'90s Trash: Tobe Hooper's Night Terrors (1993)

As a fan of Tobe Hooper, this makes me sad.  

This is Night Terrors, a 1993 Film made by sort-of Canon Films- now with just Globus.  

After failing to get a big hit out of his 3-Picture Deal- TCM 2, Lifeforce and Invaders from Mars-, he managed to keep going.  Following some TV work (and Spontaneous Combustion), he ended back with kind-of-sort-of Canon.  

Here's how you know that you should be worried- one-time Screenwriter.  Rom Globus is the Co-Writer and one has to assume he's a direct relative of the more famous Globus here.  

I can't find records to confirm what relation they may or may not have, but...come on!  

The other Writer is more known for Acting...and he's not really known for that either.  He's one of those guys that pops up in random parts in random things and you never remember him.  

He did write- and this is true- Homeboyz: Crack City.  No, really.  

It has no Plot listed on IMDB and only one Review (they hated it).  

This Plot of THIS Film involves a lot of weird things coinciding for no clear reason.  A woman goes to Israel with her Father and it all ties in to a Gnostic Cult.  

The other half of the Story inexplicably involves the Marquis De Sade- why not?!?  

The whole thing was a mess behind the Scenes, changing Directors and locations before all was said and done.  Save this Film, Robert Englund!  

To find out why even he can't, read on...

In Flashbacks, we see the Marquis- Englund- being tortured and enjoying it.  

This sure relates to what happens next...

Our Heroine goes to Egypt- actually Israel- to hang out with her Father, who's an Archaeologist looking into some Gnostic Ruins.

Her Dad is busy, so she wanders the Streets.  Some men try to straight up rape her (!!!), but a woman tells them not to...and they do.

Said women hangs out with her and just happens to love the Marquis AND have his Journal.  

Reading is for evil Cults!

Our Heroine hangs out with the woman and has weird visions at a party.  She isn't feeling well the next day, but still goes out to see a Desert Horse Race with her friends, because of a Film Wipe.

She passes out, but ends up hooking up with the Racer after more visions.  This Film is like 40% random visions, just narrowly losing out to The Lords of Salem.

More visions.  Nudity.  More visions.  Nudity.

Englund finally shows up in the Present as Mr. Chevalier- he's no Knight!- and he's part of the group that the woman is.  

No reason to distrust any of this!

The Dad occasionally shows up.  

He finds some ruins and then immediately gets killed.  Yea.

The group make their move by killing the Nanny- Cliché Concerned Religious Maid Character- and capturing our Heroine.  Shockingly, everyone is working against her- even that guy.

He can't be evil- he once rode a Horse while naked!

There's a whole plan involving killing her that somehow connects to De Sade, but who cares?

The woman has a change of heart and frees our Heroine, only to be killed by Englund.

After 80+ minutes, will our Heroine finally save herself?  

Nope- random Monks do.

In the Past, De Sade dies.  Glad we cut back to that!  The End.

A weird mess of a Film.  

This could have been...interesting.  I was going to say 'great,' but then thought about it.  

This Plot involves the Marquis De Sade, Gnostics and a bunch of weird sex dreams.  That is NOT how people describe Casablanca!  

There was no way to truly salvage this Film without massive changes.  Tobe Hooper was a really good Director.  Robert Englund is a good Actor.  That's about where the quality really stops.  

The Plot is a mess.  The Pacing is terrible.  The constant distraction of the sex visions is bad.  None of this really works.  

Could they have been okay with just the flashback parts being expanded?  Yes.  

Could they have been okay with just the present-day stuff being expanded?  Yes.  

My biggest problem is with how they wrote/treat the Lead Heroine.  Simply put, she's passive and pathetic.  She goes everywhere people tell her to, only makes minor attempts to speak her mind and can't even stand up for herself as things wrap up.  

Does she manage to escape on her own?  No.  The woman just feels bad for her and lets her escape.  Does she at least take down Englund- who was already wounded and bleeding out?  Nope.  

She's just pathetic and really speaks to bad Writing and maybe something deeper. 

Given that Rom only wrote this, I can only judge him by this Film- which doesn't do him any favors!  Night Terrors is not good and, more importantly, is not about me facing ennui while I sleep!  

It is, however, full of subtle symbolism that only a Film featuring a naked man riding a Horse could bring you...

Next time, a trip back the '80s.  I can't stay away from that crazy Decade!  Stay tuned...