WTF?!?! I mean, seriously, what the fµ@k?! Who on earth concocted this script and went out and made this film? They must have had more than a couple of screws loose. So, we have a mansion in which a professor is working on some magical super-computer that can produce evil silver pinballs which can cause behavioral modifications on test subjects - a rottweiler in this case - but when amped up to a level of I-don't-know-what they can turn humans into demented & deformed, possessed beings as well as just plain kill them (like have them explode, for instance). That's about the best I can do in an attempt to describe the premise of this wretched film. So, the professor's evil mistress comes up with a plan to do some more testing - naturally, on humans this time - and invites three good-looking bimbos to the mansion. Some horny dudes are along for the ride as well, eventually. So, evil mistress goes nuts with the machine, producing one magical pinball after another to possess the bimbos & dudes. There's tons of nudity & sex and some gore thrown in for good measurement. There's an inexplicable sequence - many, in fact - where the daughter of the professor is playing a racing game on her computer that magically possesses a real car in the real world. There's even a possessed tooth brush. And this thing stars Dale Midkiff in an early role. And with all this, you haven't seen the half of it yet. Inept & illogical on all levels, I tell you. Everyone involved with this production must have thought the same thing, like pretty much "What the hell, let's just make this insane rubbish as we go along". Pinballs, man, possessed pinballs! Just when you thought you've seen it all...
32 Reviews
Nightmares are not supposed to be this funny?
Coventry7 November 2023
Right! Okay. Well, ... um... To be honest, I have no idea where to begin with this one.
Maybe I'll start with some positive notes! "Nightmare Weekend" contains several adorably gooey, cheap-looking, and trashy gore effects that put a smile on my face. It also features lots of pointless soft-core sex and gratuitous nudity provided by naturally beautiful 80s girls, of which one of them later even became a CNN news anchor! That's right, the film stars Andrea Thompson and she has a steaming sex sequence that I bet she doesn't like to be reminded of nowadays. Her bio says she debuted in a small role in "Wall Street". Ha, not!
The rest of "Nightmare Weekend" is utterly insane and unfathomable nonsense! Trying to summarize the crazy plot makes me want to scratch my head, but I'll try anyways. On the countryside lives a genius scientist who developed a method to alter the aggressive behavior of animals. For example, by forcing it to swallow a silver pinball (don't ask...) a vicious Doberman turns into a cute and gentle puppy! Okay, so Dr. Brake is a brilliant scientist, but then again, he also hooked up a super-computer to an irritatingly babbling green woolen socket-puppet named George, and his teenage daughter uses it to play Turbo! The good Dr. Has an evil female assistant, and she wants to test the effect of the behavioral pinballs on humans, so she lures three beautiful but empty-headed girls to the mansion. The girls sneak horny blokes from the nearby bar into the house, and thus the evil assistant has even more guinea pigs. Meanwhile, in the dullest and most redundant sub plot in the history of cinema, the scientist's daughter falls deeply in love with the evil assistant's toy boy, and she seeks romantic advice from the green-haired puppet.
It's mind-boggling when you read it on paper, and I assure you it's even more mind-boggling when you see it on the screen. You have not experienced 80s amateur-madness until you see a sock-puppet yell "Danger! Danger!" or watch how a timid young housemaid turns into a sphere-possessed killing machine. And what is up with that end shot? I'm telling you "Nightmare Weekend" is either totally awful or, like a friend of mine righteously stated, so brilliant that ordinary mortal souls like us simply fail to comprehend it.
Maybe I'll start with some positive notes! "Nightmare Weekend" contains several adorably gooey, cheap-looking, and trashy gore effects that put a smile on my face. It also features lots of pointless soft-core sex and gratuitous nudity provided by naturally beautiful 80s girls, of which one of them later even became a CNN news anchor! That's right, the film stars Andrea Thompson and she has a steaming sex sequence that I bet she doesn't like to be reminded of nowadays. Her bio says she debuted in a small role in "Wall Street". Ha, not!
The rest of "Nightmare Weekend" is utterly insane and unfathomable nonsense! Trying to summarize the crazy plot makes me want to scratch my head, but I'll try anyways. On the countryside lives a genius scientist who developed a method to alter the aggressive behavior of animals. For example, by forcing it to swallow a silver pinball (don't ask...) a vicious Doberman turns into a cute and gentle puppy! Okay, so Dr. Brake is a brilliant scientist, but then again, he also hooked up a super-computer to an irritatingly babbling green woolen socket-puppet named George, and his teenage daughter uses it to play Turbo! The good Dr. Has an evil female assistant, and she wants to test the effect of the behavioral pinballs on humans, so she lures three beautiful but empty-headed girls to the mansion. The girls sneak horny blokes from the nearby bar into the house, and thus the evil assistant has even more guinea pigs. Meanwhile, in the dullest and most redundant sub plot in the history of cinema, the scientist's daughter falls deeply in love with the evil assistant's toy boy, and she seeks romantic advice from the green-haired puppet.
It's mind-boggling when you read it on paper, and I assure you it's even more mind-boggling when you see it on the screen. You have not experienced 80s amateur-madness until you see a sock-puppet yell "Danger! Danger!" or watch how a timid young housemaid turns into a sphere-possessed killing machine. And what is up with that end shot? I'm telling you "Nightmare Weekend" is either totally awful or, like a friend of mine righteously stated, so brilliant that ordinary mortal souls like us simply fail to comprehend it.
Ugh
BandSAboutMovies1 November 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Made by the French in Florida - because why not - Nightmare Weekend is all about that tale as old as time, a brilliant computer scientist whose super computer can transform the personalities of bad and disobedient people. He asks one of his friends to test it on a group of debauched young women, but before you can say direct to video, they're all mutants.
The professor also has a shut-in daughter named Jessica who discusses losing her virginity with her puppet George who makes most of the decisions in her life.
How Henri Sala got to Florida, why it was made and why I watched it are all beyond me. Life is a mystery and everyone must stand alone. Despite the Troma logo appearing, I soldiered on and kind of ended up enjoying myself.
The professor also has a shut-in daughter named Jessica who discusses losing her virginity with her puppet George who makes most of the decisions in her life.
