Nightmare(1981)
1981 · Romano Scavolini · 99 min
A drug-treated schizophrenic plagued by horrible nightmares is released from the hospital and goes on a killing spree.
Horror
5.6122 votes
TMDB score
4/5
Intensity
5/5
Gore
3/5
Stays with you
How Nightmare scares
Nightmare is a grimy, low-budget slasher that spends its first stretch following a disturbed man's fractured mind before tipping into sudden, brutal violence. The scares come less from jolts and more from a queasy, sleazy sense of dread that builds as his grip on reality slips. Gore is graphic and lingered on, which is what got this one banned as a video nasty back in the day. It's not a fun scare-your-friends movie — it's rough, mean-spirited, and made to leave you feeling a bit grubby afterward, best suited to horror fans who specifically want that early-80s exploitation edge.
On The Horror Database's 0–5 scare profile, Nightmare rates psychological 3/5, visceral 4/5, gore 5/5, lingering effect 3/5, and overall intensity 4/5.
- Psychological: 3 of 5
- Visceral: 4 of 5
- Gore: 5 of 5
- Lingering: 3 of 5
- Intensity: 4 of 5
Slow burn vs Jump scares: 30 of 100 — leans Slow burn
Supernatural vs Real-world: 92 of 100 — leans Real-world
Fun-scary vs Disturbing: 72 of 100 — leans Disturbing
Intensity over runtime
Shape only — no eventsReveal pacing shapeHide pacing shapeHidden by default — shows where the tension peaks and lets up.
A shocking early jolt settles into a slow, uneasy simmer before building steadily to a brutal, drawn-out finish.
Intensity across the runtime, 0 to 100: 3, 2, 1, 1, 2, 2, 2, 3, 3, 4, 5, 5.
How scary is Nightmare?
On The Horror Database's 0–5 intensity scale, Nightmare rates 4/5 — one of the more punishing watches in the catalog, building its fear through slow-burn dread rather than shocks. It works on both fronts, unsettling the mind while going for the body. Expect it to be heavy on gore and genuinely disturbing. Some of it will follow you to bed, but it lets go within a day or so.
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