Nightwish (1989) Review

 In an abandoned mansion a professor and four graduate students' experiment goes awry when an alien entity starts attacking them.

Written and directed by Bruce R. Cook, Nightwish has a strong nightmarish urban zombie chase opening but once it leaves the laboratory to the country it loses momentum quickly.

Cook delivers on the direction front but the daylight scenes snubs the atmosphere as the disjointed story aimless meanders from one scene to the next. The mansion setting is more like a barn and the location doesn't lend itself to the shenanigans on screen. It feels a collection of ideas with the old 'dream within a dream' shoehorned in. It heavy handedly echoes elements from films like The Haunting (1963) and House on Haunted Hill (1956). As the teacher and students try to summon up entities and ghosts in the dwelling, what follows is a lot of supernatural and alien babble, five pointed stars, science paranormal devices and spectral manifestations that build to very little. To Cook's credit there's a collection of notable practical gooey special effects littered throughout courteous of Howard Berger, Robert Kurtzman and Greg Nicotero. These effects along with the actors fees appears to be where the budget went but the daisy chain events are not enough to make a story in what’s a late entry in the shock horror effects driven films of the 80s.

At times it has a vibe of From Beyond (1986) as Jack Starrett hams it up Hammer Horror-style as the Professor who blurs the lines between what's real and what's staged. Not even menacing tagged on Brian Thompson as creep Dean with a bookending appearance and an abundance of POV shots with a heart beating sound effect can add chills. Paranormal investigator striking Elizabeth Kaitan (of Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood (1988) as Robin) as Donna does the best with what she's given as Scooby-Doo hijinks ensue. Alisha Das deserves a mention but gets little to do aside from (like Kaitan) bare flesh as the script dictates.

Cook's unwonted, at times surreal offering is possibly worth watching if you're a fan of Kaitan or Das. That said, the poster art design borrows from Dead and Buried (1981), which you may want to watch instead.