How Henri Sala got to Florida, why it was made and why I watched it are all beyond me. Life is a mystery and everyone must stand alone. Despite the Troma logo appearing, I soldiered on and kind of ended up enjoying myself.
From An On-Line Producer and Gas Station Attendant
beilttog6 October 2004
I was the on-line producer of "Nightmare Weekend" and was responsible for casting it. I have to agree that "Nightmare Weekend" may be the worst movie made of all time. The very fact that it has been considered for this category should speak volumes. However, while there is truth that this film was made for a direct-to-video release as was popular in the 80s, the film started with good intentions and a decent script. The problems arose when the co-executive producers, (all from France and England) who were supposed to put up their 50% of the $750,000 budget decided that in lieu of $, they would provide a script (horrible - written in French), a director (whose only credits I was told were porno pix out of Thailand, a film crew (again, all from France) and some equipment. We never got our money's worth. When we (I represented the American contingent) looked at the script, I hired a new writer (American) to re-write the entire thing. However, when we finally arrived on location in Ocala, Florida to begin shooting, the French writer had once-again re-written the entire film on instructions from the co-executive producer, an Indian chap named Bachoo Senn from India/London. It was a joke but once on location, there was little we could do.
All the young actors and actresses were having sex with one another (not that we cared). The acting was appalling, although I did take great pride in casting Dale Midkiff and Andrea Thompson, both of whom went on to somewhat successful careers. I gave up my dreams of the film business (having obtained my BA in film from Univ. Miami, Fla.) and now find the entire event amusing. I currently practice law on Wall Street. The only good thing to come out of that film was my daughter (now 19) who was conceived on location. Hope this clears things up for some readers.
By the way, I played the gas station attendant only because they needed someone and I happened to be there! Perhaps I stole the show.
All the young actors and actresses were having sex with one another (not that we cared). The acting was appalling, although I did take great pride in casting Dale Midkiff and Andrea Thompson, both of whom went on to somewhat successful careers. I gave up my dreams of the film business (having obtained my BA in film from Univ. Miami, Fla.) and now find the entire event amusing. I currently practice law on Wall Street. The only good thing to come out of that film was my daughter (now 19) who was conceived on location. Hope this clears things up for some readers.
By the way, I played the gas station attendant only because they needed someone and I happened to be there! Perhaps I stole the show.
Uncle Henry
AndreSala20 December 2008
I happen to be the director's nephew. It's taken me years to get my hands on a copy of this film and I can confirm that it is indeed one of the worst movies of all time. My uncle doesn't even have a copy of it anymore (I asked). I'm looking forward to bringing him a copy.
Currently the film's average rating is 1.9/10. As far as I can tell, that should put it somewhere in the mid-30s in the IMDb "bottom 100," however with only 206 votes, it hasn't yet placed.
It's sad that the film doesn't even get the respect of a bottom 100 title.
Anyhow, I'm giving copies of the movie to family members this year for holiday gifts. Best/Worst gift ever?
Currently the film's average rating is 1.9/10. As far as I can tell, that should put it somewhere in the mid-30s in the IMDb "bottom 100," however with only 206 votes, it hasn't yet placed.
It's sad that the film doesn't even get the respect of a bottom 100 title.
Anyhow, I'm giving copies of the movie to family members this year for holiday gifts. Best/Worst gift ever?
Truly mind boggling
Maciste_Brother17 November 2004
There are no words to explain how bad NIGHTMARE WEEKEND is. It simply defies description. Something about a computer that can change personal objects into silver balls that enter the victims' mouth, which kills them or turns them into zombies. The whole thing is so wonky that it's stunning. There's also a girl with personal computer in her room and the computer talks via a hand puppet!!!!!!!! I'm not making this stuff up. The computer also controls things like cars, even though there's nothing linking the computer with the vehicle.
The "film" is total trash. Surreal bad trash. Spectacularly, one-of-a-kind bad trash. There's a lot of sex scenes thrown here and there, which aren't very hot or erotic. There's even one scene where a woman seemingly makes love or wants to French kiss a tarantula, which had me rolling on the floor.
Definitely one of the worst movies ever made. Up there with the equally wretched direct-to-home video BOARDINGHOUSE, or BOOGEYMAN II (both NIGHTMARE WEEKEND and BOOGEYMAN II have scenes with a killer toothbrush!). At least it's fun to watch it and try to make sense of whatever is going on.
The "film" is total trash. Surreal bad trash. Spectacularly, one-of-a-kind bad trash. There's a lot of sex scenes thrown here and there, which aren't very hot or erotic. There's even one scene where a woman seemingly makes love or wants to French kiss a tarantula, which had me rolling on the floor.
Definitely one of the worst movies ever made. Up there with the equally wretched direct-to-home video BOARDINGHOUSE, or BOOGEYMAN II (both NIGHTMARE WEEKEND and BOOGEYMAN II have scenes with a killer toothbrush!). At least it's fun to watch it and try to make sense of whatever is going on.
"You may look innocent, but you're a slut...just like your mother!"
capkronos14 July 2003
That's a snippet of choice dialogue delivered by the evil, ballbusting lady assistant of a famous scientist to her prim maid just before she lures three incredibly dumb college girls to a mansion for behavior modification experiments. Meanwhile, at the local bar, people drink and dance to lame 80s rock songs. A biker punk has sex with a cycle slut on a pinball table in front of a crowd of people, then tries to rape the scientist's virginal daughter Jessica (Debra Hunter), who is in love with another biker (Dale Midkiff, from PET SEMATARY), who, in turn, is in cohorts with the assistant! Back at the house, the sorority bimbos swim, shower, change clothes and have sex with men from the bar. A small silver ball (part of the experiment) flies into victims mouths and turns them into drooling, killer zombies!
If that isn't enough to entertain you, there's a hilarious theme song ("Nightmare Fantasy"), roller skating, some serious daisy dukes and a psychic hand puppet (!?) that warns "DANGER! DANGER!" just like the LOST IN SPACE robot and recommends hitchhiking as one of the best ways to pick up men!
