Gerald, Anne Meacham as aging and selfish neurotic Eunice Kahn, and Roger De Koven as the gentle and easygoing Serge. Henry Judd Baker cuts a truly frightening figure as hulking and disfigured mute strongman Jackal while Herve Villechaize has a total field day as twisted and vicious dwarf The Spider. Roger Racine's hyperactive cinematography adds a crackling jolt of gritty energy. Lee Gagnon's varied score alternates between folksy tunefulness and more standard shivery ooga-booga stuff. A nifty one-of-a-kind curio.

Oliver Stone's feature film debut concerns a horror author named Edmund (played by Dark Shadows' Jonathon Frid) who is plagued by nightmares. When he and his wife have a bunch of guests up to their isolated house for a relaxing weekend. After a few go missing, Edmund's friends and family are confronted with three awful beings who are manifestations of his nightmares. The guests are either killed or forced to go through a series of tests to see who deserves to live. Can anyone put a stop to this hellish nightmare? What a strange film! It's obviously very low-budget and has a distinct gritty 70s quality. The characters from Edmund's dreams are each fascinating and truly make a scene. We have the lovely Martine Beswick as the provocative and sultry "Queen of Evil," who appears to be the matriarch of the evil trio. There's also the exotic strongman giant Jackal (Henry Judd Baker) and a dwarf named Spider (none other than Hervé Villechaize!) who may be tiny but is just as evil! The trio's antics are amusing, but also very unsettling. The cast also features Troy Donahue in a random role as well as the iconic Mary Woronov, who plays a straight-forward "bored wife" role (yet still oh so very funny!), proving again that she has much more to offer than the camp factor. The score in the film is very fascinating and varied. At one point, there's a sudden persistent and deafening siren-like synth that I swear was swiped by Tarantino for "Kill Bill." While the film is eerie and unpredictable most of the time, it also has a very charming sense of humor that suits it well. I'm thrilled this rare film finally made it to DVD, but it really deserves a better treatment. The print is hard to see, especially in the nighttime scenes. Still, any fan of 70s horror should check out this quirky and original film.

OK, this was Oliver Stone's first movie, so I'll cut him some slack (although Satyajit Ray and George Lucas didn't need any pity points for their stellar debuts, "Pather Panchali" and "THX 1138", respectively). Though attempting to make a low-budget horror film with serious undertones about the dark recesses of the unconscious mind, he has instead put a group of very capable actors into a series of macabre scenes - some of which are quite good - but that don't add up to much. And as for serious subtext, the movie ends up with about as much depth as a young adult horror novel. In addition, I didn't like the twist ending, as this same twist was used in literature over a hundred years previous.The true strength of the movie comes from the casting of several iconic actors and actresses from various places ("Dark Shadows" and elsewhere). Though I had not seen any of these actors elsewhere, I give complements to the performances of both the dwarf actor Herve Villachaize and Martine Beswicke as the Queen of Evil. Beswicke, in particular, is the most darkly beautiful actress I have ever seen, and I could not keep my eyes off her whenever she was in a scene. Casting her as the ultimate villainess was a stroke of genius. I'm even tempted to say that her performance is the one best reason for seeing this movie (which is surprising, because Stone has never been very good at creating compelling female characters). Otherwise, there is little here to predict Stone's master craftsmanship on virtually all his films from the late '80s through early '90s.* INTERESTING SIDENOTE: the newscaster voice narration at the end of the movie as the credits roll is that of Oliver Stone himself.

This, Oliver Stone's first feature film, is possibly the worst excuse for a horror film I've ever had the "pleasure" of viewing. Ludicrous plot, poor location shooting, & the presence of Troy Donahue sink it. Interesting cast , though, including "Dark Shadows" veteran Jonathan Frid, Martine Beswicke, & Mary Woronov. But not even Mary can save this one. Maybe if there had been more sex & violence it could have been watchable. =)