Legendary horror actor Conrad Razkoff (Ferdy Mayne) is starting to hit a low point in his life. His type of horror movie is out dated, and audiences are mostly uninterested in him. After filming a campy commercial for dentures, he is called out to a horror festival by a group of drama students. He suffers a heart attacks and dreams up his ultimate final curtain call, a star-studded funeral. After his death his “loyal” fans dig him up for a horror party. But little do they know that you shouldn’t mess with the dead.  

FRIGHTMARE (1983) was originally released as THE HORROR STAR. The movie was an attempt to mix horror with comedy in a more self-aware light. The screenplay by director Norman Thaddeus Vane (DRACULA SUCKS) plays with elements of black magic, horror stardom, and the then popular slasher movie plotting. As a slasher is where it truly stands out. 

The kill scenes are tame, but the whole movie has a great sense of fun and wonder. The fog machine is on full blast like a trashy music video, and the cobwebs are thick. The cinematography by Joel King is top notch with a nice eye for detail. As a love letter to horror fandom, the film is packed with references including a house filled with horror movie posters, with multiple one-sheets for Lucio Fulci’s ZOMBIE. 

The cast is led by the underrated Ferdy Mayne, who offered fun parts in some wild cult films like NIGHT TRAIN TO TERROR in the role of God, and the hilarious HOWLING 2 YOUR SISTER IS A WEREWOLF. Here he is channeling a mix of Christopher Lee and Vincent Price, but he still has his own charm. Jeffery Combs (RE-ANIMATOR) also shows up in his first film role. 

Audio/ Video (4.5/5) 

88 Films delivers FRIGHTMARE on Blu-ray with a handsome transfer and a clear audio mix. The English DTS-HD Master Audio is clear with some minor room tone sound. It’s not over powering but it is noticeable. The score and dialogue are smooth with no hiss. English subtitles are included.  

The 1080p HD transfer is mostly error film. There is some print damage and some film grain, but overall this is the best the movie has ever looked. The fog and smoke element of the movie cleans up well. 

Extras (4.5/5) 

We get three commentaries! First up is a commentary with movie director David DeCoteau and film historian David Del Valle, which is overall entertaining but goes off topic quickly. The second commentary is with the slasher movie podcast Hysteria Continues, which is the most entertaining of the bunch and holds the most trivia and background info. The last commentary track is with Nathaniel Thompson and Tim Greer of Mondo Digital. The track is info packed but a little slower in spots. Like their other tracks, the track is packed with info and gave me a whole list of notes.  

Rounding out the disc is an interview with actor Scott Thomson, who discusses his career and his work in low budget horror movies. Next is an interview with cinematographer Joel King and an archival audio interview with director Norman Thaddeus Vane (which plays over the movie). Wrapping up the disc is a stills gallery and the original theatrical trailer. In the disc itself is a booklet of liner notes by Dave Wain and Matty Budrewicz and reversible cover artwork under the title THE HORROR STAR. 

Overall (4/5) 

FRIGHTMARE is a fun hybrid of old school horror stars with the tropes of the slasher film. 88 Films has done the movie a great service with this Blu-ray release. Highly recommended.  

Director- Norman Thaddeus Vane 

Cast- Ferdy Mayne, Jeffery Combs 

Country of Origin- US 

Discs- 1 

Distributor- 88 Films 

Reviewer- Tyler Miller