This filmed-in-Florida mess is so mind-numbingly awful that multiple viewings are recommended to soak it all in. And, hey isn't that NYPD Blue's Detective Jill Kirkendall turned CNN newscaster Andrea Thompson as one of oft-nude bimbos? Sure is! Supposedly this was started in 1982 and new footage was added later for the video release in 1985.
Score: 1 out of 10 (and I mean that in a good way!)
If that isn't enough to entertain you, there's a hilarious theme song ("Nightmare Fantasy"), roller skating, some serious daisy dukes and a psychic hand puppet (!?) that warns "DANGER! DANGER!" just like the LOST IN SPACE robot and recommends hitchhiking as one of the best ways to pick up men!
This filmed-in-Florida mess is so mind-numbingly awful that multiple viewings are recommended to soak it all in. And, hey isn't that NYPD Blue's Detective Jill Kirkendall turned CNN newscaster Andrea Thompson as one of oft-nude bimbos? Sure is! Supposedly this was started in 1982 and new footage was added later for the video release in 1985.
Score: 1 out of 10 (and I mean that in a good way!)
George Rules!
Kastore25 February 2003
The acting in this movie stinks. The plot makes very little sense, but from what I gathered it's supposed to be about this scientist who develops the ability to turn people's personal items into tiny steel balls that then fly into their mouths and turn them into zombies (or blow their heads up, whichever). And the effects are lousy, too. Most of the movie consists of bad music, with the actors dancing equally as badly to the bad music, interspersed with multiple boring sex scenes. This should be one of the worst things ever made, but for one thing. One element of shear brilliance that makes "Nightmare Weekend" stand above all others. And that special quality is the presence of George.
George is the lovable interface device between the scientist's daughter, Jessica, and the home computer security system. With his green hair and nose, balding scalp, and heart-shaped mouth, George is the guardian angel/confidant to Jessica, who asks him for advice on how to meet guys in one of the most dramatic pieces of dialogue ever captured on celluloid. With his monotone synthesized voice, George tells Jessica what percentages of males prefer women in white dresses, and also that hitch-hiking is the third best way to meet guys after discos and bars. Of course, little Jessica just can't seem to stay out of trouble, causing George to execute "Emergency Program Code: Protection Jessica", which results in the violent death of Jessica's would-be assailant via one of the aforementioned steel balls.
Kubrick was an utter fool for thinking he could give a computer personality using closeups of a red light. HAL should have been represented by our friend George in order to better translate compassion for his eventual demise. The light and sound show at the end of "Close Encounters"? Not bad, but how much better would that movie had been if the means of first communication with the aliens had been George the Hand Puppet. Bishop, Data, R2 kitchen appliances next to the Almighty George! He might only be in the movie for 8 minutes out of 90, but don't be fooled. This show is all about George. With even that limited amount of screentime, George joins the ranks of such luminous film characters as Hollywood Montrose, Majai, and Pappy from "New Moon Rising" as icons of American cinema. "George to Apache" you are my hero.
George is the lovable interface device between the scientist's daughter, Jessica, and the home computer security system. With his green hair and nose, balding scalp, and heart-shaped mouth, George is the guardian angel/confidant to Jessica, who asks him for advice on how to meet guys in one of the most dramatic pieces of dialogue ever captured on celluloid. With his monotone synthesized voice, George tells Jessica what percentages of males prefer women in white dresses, and also that hitch-hiking is the third best way to meet guys after discos and bars. Of course, little Jessica just can't seem to stay out of trouble, causing George to execute "Emergency Program Code: Protection Jessica", which results in the violent death of Jessica's would-be assailant via one of the aforementioned steel balls.
Kubrick was an utter fool for thinking he could give a computer personality using closeups of a red light. HAL should have been represented by our friend George in order to better translate compassion for his eventual demise. The light and sound show at the end of "Close Encounters"? Not bad, but how much better would that movie had been if the means of first communication with the aliens had been George the Hand Puppet. Bishop, Data, R2 kitchen appliances next to the Almighty George! He might only be in the movie for 8 minutes out of 90, but don't be fooled. This show is all about George. With even that limited amount of screentime, George joins the ranks of such luminous film characters as Hollywood Montrose, Majai, and Pappy from "New Moon Rising" as icons of American cinema. "George to Apache" you are my hero.
A deadly turd of a film
Lucianivision8 April 2001
Sniffing girl's panties kills a guy...and a stupid freaky puppet says a lot of stupid freaky things......My eyes could not leave the screen, my finger could not leave the Fast Forward button....I had to rewatch this spectacle to see if I had really experienced what I thought...I did.....God help us all!
Nightmarish Waste of Time
BaronBl00d11 August 2001
Somehow a woman working with a scientist puts round metal balls into people's mouths that supposedly changes their personality but in reality turns them into crazed, zombie-like killers. The "guinea pigs" for the experiment are scantily-clad, nubile young women in desperate need of acting lessons. This movie is awful, atrocious, and amazingly bad. It has little to no logic in the script. You really will have trouble following what is going on. It has no special effects. The computer screen that is supposedly representing a huge scientific advancement looks nothing more than an old Atari screen. And what is even worse is that there is also a puppet with strands of felt hair(looks like a lonely kid at summer camp made it) named George that is like a personal servant/confidant to Jessica(the leading "actress"). Throughout the movie you will be subjected to the idiotic, sophmoric utterings of this puppet. But wait...you also get loads of softcore, unerotic, barely nude scenes with the girls with some bar guys. All the while a most annoying soundtrack plays in the background like some kind of spiritual discovery has taken place. None of the actors are good. There are just varying degrees of bad. The gore and "horror" aspects are especially ineptly filmed. The film really looks like an adolescent put it together. No coincidence Henry Sala, the director by name but not by trade, has not made another film. I was bored almost into a coma watching this stupid, silly, dreck! And how bout the ending? What happened? If you know let me in on the secret because for the life of me I cannot figure it out. All I know is that I lost the time spent watching this garbage that made the beginning of my weekend a real nightmare of a bore!
Terrible Troma tripe.
BA_Harrison21 April 2008
Nightmare Weekend is proof positive that some people are so desperate to be 'in the movies' they are prepared to do almost anything.
