It’s often been said that older movie stars never die. They just turn up forever in syndicated broadcasts of their finest wares.
Definitely, the advent of physical media – alongside the much more recent digital streaming explosion – has given a good many cherished talents from the days of yore their own respective afterlives. The phenomenon to both experience and re-experience films of every conceivable genre has given life to modern cinephiles discovering actors and actresses from bygone eras truly had something special even if their tenures were as long or as reputable as today’s social media circus promotes or destroys. The single greatest plus to this phenomenon is that some of these learned talent see a bit of a cultural resurgence when newfound fans from the modern age build up their own fan communities around them, adding just one more piece of evidence to the old adage, “Film is forever.”
Of course, there can be inevitable dark sides to celebrity, too. Some screen talent really don’t tolerate the whole idea of being in the public eye, much preferring to live their lives without the constant intrusion of invasive publicity; while they might occasionally enjoy a bit of fawning praise, they’re still opposed to having their every movement scrutinized under the proverbial microscope. And – on the other side of that coin – fandom can be downright rabid in its endless pursuit of an autograph, a celebrity sighting, or even the dreaded shared ‘selfie.’ Because there’s often as much bad as there is with good, calmer minds hold out hope that somehow in some way we’ll all find a means to spend the best part of our time in this reality without the shackles of pain that superstardom might entail.
Still … what’s a deceased Horror icon to do when a group of film aficionados won’t let him go quietly into the beyond?
Well, that’s the subject of 1983’s Frightmare, an affable enough chiller from writer/director Norman Thaddeus Vane recently re-released on Blu-ray from Troma Entertainment.
(NOTE: The following review will contain minor spoilers necessary solely for the discussion of plot and/or characters. If you’re the kind of reader who prefers a review entirely spoiler-free, then I’d encourage you to skip down to the last few paragraphs for the final assessment. If, however, you’re accepting of a few modest hints at ‘things to come,’ then read on …)
From the film’s IMDB.com page citation:
“When his loyal fans decide to steal his fresh corpse from the mortuary to party with it all night long, a true horror film star returns from the grave as a ghastly blood-sucker, bent on revenge. At least, will he spare his followers?”
Conrad Radzoff (played by Ferdy Mayne) may not be the most accomplished Thespian of his era, but he might be the most overtly theatrical. Sporting a practiced delivery style not unlike the great Vincent Price, he’s spent the lion’s share of his career bringing Horror to the silver screen to the delight of fans young and old. Known for his screen chewing presence, he built a legacy worth celebration in the light and shadows; and now that he’s nearing the end of his life, he’s begun pondering if his firsthand knowledge with the supernatural might well present him with the opportunity to return from the hereafter in some immortal guise.
Lo and behold, Radzoff does eventually pass his expiration date not long after dispensing with a few ‘peasants’ who treated him poorly along the way. To celebrate his life and career, he’s built a private mausoleum outfitted with a video console where family, friends, and fans can come to reconnect with his broadcast image a constant reminder that he’ll never be that far away. It’s here where a group of supporters of a local Horror Society – a collegiate club praising vintage Horror films – decide that they’d love to spend their own ‘Weekend At Bernie’s’ (1989) with Radzoff’s recently expired body only to discover that the late actor might very well be everything but late!
If it’s all the premise that you need, then you’ll like find just enough fun and frights in Frightmare. It isn’t a particularly smart story nor it is particularly scary as writer/director Vane largely pays homage to chills already a decade or two overused; but he and his cast and crew stay true to the central idea consistently through the final reel. These young upstarts could’ve, should’ve, and would’ve known better if there were serious about their Horror studies – has anything good ever come from disturbing the dead? – but we’ll cut ‘em a modicum of slack for not knowing in advance just how invested in returning to form the dearly departed Radzoff truly was.
