I've been a on a kick of inducting ladies into the Horror Crushes section, as I been enjoying doing just that. I hope that I continue to do so as 2023 rolls on. And, today I am inducting an absolute blonde stunner, a dream girl come true if you will: the gorgeous Jenny Neumann!
Neumann studied acting at UCLA in the 70s and made her acting debut in Mistress of the Apes (1978). But, her first horror role would come two years later.
That film is the one that inspired me to induct her, the Australian slasher flick: Nightmares (1980). It's also known as Stage Fright and is not to be confused with the 1983 anthology flick Nightmares or the awesome Michelle Soavi giallo Stage Fright. This one deals Cathy (Neumann), who as a little girl watched her mom fuck and mess around with some dude. She accidently cause the car crash in which they both die. Now, she is a gorgeous but sexually repressed actress. And, soon people start dying around her.
It may lack in the suspense and logic departments, but it is still a decent little flick that takes inspiration from American slashers and the Italian giallo. I go further into my thoughts on this film in my review of it. As far as Nuemann, she is really fun to watch, as she has this great, wild look in her eyes. She is also genuinely likable in the role, even when it comes off as over-the-top. She looks breathtaking in her beauty, which certainly doesn't hurt.
A year later, in 1981, she would appear in her next and final horror movie, Hell Night. It's a surprisingly good slasher about a group of college kids staying in a creepy, old house as part of a fraternity hazing. It's got some likable characters and is a really good looking flick with some genuine tension. The flick also has a great climax and stars some lovely ladies. Among them is Linda Blair as the final girl and, of course, Neumman, who plays mean girl May. She ends up losing her head.
One cool thing, is that she appeared in the extra features to Scream Factory's awesome Blu-ray, released a couple of years ago. She still looked beautiful!
She did appear on both "V" and V: The Final Battle (1983 & 84) as good alien Barbara. While, it is definitely not horror, it does feature evil aliens disguised as humans, scared the fuck out of me as a kid, and serves as an excuse to post pics of her in her bra.
Neumann would soon retire and turned to writing instead. Her career was short, and I certainly wish she had done more. But, with her appearances in two slasher movies and her absolutely stunning beauty, it is clear that she is a great addition to Horror Crushes!
Title: Nightmares Director: John Lamond Writers: Colin Eggelston, John Lamond Cast: Jenny Neumann, Gary Sweet, Nina Landis, Max Phipps, John Micheal Howson Year: 1980 Min: 90
When Cathy was a little girl she saw her mom screwing a man in bed. Later, she finds herself in the backseat of a car. Her mom is driving and making out with a dude. When the guy decides to run his hand up her leg, Cathy tries to stop him. This causes the car to crash. Mom goes flying through the windshield, and a shard of glass cuts her throat. Jump forward to her being an adult. She has changed her name to Helen (Jenny Neumann). Helen is now a stage actress and starring in a new play called Comedy of Blood. As an adult she is stunningly beautiful but also sexually repressed. It doesn't take long for people around her to start dying, all of them getting stabbed by shards of glass.
Nightmares is an interesting, Australian attempt at making a slasher film, at a point when the sub-genre was just beginning to bloom. It should not be confused with the 1983 American horror anthology of the same name. The movie is also known as Stage Fright, which means it also should not be confused with the Michele Soavi giallo of the same name, which came out some years later. Which is interesting and quite the coincidence to note, as the movie feels and looks like an amalgamate of the American stalk and slash flick and the Italian Giallo.
Co-writer director John Lammond has an interesting visual aesthetic for the film. There are some really odd shots, that combine with moments of style to making for an interesting looking movie. A particularly violent stalk and kill in the rain stands as one of the movie's most visually captivating moments. Sadly, the kills lack any real suspense, but are instead punctuated by bloody violence. The shards of glass cut through backs, slice a breast, thighs, etc. Aside, from good bits of bloodletting there is also some fairly graphic sex scenes and ample nudity, throw in for good measure.
Our gloved killer is never really seen, but the movie is unsure if it wants to keep the killer's identity a mystery or not. It seemingly tries to do both, as it tells who the killer is and pretends it is a mystery, at the same time! It's an odd choice, but one has to just go with it and enjoy it. At least, it makes for a different storytelling choice.
The film moves at a good enough pace. It's interesting and entertaining enough, that if you just go with it, you'll find yourself liking it. I, personally, got a real kick out of the ending. In a lesser movie it may have come off as feeling cheap. Here, it made me go, ''Ha! That's pretty cool''
It is also great that the characters aren't a bunch of horny, interchangeable teens but instead are adults. Sure, they have sex on the brain, too, but the age change of the characters is refreshing. The acting is competent from most of the cast. Most fun to watch is the absolutely gorgeous Jenny Neumann. She has this great, wild look throughout the movie, that I got a kick out of seeing her do. There is something genuinely likeable both of her portrayal of the character and the character, itself, even if it is a little over-the-top at times. It also helps that she is a breathtaking beauty. Too bad she quit acting later in the 80s, I would have loved to see her in more films.
Nightmares is good, if flawed fun. What it lacks in suspense or story telling decision making, it makes up for with its positive points. It's a good, albeit at times odd, film that takes inspiration from both American and Italian horror. Adding a good amount of blood and skin and a beautiful and likable lead in Nuemann; this under-seen Australian horror flick deserves a look. It is currently streaming on Shudder and available on DVD from Severin films.
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