I'm not referring to the countless women who seem quite happy to appear completely starkers in this dreadful piece of trash (after all, the naked female form is a beautiful thing and nothing to be ashamed of). No...I'm talking about those who are more than willing to co-star with a badly made hand-puppet called George. Now that is embarrassing!!!
A bio-electronic being created by brilliant scientist Edward Brake (Wellington Meffert), George (who looks like a demented felt clown with green wool for hair) is the artificially intelligent interface for an advanced computer system that operates a revolutionary device (a silver sphere about the size of a golf ball) that, when ingested, can reverse character disorders.
Edward's personality altering experiments have been successful on lab animals, but the cautious scientist is reluctant to carry out tests on human subjects, fearing that there may still be side effects. His evil assistant Julie (Debbie Laster), however, has no such qualms, and proceeds to use three beautiful young women as guinea pigs. Inevitably, they all turn into hideous killer mutants.
With bargain basement special effects, a cast totally devoid of talent, and a plot that is almost impossible to follow (I took notes as I watched the film, and even then I am not entirely convinced that my synopsis is accurate), Nightmare Weekend is a complete and utter disaster that not even several soft-core sex scenes and a touch of gore can rescue.
This film also features one of the most irritating characters I have ever seen in a horror movie: Tony (Bruce Morton), a Walkman wearing idiot who bops away to crap 80s music in a manner that makes me look like Justin Timberlake in comparison.
I'm not referring to the countless women who seem quite happy to appear completely starkers in this dreadful piece of trash (after all, the naked female form is a beautiful thing and nothing to be ashamed of). No...I'm talking about those who are more than willing to co-star with a badly made hand-puppet called George. Now that is embarrassing!!!
A bio-electronic being created by brilliant scientist Edward Brake (Wellington Meffert), George (who looks like a demented felt clown with green wool for hair) is the artificially intelligent interface for an advanced computer system that operates a revolutionary device (a silver sphere about the size of a golf ball) that, when ingested, can reverse character disorders.
Edward's personality altering experiments have been successful on lab animals, but the cautious scientist is reluctant to carry out tests on human subjects, fearing that there may still be side effects. His evil assistant Julie (Debbie Laster), however, has no such qualms, and proceeds to use three beautiful young women as guinea pigs. Inevitably, they all turn into hideous killer mutants.
With bargain basement special effects, a cast totally devoid of talent, and a plot that is almost impossible to follow (I took notes as I watched the film, and even then I am not entirely convinced that my synopsis is accurate), Nightmare Weekend is a complete and utter disaster that not even several soft-core sex scenes and a touch of gore can rescue.
This film also features one of the most irritating characters I have ever seen in a horror movie: Tony (Bruce Morton), a Walkman wearing idiot who bops away to crap 80s music in a manner that makes me look like Justin Timberlake in comparison.
Absolutely dreadful...and 100% entertaining because of that!
udar5526 January 2010
I must have seen the VHS box for this a million times in a million different video stores and always passed it up. It wasn't until this last week when I got an email from a friend describing this as an absolutely mind blowing WTF-fest that I finally decided to check this out. And how glad I am - this is the dopey kind of misguided flick that I live for.
Let's see if I can make this plot make sense - scientist Edward Brake (Wellington Meffert) has developed a behavior modification computer system called APACHE which takes a personal item of the subject, turns it into a silver ball and then shoots that ball into their mouth. Somehow that makes people change and is a scientific breakthrough. What Brake doesn't count on is his assistant Julie (Debbie Laster) conducting experiments on three college girls for a mysterious backer. And what Julie does count on is Brake's daughter Jessica (Debra Hunter) falling in love with Julie's assistant Ken (Dale Midkiff). Or Jessica having a super high-tech computer named "George" (which has an accessory of a talking puppet!?!) that can prevent Jessica from being harmed.
From beginning to end, this is one oddball flick. It has everything 80s (aerobics, walkmen, roller skates, leg warmers, Coke, pinball) and more. Feast your eyes up the scene where a biker makes out with his chick in front of a bar while playing pinball. Or the couple who make out in the back of a limo as the driver changes the tire and some random dude in the woods bops to music on his walkman. Or the chauffeur who disguises his drinking by placing his mini-bottles between two slices of bread. Or a guy being attacked by some silk panties! And that mystery man shown through out the flick? We never find out who he is!
If I didn't know any better, I'd swear this was an 80s Italian flick shot in Florida - weird dubbing, odd delivery, everything so slightly off balance and with hint of not knowing how Americans really act. But the credits betray me and it looks like real Americans made it. The end credits list it as a co-production between England, France and the US. The director is credited on screen as H. Sala and the IMDb says he is one Henry Sala. Either that is a pseudonym or he bowed out after his masterpiece. The producer is listed as one Bachoo Sen (gesundheit!). I have to know more about who made this.
Another amazing aspect of this movie is the cast. Low budget flicks often feature a future star here and there, but this one features three future mainstream stars - Dale Midkiff, Andrea Thompson (NYPD BLUE) and Robert John Burke. WHAT!?! Was this flick some kind of Faustian porthole? Everyone else in the cast and crew were one and done.
Let's see if I can make this plot make sense - scientist Edward Brake (Wellington Meffert) has developed a behavior modification computer system called APACHE which takes a personal item of the subject, turns it into a silver ball and then shoots that ball into their mouth. Somehow that makes people change and is a scientific breakthrough. What Brake doesn't count on is his assistant Julie (Debbie Laster) conducting experiments on three college girls for a mysterious backer. And what Julie does count on is Brake's daughter Jessica (Debra Hunter) falling in love with Julie's assistant Ken (Dale Midkiff). Or Jessica having a super high-tech computer named "George" (which has an accessory of a talking puppet!?!) that can prevent Jessica from being harmed.
From beginning to end, this is one oddball flick. It has everything 80s (aerobics, walkmen, roller skates, leg warmers, Coke, pinball) and more. Feast your eyes up the scene where a biker makes out with his chick in front of a bar while playing pinball. Or the couple who make out in the back of a limo as the driver changes the tire and some random dude in the woods bops to music on his walkman. Or the chauffeur who disguises his drinking by placing his mini-bottles between two slices of bread. Or a guy being attacked by some silk panties! And that mystery man shown through out the flick? We never find out who he is!
