Redundant and unnecessary.

Captivating movie !

best movie i've ever seen.

When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

It's one of those cult-suicide films were one of the members decided to back out of the mass cult suicide, which was death by fire in this case, she was the only survivor and ended up in a coma for 13 years in a hospital. They tried to find her family with no luck and when she awoke her mind was still in the 1970s not the late 1980s where it should have been. She was kept in the hospital but the cult leader came back to "haunt" her in a literal way - he wants her to commit suicide to join the cult on the other side. People end up dead when the cult leader tries to scare and drive her to suicide. Her psychiatrist falls in love with her and tries to help her.It's an OK movie... I've seen much worse than this!! It held my interest for about an hour and a half anyway.5/10

Watchable, sometimes offbeat and humorous horror film that seems as if it intends to coast on the success of the "Nightmare on Elm Street" series but ends up going on its own merry path. It works best when our heroine is still trying to make sense of macabre events and is not sure what the truth is. The writing is silly at times, but there are also fun moments. Some of the special effects are bad, yet at the same time there's some hilarious over the top gore. Making it entertaining enough to watch are some great lines and a number of amusing, attention-getting performances.The movie stars "Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors" cast member Jennifer Rubin as Cynthia, who as a child had survived a suicide pact engineered by ultra creepy cult leader Harris (Richard Lynch at his best). Now she's a 20 something adult who's just awakened from a coma, and she's put into group therapy run by kindly Alex Karmen (Bruce Abbott of "Re- Animator" fame). Soon the people in this group start to die horrible deaths and Cynthia is convinced that Harris's spirit (which sometimes appears to her as a nastily charred corpse) is the one killing them.Rubin is appealing if not that good as an actress; at least she conveys a sense of naivety and innocence. Abbott is good, as is the excellent character actor Harris Yulin - a man who's always excelled at playing unbelievably smug and pompous jerks - as Karmens' colleague. Dean Cameron ("Summer School") supplies a lot of the comedy, improvising most of his best lines (you have to pay attention to catch one of them). Susan Barnes and Sy Richardson (both from "Repo Man"), Louis Giambalvo ("Weekend at Bernie's"), ever adorable actress / singer / voice over artist Elizabeth Daily, Susan Ruttan ('L.A. Law'), and Charles "voice of Roger Rabbit" Fleischer all put in appearances as well.Co-written and directed by Andrew Fleming ("The Craft"), this is intriguing for a while - with a memorable "revenge" / black comedy sequence near the end - but ultimately comes to a humdrum conclusion. It does show off Rubins' beauty to great effect and can boast some good visual tricks and scene transitions. Oscar winner Michele Burke does the nicely grisly makeup effects.Overall, not bad; it may be worth viewing for devotees of 80s genre fare.Six out of 10.

