Verdict
Summary
An intimate character study in the guise of a slasher film, Butcher, Baker, Nightmare Maker really works because of the performances, particularly Tyrell’s unhinged, no-holds-barred delivery of an obsessed, deranged woman.
Plot:
A high school athlete raised by his aunt deals with covering for her after she is revealed to be a psychotic killer.
Review:
Orphaned at three years old, handsome high school athlete Billy (Jimmy McNichol) has a bright future ahead of him, with an adoring and pretty girlfriend named Julie (Julia Duffy) and a basketball coach who really encourages him and teaches him what he needs to know to get a college scholarship. All Billy wants is to break free of the small town where he grew up under the care of his doting and overprotective aunt Cheryl (Susan Tyrell, giving a robustly insane performance), but she clearly has designs to keep Billy at home indefinitely, no matter what. With her explosive temper and very creepy affection towards her nephew whom she thinks of as a cross between her son and her boyfriend, aunt Cheryl has some screws loose, and has had for years, as we discover later. When a little bedroom tryst with a man she barely knows turns to a grisly killing in the kitchen with a butcher knife, Cheryl immediately relies on Billy to cover for her, insisting that it was a rape gone wrong, and loyal to a fault, Billy sticks to the story, but a local detective named Carlson (Bo Svenson) immediately sees right through the story and pegs Billy for the killing as some kind of homosexual coupling gone bad. After investigating, Carlson begins to understand that Cheryl’s past includes a number of suspicious deaths or disappearances, including Billy’s parents, and he systematically begins to dismantle Billy’s world as he outs his basketball coach as gay, forcing him to resign in disgrace, and intimidating Julie with innuendos and harassment, while trying to inch Billy closer to a complete mental breakdown that will have him snapping, but not before inciting the psychotic wrath of Aunt Cheryl, who is a powerhouse of unstoppable craziness.
An intimate character study in the guise of a slasher film, Butcher, Baker, Nightmare Maker really works because of the performances, particularly Tyrell’s unhinged, no-holds-barred delivery of an obsessed, deranged woman. The film’s bloody and violent climax is shocking, and really goes for broke with characters getting their heads bashed in, stabbed, impaled, or shot to mincemeat. It’s pretty nuts, and while I enjoyed the pacing and the plot, the movie still can’t shake its movie-of-the-week type of melodrama, despite the fact that it has nudity, graphic gore, and a creepier-than-usual dynamic between some of the characters. Watch for Bill Paxton in an early role as a basketball player who tries to bully the main character. William Asher directed.
Severin is about to release a premium 4K Ultra HD / Blu-ray combo pack of Butcher, Baker, Nightmare Maker, and the upgrade to the image is noticeably sharp and clear, and likely has never looked or sounded better than it does here. A slipcover comes with this edition, and a number of bonus features are included.
Bonus Materials
• Audio Commentary With Star Jimmy McNichol
• Audio Commentary With Co-Writer/Producer Steve Breimer And Co-Writer Alan Jay Glueckman, Moderated By Mondo Digital’s Nathaniel Thompson
• Audio Commentary With Co-Producer And Unit Production Manager Eugene Mazzola
• Extreme Prejudice – Interview With Actor Bo Svenson
• Point And Shoot – Interview With Director Of Photography Robbie Greenberg
• Family Dynamics – Interview With Editor Ted Nicolaou
• Cast And Crew Interviews With Actors Jimmy McNichol, Susan Tyrrell And Steve Eastin, Make-Up Artist Allan A. Apone And Producer Steve Breimer
• Trailer
• TV Spot