If I didn't know any better, I'd swear this was an 80s Italian flick shot in Florida - weird dubbing, odd delivery, everything so slightly off balance and with hint of not knowing how Americans really act. But the credits betray me and it looks like real Americans made it. The end credits list it as a co-production between England, France and the US. The director is credited on screen as H. Sala and the IMDb says he is one Henry Sala. Either that is a pseudonym or he bowed out after his masterpiece. The producer is listed as one Bachoo Sen (gesundheit!). I have to know more about who made this.
Another amazing aspect of this movie is the cast. Low budget flicks often feature a future star here and there, but this one features three future mainstream stars - Dale Midkiff, Andrea Thompson (NYPD BLUE) and Robert John Burke. WHAT!?! Was this flick some kind of Faustian porthole? Everyone else in the cast and crew were one and done.
A nightmare on production street
polysicsarebest3 October 2004
More amazing trash from Troma, this has the best editing I've ever seen for a movie. Literally 3 seconds can't pass before a scene cuts to another scene... it's like the worst of Michael Bay meets a million MTV videos on fast forward. It's a pretty decent flick notwithstanding the fact that all the cuts give me the worst headache of all time. This film does not really have a story, so I won't even go into that. Nor will I go into the fact that the movie starts with a really cool, gory opening and then just goes downhill from there, being awash in mediocrity and senseless crap.
Like almost every Troma movie, though, there is a logical reason for its existence: Highlights include the scene where a guy has sex with a girl on a pinball table in front of a ton of people, a talking computer thing, and... oh yeah... THE ZOMBIES. This flick has a pinball that shoots in people's mouths and turns them into zombies. However, the zombies are just the regular actors with NO DIFFERENCE (except maybe a bit paler, probably thanks to some foundation or something)... NO DIFFERENCE. You just kind of guess that they're zombies because the back of the box says that they are. The ending of this film is absolutely atrocious, and the film itself just manages to be nearly unwatchable. So, all in all, I like it, and you should too. Though it is pretty much the crappiest movie of all time.
And if all that's not enough, a pair of panties kills someone.
Like almost every Troma movie, though, there is a logical reason for its existence: Highlights include the scene where a guy has sex with a girl on a pinball table in front of a ton of people, a talking computer thing, and... oh yeah... THE ZOMBIES. This flick has a pinball that shoots in people's mouths and turns them into zombies. However, the zombies are just the regular actors with NO DIFFERENCE (except maybe a bit paler, probably thanks to some foundation or something)... NO DIFFERENCE. You just kind of guess that they're zombies because the back of the box says that they are. The ending of this film is absolutely atrocious, and the film itself just manages to be nearly unwatchable. So, all in all, I like it, and you should too. Though it is pretty much the crappiest movie of all time.
And if all that's not enough, a pair of panties kills someone.
This is absolute garbage. There is no reason to watch this movie. Ever. If you can only avoid watching one movie in your life, this should be it.
Anonymous_Maxine20 August 2000
Nightmare Weekend stars a cast of ridiculous actors with even less of an idea of what is going on than the director had, if you can imagine that. There is no decipherable plot or story, the special effects are a joke, and even the sound is terrible. This film was directed by Henry Sala. It was the only film that he ever directed, and the reason is obvious.
Holy cow...what the hell was all that supposed to be?
EyeAskance18 June 2006
Illogical, sloppy presentation will surely have bad movie fans doing a tap-dance of giddy approval. The story at hand concerns a scientist and his super-bitch of a scheming colleague experimenting with computer-generated silver balls that turn subjects into either mild-mannered passive types or mutant killer morons(depending on the level of dosage). Not surprisingly, these tests get out of hand during the progress of some nefarious wheelings-and-dealings, and a group of unsuspecting female visitors to the scientist's country estate find themselves in mortal danger.
Low-ball production looks to have been funded with rolled pennies, and evidence hinting at professional guidance in any aspect of its forging is entirely lacking. Frequently hilarious and generally entertaining for all the wrong reasons, NIGHTMARE WEEKEND is recommended to fans of ultraweird flicks from the wrong side of the tracks.
4/10
Low-ball production looks to have been funded with rolled pennies, and evidence hinting at professional guidance in any aspect of its forging is entirely lacking. Frequently hilarious and generally entertaining for all the wrong reasons, NIGHTMARE WEEKEND is recommended to fans of ultraweird flicks from the wrong side of the tracks.
4/10
Truly awful.
HumanoidOfFlesh19 August 2004
Henry Sala's "Nightmare Weekend" is a rotten piece of sludge from Troma.This is a juvenile,sloppy and stupid low-budget horror film about some teenage girls spending the weekend at a mansion.The professor's evil assistant lures the girls into a bizarre scheme to perform hideous experiments.Using a brain implant she transforms her victims and their dates into zombies."Nightmare Weekend" is a completely braindead piece of garbage that features lots of nudity and some cheesy gore,not to mention a laughable musical score.The acting is horrendous and the script is utterly incoherent.Why such piece of crap is widely distributed is beyond me.Avoid it like the plague.1 out of 10.
I have no words...
Hellraiser-16 July 2003
I agree with those reviews I have read here, and I have no words to define such a turkey like this, but despite everything, I still can find a reason for movies like this to exist. Do you remenber those happy days in which video was a prosperous business, and a lot of movies were made with the only reason of filling the shelves of the video stores? this movie comes from that period and I can imagine that was the only reason for which it was produced and the same happened with many, many, many other stinkers. Do you remember "Rambo" imitations? and so many slashers of Z grade?, I still feel nostalgia for that period.About this movie I can say I didn´t waste my time watching it because I pressed the fast forward button after the first fifteen minutes, just to find a very funny scene in which a guy was pushing an axe against heads which exploded because, as you perfectly notice, they were made of plastic. And about the end, well, it was so badly filmed I could not understand what happened. That´s the same, I had not followed the non-existing plot at all. But boy, Video-age was a great age despite movies like this.