Cynthia (Jennifer Rubin, A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors) had 13 years of peace and security. Sadly, these years took place while she was in a coma. When she awakens from her long lapse, she is at loss with the world; and simply is not ready for the 80's. She finds herself in a mental hospital with an extremely vivid group of crazies. Quickly, Cynthia tries to convince Dr. Alex Karmen (Bruce Abbott, Re-Animator) that she does not belong there. However, he feels letting her problems out during group sessions will help her prepare from a fresh start. Sorry to say, it does not take long for Harris (Richard Lynch, Invasion U.S.A.), the sadistic organizer of "Unity" to come for Cynthia; and take her to a new light after death.Now first off, yes. Bad Dreams is a certainly not a unique story; but this is actually a movie that takes from others and succeeds, if not surpasses in creativity. The opening shot is purely an introduction of the cult itself and the suicide. Both aspects will haunt Cynthia for the duration of the film. Harris returns to her for one simple motive, because she survived. He wants her to join them in eternal bliss by killing herself. As long as she refuses to rejoin with "Unity", a mental patient from the hospital will take her place in perfect harmony.This was the first film director Andrew Fleming (The Craft) tagged under his belt; and the movie has many interesting shots to offer. Flashbacks and old video documentations of the "Unity" cult are shown brilliantly, leaping back and forth from close ups of Harris' face to his brainwashed followers. The flashbacks of him are mixed into video footage of interviews with the sect. Harris' supporters are realistically disturbing casting an emotionless glare in their eyes and so convinced that all they feel is love.The flashbacks that Cynthia has to undergo are the most unsettling. While in the middle of a group discussion at the hospital (Cynthia, Dr. Karmen and the crazies), she is whisked away back to the cult house, the day of the tragic event. She lives the nightmare twice. All of the group members surround the room doused in gasoline waiting for death. Anticipating what is past the dominion of life as the flames begin to spread over the carpet and hardwood floor. Then the fire attacks. Lovers clench one another as they burn. A father and his two sons hold each other tight as they melt away. Some are screaming in torture, others are crawling across the floor still believing they are headed some place special. In the center of all the carnage stands Harris in flames, taunting Cynthia to come with them. This is one of the most grisly scenes of Bad Dreams, and one of the best.Between the years 1987 and '88, Jennifer Rubin could not seem to stay away from mental hospitals, nor could she get rid of homicidal maniacs with a massive burn scab for a body. First, she did Elm Street 3 then this gem. She is no stranger to the horror genre, yet her performance ends up being only decent. Cynthia's character comes off a little hazy; a deeper perception of unstableness with herself, as well as things around her should have been made clearer. Overall, Rubin does enough to get the job done; she just does not stand out. Bruce Abbott plays Dr. Alex Karmen, and you can bet his degree did not come from Miskatonic Medical School. He grows a closer attachment to Cynthia than the rest of his patients; because he knows deep down she does not belong there. Abbott, like Rubin does a well enough job to keep the story sturdy, but nothing to write home about.Richard Lynch usually plays the villain in films, and he has the ability to do so effectively. Harris is still a different role for him, though. He manages to pull off being evil and menacing with a touch of passive serenity in unison. His appearance also comes in two flavors, regular or burnt to a crisp. That is right; Cynthia is haunted by visions of Harris in before and after the fire aspects. Lynch stands out here, and his significance in the role is one reason the movie succeeds. Dean Cameron (Summer School) plays Ralph, the most intriguing of all the patients. He is blatantly honest, and extremely on edge. When his tension builds, he cuts a whole in his body to release his anger in order to calm down. Anytime Cameron is on screen in Bad Dreams, he steals the show completely. This character alone gives the film a truly uneasy mood.The makeup FX are handled by Michele Burke (Terror Train, Bram Stoker's Dracula, Interview with the Vampire), and some gory suicide style deaths are presented. The greatest achievement is the makeup job on Richard Lynch, though. Harris makes Freddy Kruger look like a pretty face. He is totally barbecued from head to toe. The little additions throw this film to the top of the gross-out scale, though. His right ear hangs from his head by a tiny thread of skin, teeth burnt brown around the edges, and one of his eyes blinded white. Scorched skin all over his face and skull are slightly peeled and curled up, like burning newspaper around wood in a fireplace. This character is no joke, and Burke did a fantastic job at making him horrendous as possible.Somehow, Bad Dreams manages to be unique, despite its similarities to Elm Street 3. Ultimately, it ends up being all together different, and refreshing.

Cynthia reawakens from a 13 year old coma after a tragic fire murdered off her fellow cult members called "The Unity." She is sent over to a mental institution and placed in with the Borderline Personality therapy group. She begins dreaming and hallucinating about the leader of the Unity named Harris. Soon members of the therapy groups begin dying in apparent suicides. This may be because Cynthia made a pact to die with the unity, yet she survived.This movie had a similar Nightmare on Elm Street feel, but Harris is no Freddy. He is a genuinely spine-chilling phantasm, especially when he appears as his burned skeleton form in the elevators and hallways of the institution. The acting was convincing enough, and the leads did a very good job. The actor who played Ralph was the best. There is one cliché', the fellow patient who warns Cynthia "There is no escape from him." And something similar. Not too mention the evil psychologist with bad intentions and a love affair.Overall watch this movie if you can. It deserves a B+ for how it is put together. I recommend this to any horror fan.