**_When a grumpy horror star is raised from the dead by an occultist_**
After a horror icon’s death (Ferdy Mayne), seven drama students steal his corpse from the mausoleum to party at a Los Angeles mansion. Unfortunately for them, his widow consults a spiritualist and the man is resurrected but not in a good mood toward his young fans.
Shot in 1981 but not released until 1983,"Frightmare" is colorful 80’s horror in the mold of “One Dark Night” (1982) and “Fright Night” (1985). Protagonist Luca Bercovici (Saint) is reminiscent of Roger Daltrey from 10 years earlier, only taller.
Carlene Olson (Eve) is a highlight in the female department and the flick’s worth catching just for her. Donna McDaniel (Donna) and Jennifer Starrett (Meg) are also notable but the director evidently didn’t know how to shoot women to fully capture their beauty.
The flick’s enjoyable to a point, but there’s too little character development and so you don’t care much about the youths threatened by the resurrected Count Radzoff. Still, this is a spooky 80’s flick if you’re in the mood for something with fun Halloween atmosphere.
Christopher Lee was originally considered for the role of Count Radzoff and even appears in flashback B&W footage of “Uncle Was a Vampire” (1959).
The film runs 1 hour, 26 minutes, and was shot at Greystone Park & Mansion, Raleigh Studios in Hollywood and other areas of Los Angeles (e.g. the cemetery).
GRADE: C+/B-