You have no idea what you are pitting yourself against
Greezusbreakcore22 December 2011
As an individual with an interest in B-movies, a person who has watched The Star Wars Holiday Special and The Room more than 10 times each, I must say that this movie is the longest, most trying experience I have ever had. Characters are hardly fleshed out & the plot rolls along excruciatingly slowly (not to mention the fact that half of the plot is typical romance fodder.)
This creates a certain sensation I feel while watching this movie, a sensation that, hilariously, I can actually deem an effective explanation for.
See, if you're like me, you don't really mind how "bad" a movie is; you're merely looking for something that will keep you intrigued/amused, whether it's "good" or "bad." I love The Star Wars Holiday Special; there are multiple moments where the 'So bad it's good / What the hell were they thinking??' aesthetic applies wonderfully. I'd compare it, and perhaps other B-movies, to, say, a musical act like GG Allin; so totally over-the-top and obnoxious that you simply cannot look away.
This bandwidth being established, watching this movie from start to finish without the aid of alcohol is similar in nature to listening to Metallica's collaboration with Lou Reed, "Lulu." This movie is like "Lulu" in several ways: It's way, way too long given its content, it's set up absolutely terribly, there are very few moments where you are driven to care about what you're experiencing on any level, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.
This isn't to say that you're going to be experiencing some decent-to- great (I wouldn't even call it excellent, honestly) unintentional humor, you're just gonna have to go through a long, painful experience to get any of it, and if you actually care about the story, then trust me, you're gonna have to go through an even longer painful experience.
In conclusion, If you're like me, even after reading this review, you're gonna be grabbing this movie to see how terrible it truly is. I hope that, as a person who loves the Star Wars Holiday Special, I've effectively explained the level of 'awful' you're putting yourself up against. If, even then, you're still going to be watching this film, then I commend you for your bravery, and beg you to prepare yourself with the only advice I can offer you; Alcohol may help (I wasn't fortunate enough to have any laying around at the time of my viewing.)
This movie is the only one that's ever caused me to literally stop the movie, look at the clock, and state out loud, "How far am I into this piece of ****?"
This creates a certain sensation I feel while watching this movie, a sensation that, hilariously, I can actually deem an effective explanation for.
See, if you're like me, you don't really mind how "bad" a movie is; you're merely looking for something that will keep you intrigued/amused, whether it's "good" or "bad." I love The Star Wars Holiday Special; there are multiple moments where the 'So bad it's good / What the hell were they thinking??' aesthetic applies wonderfully. I'd compare it, and perhaps other B-movies, to, say, a musical act like GG Allin; so totally over-the-top and obnoxious that you simply cannot look away.
This bandwidth being established, watching this movie from start to finish without the aid of alcohol is similar in nature to listening to Metallica's collaboration with Lou Reed, "Lulu." This movie is like "Lulu" in several ways: It's way, way too long given its content, it's set up absolutely terribly, there are very few moments where you are driven to care about what you're experiencing on any level, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.
This isn't to say that you're going to be experiencing some decent-to- great (I wouldn't even call it excellent, honestly) unintentional humor, you're just gonna have to go through a long, painful experience to get any of it, and if you actually care about the story, then trust me, you're gonna have to go through an even longer painful experience.
In conclusion, If you're like me, even after reading this review, you're gonna be grabbing this movie to see how terrible it truly is. I hope that, as a person who loves the Star Wars Holiday Special, I've effectively explained the level of 'awful' you're putting yourself up against. If, even then, you're still going to be watching this film, then I commend you for your bravery, and beg you to prepare yourself with the only advice I can offer you; Alcohol may help (I wasn't fortunate enough to have any laying around at the time of my viewing.)
This movie is the only one that's ever caused me to literally stop the movie, look at the clock, and state out loud, "How far am I into this piece of ****?"
Dr. Drew says... 3 out of 10
Dr_Drew_Says9 October 2013
Warning: Spoilers
Nightmare Weekend (1986): The Good, The Bad and George
Synopsis: To take a stab at the real plot, I think it was about a woman that is trying to steal technology from a device used to change personalities in animals by making them eat weird silver balls and use that technology on humans. So they round up some unsuspecting (horny) females and bring them into a mansion for some reason, but it doesn't matter, because they get to test the technology on them. This has adverse effects as it turns humans into weirdo semi-zombies things.
The Good: This could be a really short paragraph. Um, let me think... it was so bad it was pretty funny? I was entertained by how awful it was? It was funny to see where Dale Midkiff and Andrea Thompson got their starts? Those are some pretty weak "good points", but I think that's all I've got coming to mind...
The Bad: The whole shebang. This movie is nuts. Just a massive incoherent mess. I really had trouble figuring out what was going on in this. Like I stated in the synopsis, not a lot of the storyline made much sense. I really have no idea why any of the characters did anything they did or said anything they said. The editing was atrocious... I mean, literally the single worst editing job I have ever seen. There was just random little 10 second scenes thrown in all over the place. One liners that just come completely out of left field and then are gone... never to be heard from again. Did I mention that I was dumbfounded by how bad the script and editing were? I see that one of the workers on the film said the script was submitted in French and translated. That's the only thing about this film that makes perfect sense. I think it would have been better to just leave it in French and forget about any subtitles. Just awful. But even more awful than the editing was the "love story". It just really has to be watched to be believed. I actually recommend this for that reason alone. Watch this movie if you want to learn how NOT to write "love dialogue" and how NOT to edit a movie together. I gave it the three stars because I was able to sit through it and got a good laugh at how bad many of the scenes were. I will probably end up watching this one more time in a few years just to reminisce about how awful this was.