A glance into Vane’s career reveals that he wasn’t exactly the most accomplished auteur. In fact, one might determine that the majority of his pedigree was in B-Movie exploitation at best though – as a writer, at least – it looks like he stretched his legs a bit outside his usual fare. Indeed, Frightmare feels like a modest step up from being mostly forgettable because the production quality and casting choices minimally showed some investment in time and capital. The flick is punctuated with some familiar faces – Mayne is joined by Nita Talbott, Leon Askin, Scott Thomson, and a young Jeffrey Combs – and when you get that weight in talent into a feature goods things can (and do) happen. Sadly, Vane’s story never quite expands from its central idea – Radzoff will stop at nothing to make everyone pay – and the staging of these ensuing killings grows more and more predictable and protracted.
Frightmare (1983) was produced by Screenwriters. DVD distribution (for this particular release) has been coordinated by the fine folks at Troma Entertainment. As for the technical specifications? While I’m no trained video expert … wow. The film looks surprisingly good throughout: while it would be easy to nitpick the plainness of some sequences, Vane clearly had an idea of what he wanted to achieve and delivered. Lastly, if you’re looking for special features? The disc boasts multiple commentaries (Vane’s is a bit hard to listen to as it was conducted via telephone, and the audio is not that good), some interesting supplemental interviews, and a few other of the usual fare. It is a great assortment regardless, so kudos to Troma for as delivering the goods.
Alas … only Mildly Recommended.
As a junkie for older films, I appreciated what Frightmare (1983) set out to do with its slim narrative focus; and yet I found myself increasingly disappointed over what little it ultimately produced. Yes, it’s all more than a bit predictable; and, yes, there might be a scene here and there that could’ve been stronger. However, Mayne didn’t chew enough scenery anywhere in the picture to make be believe that his villain – Golden Age actor Conrad Radzoff – legitimately earned the reputation these film nerds attached to him. There’s even a thread dangled here and there that never quite gets followed up on – i.e. the fetching Donna clearly caught our lead’s lecherous eye in an early bit that never gets expanded – so the end result is – even in death – Radzoff was a bit too tame for authentic Horror history.
In the interests of fairness, I’m pleased to disclose that the fine folks at Troma provided me with a complimentary Blu-ray of Frightmare (1983) by request for the expressed purpose of completing this review. Their contribution to me in no way, shape, or form influenced my opinion of it.
-- EZ
Definitely, the advent of physical media – alongside the much more recent digital streaming explosion – has given a good many cherished talents from the days of yore their own respective afterlives. The phenomenon to both experience and re-experience films of every conceivable genre has given life to modern cinephiles discovering actors and actresses from bygone eras truly had something special even if their tenures were as long or as reputable as today’s social media circus promotes or destroys. The single greatest plus to this phenomenon is that some of these learned talent see a bit of a cultural resurgence when newfound fans from the modern age build up their own fan communities around them, adding just one more piece of evidence to the old adage, “Film is forever.”
Of course, there can be inevitable dark sides to celebrity, too. Some screen talent really don’t tolerate the whole idea of being in the public eye, much preferring to live their lives without the constant intrusion of invasive publicity; while they might occasionally enjoy a bit of fawning praise, they’re still opposed to having their every movement scrutinized under the proverbial microscope. And – on the other side of that coin – fandom can be downright rabid in its endless pursuit of an autograph, a celebrity sighting, or even the dreaded shared ‘selfie.’ Because there’s often as much bad as there is with good, calmer minds hold out hope that somehow in some way we’ll all find a means to spend the best part of our time in this reality without the shackles of pain that superstardom might entail.
Still … what’s a deceased Horror icon to do when a group of film aficionados won’t let him go quietly into the beyond?
Well, that’s the subject of 1983’s Frightmare, an affable enough chiller from writer/director Norman Thaddeus Vane recently re-released on Blu-ray from Troma Entertainment.
(NOTE: The following review will contain minor spoilers necessary solely for the discussion of plot and/or characters. If you’re the kind of reader who prefers a review entirely spoiler-free, then I’d encourage you to skip down to the last few paragraphs for the final assessment. If, however, you’re accepting of a few modest hints at ‘things to come,’ then read on …)
From the film’s IMDB.com page citation:
“When his loyal fans decide to steal his fresh corpse from the mortuary to party with it all night long, a true horror film star returns from the grave as a ghastly blood-sucker, bent on revenge. At least, will he spare his followers?”
