Butcher, Baker, Nightmare Maker (1981) review

Dir. William Asher

By: Steve Pulaski

Rating: ★★★

As entertaining as it is to say aloud, Butcher, Baker, Nightmare Maker is a film without a meaningful title. It goes by two names, as it was initially released in 1981 before being granted another theatrical release in 1983 under the title Night Warning, both equally ineffective. One suggests a series of individuals, or perhaps one accomplished serial killer. The latter is terrible generic; akin to a police procedural presently confined to reruns on MeTV.

If it were up to me, I would’ve called the film “My Sweet Nephew,” which denotes innocence yet a sinister edge, both of which present in William Asher’s deceptively dense little chiller. From the age of three, Billy Lynch (Jimmy McNichol) has only had one parental figure in his life: Aunt Cheryl (Susan Tyrrell). Since his folks perished in a gruesome car wreck — a surprisingly saddening scene, which was directed by Michael Miller before he was replaced by Asher — Billy has been under the careful guidance of his aunt. Well into his teenage years, Billy dreams of leaving for college, which upsets Cheryl greatly. Think of her as Pamela Voorhees crossed with Kay Parker’s Barbara from the “Golden Age of Porn” flick Taboo.

Yes, Cheryl begins making sexual advances to Billy, much to his discomfort and confusion. He’s never known any other style of parenting other than the strict hand of his aunt, and her murderously possessive side emerges right as Billy realizes comes of age as an adult. Billy’s interest in girls, specifically Julia (Julia Duffy), unnerves her. When Cheryl finally “concedes” and gives her blessing to Billy to seek a scholarship for college, her nephew comes home to find her standing over a dead man with a bloody knife in her hand.

Susan Tyrrell takes this setup (written by Stephen Breimer, Boon Collins, and Alan Jay Glueckman) and shoulders it by turning in a deviously nasty performance as a domineering aunt/mother from hell. There are parallels to Sophocles’ Oedipus the King, most notably in its portrayal of the incestual mother, one with which Tyrrell plays with confidence.

Making Butcher, Baker, Nightmare Maker noteworthy beyond merely being a competently made horror film is its refreshingly ordinary portrayal of a gay male character. Billy’s basketball coach, Tom Landers (Steve Eastin), is homosexual, and subject to certain abuse and run amok accusations by students. But he’s not the villain. He is not a creep. He’s a well-meaning individual who has a boyfriend, who unfortunately dies. The portrayal is nothing special, given the ubiquity of homosexual characters (and performers) in cinema now, but consider the times and it’s a staunchly mature spin on what was usually utilized as a negative stereotype, if not simply a non-starter, in films of the era.

Worth highlighting is Bo Svenson, a detective who turns up following Cheryl’s first victim. Svenson plays a real rat bastard investigator, whose stern tone and perpetual desire to accuse reminded me of the caricatured detective seen in the Beavis and Butt-Head episode “Whiplash.” He’s entirely unlikable, yet fiercely watchable. In a way, he’s symbolic of the film in which he acts. You might not like what you’re watching in Butcher, Baker, Nightmare Maker, but there’s an undeniable allure coupled with a genuine craft in its plotting that keeps you engaged in spite of your better judgement.

Starring: Susan Tyrrell, Jimmy McNichol, Bo Svenson, Julia Duffy, Steve Eastin, and Bill Paxton. Directed by: William Asher.