George: So the most ridiculous part of an already overly ridiculous movie is that this massive computer has a user interface in the form of George. George isn't just a voice like Kitt on Knight Rider or HAL on 2001. Nope, George isn't like those "other" computer programs. George is in the form of a green hand puppet. Yup... you read that correctly. The user interface for this huge computer with cutting edge technology that will change the world is a hand puppet. And better yet (yes, it gets better...), ol' George is Jessica's (the protagonist, I think) "best friend". It must be because he gives her advice like "need more data" and "does not compute" and all those terms of endearment. He even tells her that she has a 66% chance to meet her dreamy Ken hitch-hiking... which she gleefully skips off to do. George is so loved that she hugs him and kisses him and tells him, "You are my best friend... what would my life me without you!". Yeah... so I'll end this there, because I don't want to get into how they turn personal objects into silver balls a-la Phantasm and make your personality change by eating them. Sigh. You just have to watch this for yourself to see if you can unlock the mysteries of Nightmare Weekend.
Synopsis: To take a stab at the real plot, I think it was about a woman that is trying to steal technology from a device used to change personalities in animals by making them eat weird silver balls and use that technology on humans. So they round up some unsuspecting (horny) females and bring them into a mansion for some reason, but it doesn't matter, because they get to test the technology on them. This has adverse effects as it turns humans into weirdo semi-zombies things.
The Good: This could be a really short paragraph. Um, let me think... it was so bad it was pretty funny? I was entertained by how awful it was? It was funny to see where Dale Midkiff and Andrea Thompson got their starts? Those are some pretty weak "good points", but I think that's all I've got coming to mind...
The Bad: The whole shebang. This movie is nuts. Just a massive incoherent mess. I really had trouble figuring out what was going on in this. Like I stated in the synopsis, not a lot of the storyline made much sense. I really have no idea why any of the characters did anything they did or said anything they said. The editing was atrocious... I mean, literally the single worst editing job I have ever seen. There was just random little 10 second scenes thrown in all over the place. One liners that just come completely out of left field and then are gone... never to be heard from again. Did I mention that I was dumbfounded by how bad the script and editing were? I see that one of the workers on the film said the script was submitted in French and translated. That's the only thing about this film that makes perfect sense. I think it would have been better to just leave it in French and forget about any subtitles. Just awful. But even more awful than the editing was the "love story". It just really has to be watched to be believed. I actually recommend this for that reason alone. Watch this movie if you want to learn how NOT to write "love dialogue" and how NOT to edit a movie together. I gave it the three stars because I was able to sit through it and got a good laugh at how bad many of the scenes were. I will probably end up watching this one more time in a few years just to reminisce about how awful this was.
George: So the most ridiculous part of an already overly ridiculous movie is that this massive computer has a user interface in the form of George. George isn't just a voice like Kitt on Knight Rider or HAL on 2001. Nope, George isn't like those "other" computer programs. George is in the form of a green hand puppet. Yup... you read that correctly. The user interface for this huge computer with cutting edge technology that will change the world is a hand puppet. And better yet (yes, it gets better...), ol' George is Jessica's (the protagonist, I think) "best friend". It must be because he gives her advice like "need more data" and "does not compute" and all those terms of endearment. He even tells her that she has a 66% chance to meet her dreamy Ken hitch-hiking... which she gleefully skips off to do. George is so loved that she hugs him and kisses him and tells him, "You are my best friend... what would my life me without you!". Yeah... so I'll end this there, because I don't want to get into how they turn personal objects into silver balls a-la Phantasm and make your personality change by eating them. Sigh. You just have to watch this for yourself to see if you can unlock the mysteries of Nightmare Weekend.
A Weekend Of Crap
DavyDissonance11 February 2020
Some chunky broad is doing something to people's brains, turning them in to mutants for some reason. Nightmare Weekend is 90 minutes of non sensical garbage filled with softcore porno and if we're lucky, horror movie elements. Sure a woman flirting with a tarantula is funny, it does have a few good bloody scenes but this was caca weiny ass that I wouldn't call David Lynch style surrealism but r·tarded filmmaking. And if you are wondering, I didn't get one hard on over any of the boring and meaningless coitus sequences.
Kind of a Time Capsule Movie
Griking23 December 2022
I enjoyed watching this movie because of how 80s it was. I'm an 80s arcade geek and there were a few scenes in an arcade and the main character's family has a "super computer" of sorts which is actually part Colecovision which made me smile.
Other than that the movie itself is a mix of some kind of combination or Wargames where the bad guys can somehow control and kill people remotely, cheezy porn flick, there's a fair share of of nudity and sex scenes and the actors and actresses really do look like they just came out of a cheesy 70s porn, an attempt of a sweet love story. Oh, and zombies of some sort.
I'm be honest, I have no idea what was going on most of the flick but it was fun to watch because of the reasons above and because it was just so odd.
Worth watching if you're into cheesy B movies and aren't expecting much.
Other than that the movie itself is a mix of some kind of combination or Wargames where the bad guys can somehow control and kill people remotely, cheezy porn flick, there's a fair share of of nudity and sex scenes and the actors and actresses really do look like they just came out of a cheesy 70s porn, an attempt of a sweet love story. Oh, and zombies of some sort.
I'm be honest, I have no idea what was going on most of the flick but it was fun to watch because of the reasons above and because it was just so odd.
Worth watching if you're into cheesy B movies and aren't expecting much.
This movie is all over the place!
LasKeepsItReal30 April 2020
Warning: Spoilers
I saw Nightmare Weekend for the first time last year and this review will contain some spoilers throughout.
The film starts off with an attempted robbery which leads to a bloody death for one unfortunate man. Later on two scientists want to test out a computer experiment involving silver sphere type balls with the hope they will do something good for mankind in the future, the experiment is also intended to reverse human behaviours and make them less volatile. When Edward goes away for a break the female scientist Julie has other plans and rather than try this experiment on animals she decides to try in on humans instead.
Julie is rude and obnoxious with her staff at the house that she is conducting her experiments and does not get along Edward's teenage daughter Jessica.
Three of Jessica's friends Linda,Pamela and Annie are invited to the house where Julie is performing the experiments in a different manner to Edward or Jessica's knowledge and leads them there under false pretenses. In between this happening the ladies go to a dodgy looking biker bar and meet a sleazy guy with his girlfriend, the first who is murdered later on.
Once the girls get to the house they are all accompanied by some men they met earlier cue to some gratuitous sex scenes before one by one the ladies are possessed by the silver sphere balls in a sequence of unusual situations and turned into killer zombies.