Conrad Radzoff (played by Ferdy Mayne) may not be the most accomplished Thespian of his era, but he might be the most overtly theatrical. Sporting a practiced delivery style not unlike the great Vincent Price, he’s spent the lion’s share of his career bringing Horror to the silver screen to the delight of fans young and old. Known for his screen chewing presence, he built a legacy worth celebration in the light and shadows; and now that he’s nearing the end of his life, he’s begun pondering if his firsthand knowledge with the supernatural might well present him with the opportunity to return from the hereafter in some immortal guise.
Lo and behold, Radzoff does eventually pass his expiration date not long after dispensing with a few ‘peasants’ who treated him poorly along the way. To celebrate his life and career, he’s built a private mausoleum outfitted with a video console where family, friends, and fans can come to reconnect with his broadcast image a constant reminder that he’ll never be that far away. It’s here where a group of supporters of a local Horror Society – a collegiate club praising vintage Horror films – decide that they’d love to spend their own ‘Weekend At Bernie’s’ (1989) with Radzoff’s recently expired body only to discover that the late actor might very well be everything but late!
If it’s all the premise that you need, then you’ll like find just enough fun and frights in Frightmare. It isn’t a particularly smart story nor it is particularly scary as writer/director Vane largely pays homage to chills already a decade or two overused; but he and his cast and crew stay true to the central idea consistently through the final reel. These young upstarts could’ve, should’ve, and would’ve known better if there were serious about their Horror studies – has anything good ever come from disturbing the dead? – but we’ll cut ‘em a modicum of slack for not knowing in advance just how invested in returning to form the dearly departed Radzoff truly was.
A glance into Vane’s career reveals that he wasn’t exactly the most accomplished auteur. In fact, one might determine that the majority of his pedigree was in B-Movie exploitation at best though – as a writer, at least – it looks like he stretched his legs a bit outside his usual fare. Indeed, Frightmare feels like a modest step up from being mostly forgettable because the production quality and casting choices minimally showed some investment in time and capital. The flick is punctuated with some familiar faces – Mayne is joined by Nita Talbott, Leon Askin, Scott Thomson, and a young Jeffrey Combs – and when you get that weight in talent into a feature goods things can (and do) happen. Sadly, Vane’s story never quite expands from its central idea – Radzoff will stop at nothing to make everyone pay – and the staging of these ensuing killings grows more and more predictable and protracted.
Frightmare (1983) was produced by Screenwriters. DVD distribution (for this particular release) has been coordinated by the fine folks at Troma Entertainment. As for the technical specifications? While I’m no trained video expert … wow. The film looks surprisingly good throughout: while it would be easy to nitpick the plainness of some sequences, Vane clearly had an idea of what he wanted to achieve and delivered. Lastly, if you’re looking for special features? The disc boasts multiple commentaries (Vane’s is a bit hard to listen to as it was conducted via telephone, and the audio is not that good), some interesting supplemental interviews, and a few other of the usual fare. It is a great assortment regardless, so kudos to Troma for as delivering the goods.
Alas … only Mildly Recommended.
As a junkie for older films, I appreciated what Frightmare (1983) set out to do with its slim narrative focus; and yet I found myself increasingly disappointed over what little it ultimately produced. Yes, it’s all more than a bit predictable; and, yes, there might be a scene here and there that could’ve been stronger. However, Mayne didn’t chew enough scenery anywhere in the picture to make be believe that his villain – Golden Age actor Conrad Radzoff – legitimately earned the reputation these film nerds attached to him. There’s even a thread dangled here and there that never quite gets followed up on – i.e. the fetching Donna clearly caught our lead’s lecherous eye in an early bit that never gets expanded – so the end result is – even in death – Radzoff was a bit too tame for authentic Horror history.
In the interests of fairness, I’m pleased to disclose that the fine folks at Troma provided me with a complimentary Blu-ray of Frightmare (1983) by request for the expressed purpose of completing this review. Their contribution to me in no way, shape, or form influenced my opinion of it.
-- EZ
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