Bad Dreams (1988)

Bad Dreams is a classic 80’s Horror Film by director and co-writer Andrew Fleming and produced by Gale Anne Hurd. The film begins with a cult known as Unity Fields, gathering with its psychopathic leader Franklin Harris (Richard Lynch) dousing his members with gasoline and lighting his followers on fire in a mass suicide. One survivor Cynthia (Jennifer Rubin) survived and recently awakened from a thirteen year coma with occasional reminders of the suicide. Dr. Alex Karmen (Bruce Abbot) is the resident psychiatrist determined to help his patients but as people in her group therapy begin to commit suicide in gruesome ways, Cynthia believes she is being stalked by the ghost of the evil cult leader. But are these deaths suicides or murders from an unseen entity of the sinister cult leader Franklin Harris?  As it turns out, her dreams become more vivid with each day confusing  of what’s left of her reality into a horror as Franklin has come back to claim his “Love child”. This film is a great thriller with horror elements that remind one of the classic Elm Street series. Now released as a double feature BluRay/DVD by Scream! Factory, Bad Dreams comes packed with extras such as an original alternate ending, a behind the scenes and a make-up effects featurette.

The Outing "The Lamp" (1987)

The Outing (The Lamp) is an American horror film directed by Tom Daley, written by Warren Chaney. In the year 1893 a young woman (Deborah Winters) wears a magical charmed bracelet is told that it holds the dark spirit of an evil genie, one that foretells the future of violent things. Fast forward to modern day, a gang of thieves, Harley (Hank Amico), Tony Greco (André Chimène) and Michelle Watkins as Faylene, are about to burglarize an old ladies house which turns out to be the young lady that owns the bracelet. Brutally murdering her with an axe to the face they then find an accompanying lamp. Now with the evil presence more rampant than ever, the evil genie is released and possesses the woman’s corpse to take revenge on the burglars. Afterwards as a detective surveys the crime scene an officer sends the lamp and bracelet along with the other evidence to display in the natural science museum. Now within the genies new home at the museum its new curator is being viewed by his new owner Dr. Bressling (Danny Daniels). While Dr. Wallace (James Huston) an archeologist and his daughter Alex (Andra Ivanyi) is visiting her father’s work, she eventually tries on the newly arrived bracelet shortly before an out of a fit of rage over an argument when she spouts “I wish you were dead!” she suddenly becomes unable to remove the bracelet. With the genie now taken possession of Alex she convinces her friends Babs’ (Damon Merrill), Ted (Scott Bankston) Ross (Barry Coffing), Gwen (Tracye Walker), Terry (Raan Lewis), Max (Brian Floores), to go on an “Outing” to spend the night there at the museum during a field trip there that her school goes to. The genie now more powerful than ever takes over more people and objects making artifacts take possession in the museum commit “acts of violence” alongside extreme gore, decapitations, possessions the outing has it all. Things take a turn for the worse and many more murders take place including Bob (Roy Wilson) an opera singing security guard (well deserved). When the genies true figure is revealed he chases Alex and her friends down corridors of the museum as help quickly arrives and together they try to destroy the evil genie. The film is a fun thrilled horror film closely related to “Wishmaster” and takes no boundaries too far, a classic 80’s horror flick with plenty of skin. The Outing (Aka the Lamp) is featured on a double feature as of last year by Scream! Factory and is accompanied by another horror film, The Godsend where a mysterious woman who has a baby that strangely ends up missing with suspensions that someone in that house may be a killer. Both are excellent movies and it’s a well purchased BluRay that can be bought from Scream! Factory or purchased on Amazon.