The film had a promising start and basis for a storyline even with the computer experiment idea and then after that it seemed to switch to most genres of the film catalogue. Sometimes it had a sci fi feel with the computer experiments and the flying sphere balls obviously inspired by the Phantasm movie, horror ingredients from several bloody death scenes, drama from where have an ongoing love story between Jessica and Ken which gets more complicated, perhaps unintentional comedy between a psychic puppet named George and his conversations which should be somewhat serious and moving although can't really be taken in that context, there are even several softcore moments for those who like to see nudity in movies and this one has many of those which go off the plotline. I think that the film is supposed to appeal to the average viewer although it fails overall because there is no real resolution and too many sub plots and strange things happening which did not make much sense or have a purpose.
There is not much of a final showdown between the last few characters however there is a fairly blunt ending to the film.
I would rate this film 5 out of 10.
The film starts off with an attempted robbery which leads to a bloody death for one unfortunate man. Later on two scientists want to test out a computer experiment involving silver sphere type balls with the hope they will do something good for mankind in the future, the experiment is also intended to reverse human behaviours and make them less volatile. When Edward goes away for a break the female scientist Julie has other plans and rather than try this experiment on animals she decides to try in on humans instead.
Julie is rude and obnoxious with her staff at the house that she is conducting her experiments and does not get along Edward's teenage daughter Jessica.
Three of Jessica's friends Linda,Pamela and Annie are invited to the house where Julie is performing the experiments in a different manner to Edward or Jessica's knowledge and leads them there under false pretenses. In between this happening the ladies go to a dodgy looking biker bar and meet a sleazy guy with his girlfriend, the first who is murdered later on.
Once the girls get to the house they are all accompanied by some men they met earlier cue to some gratuitous sex scenes before one by one the ladies are possessed by the silver sphere balls in a sequence of unusual situations and turned into killer zombies.
The film had a promising start and basis for a storyline even with the computer experiment idea and then after that it seemed to switch to most genres of the film catalogue. Sometimes it had a sci fi feel with the computer experiments and the flying sphere balls obviously inspired by the Phantasm movie, horror ingredients from several bloody death scenes, drama from where have an ongoing love story between Jessica and Ken which gets more complicated, perhaps unintentional comedy between a psychic puppet named George and his conversations which should be somewhat serious and moving although can't really be taken in that context, there are even several softcore moments for those who like to see nudity in movies and this one has many of those which go off the plotline. I think that the film is supposed to appeal to the average viewer although it fails overall because there is no real resolution and too many sub plots and strange things happening which did not make much sense or have a purpose.
There is not much of a final showdown between the last few characters however there is a fairly blunt ending to the film.
I would rate this film 5 out of 10.
I have seen the lord and it is Nightmare weekend.
alchemy6 January 2000
When I saw The Godfather with a friend and liked it, he suggested that I go and see Nightmare weekend....I don't know why. He just did. Anyhew, The Robot/Handpuppet named George steals the show in this Horror classic. The way he talks in the disturbing monotone voice gives you nightmares for weeks. And oh, the gratuitous sex scenes are simply amazing. Overall I give Nightmare Weekend a 10.
Had heart but that wasn't enough
abduktionsphanomen47126 February 2022
Nightmare Weekend - 1986
(This Film Rates a C )
A low budget film distributed by Troma. A lone scientist in bioelectronics recruits three girls to do testing and experiments on. He is seeking to alter bad behaviors in teenagers. Every early test has been a 100% improvement in all animal testing. The experiment produces a less exciting Phantasm like ball of "medication" that alters their behaviors. Soon the experiment goes awry. What scientist leaves in the middle of an experiment? Don't let the biometer go over 50% he said. Well, the assistant has her own ideas and shows who is really in charge. She takes control of the experiment in his absence, and all goes to murderous hell. A side story of the scientist's daughter enjoying the experimental toys from over the years, including George. George is a computer puppet. George is pretty awesome. You'll love him! It's a fun and unique premise that doesn't quite live up to its potential mainly due to the absurdity of everything. And I mean everything. The acting is lame and makes for some good laughs. There are too many filler scenes that are so outlandish and so badly rehearsed. The bar scene 14 minutes in is the perfect example. The scream at the 37-minute mark or the fight scene just after the 42-minute mark. The build is slow and after the first gore scene you wait a good long time to see anything more. Then when you get to it, it's like "ehhhh". It is this long build that detracts from the overall fun. It has plenty of boobs, lots of gratuitous sex, nudity, porn staches and a rape scene. There is also a bar scene featuring sex on a pinball machine as all the patron's watch. It's all unnecessary but you know you like it. This film is more 80's exploitation than horror.
Silly bizarre not funny or scary
Floated215 August 2023
A very bizarre and confusing mess of a film. This movie seems to try and integrate different genres into one. It is about a woman scientist (whom looks like a young Carla Gugino) plotting experiments on three college students which somehow turns them into mutants looking to kill. There are little subplots but none exactly engaging, including a weird one with the daughter talking to her robotic toy computer figure.
There are these weird silver metal pinballs where if they characters eat them they start to slowly transform. What was most bizarre is how these pinballs would randomly appear and how none of the characters thought of spitting them out. An instance where the maid drinks her drink and a pinball is in the drink unknowingly, yet she doesn't think to spit it out.
The film does have some nudity and weird explicit sx scenes (the last thirty or so minutes turns into a softcore with some gore).
As a whole this film isn't nearly as funny enough to be considered so bad it's good, and the gore and violence is too cheap looking to be scary or taken serious. Entirely forgettable 1980's horror comedy.
There are these weird silver metal pinballs where if they characters eat them they start to slowly transform. What was most bizarre is how these pinballs would randomly appear and how none of the characters thought of spitting them out. An instance where the maid drinks her drink and a pinball is in the drink unknowingly, yet she doesn't think to spit it out.
The film does have some nudity and weird explicit sx scenes (the last thirty or so minutes turns into a softcore with some gore).
As a whole this film isn't nearly as funny enough to be considered so bad it's good, and the gore and violence is too cheap looking to be scary or taken serious. Entirely forgettable 1980's horror comedy.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
