Night Killer

Fragasso originally wanted a psychosexual giallo flick, but the evil producer then hired the vile Mattei to finish shooting the gore scenes and slasher sequences, which would make it possible for the film to ride on the coattails of the popular Freddy Kruger movies and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. To this day, the master is still convinced that this ruined his masterpiece, but let’s just acknowledge that, due to its absurdity, Night Killer wouldn’t have been a functional movie anyway even if it had stuck to the original screenplay. With additional production touches, Night Killer offers a nonstop WTF spectacle. Horrible acting (even more obvious in the numerous sloppy one-shot scenes) is combined with atrocious dialogue. Individual sequences are strung together seemingly at random, partly with the aim of confusing viewers and concealing the final denouement, which most will figure out immediately after all of the characters have been introduced. Despite all of the anti-efforts, the film is pervaded by an aura of perversely twisted misogyny, ensuring that viewers will be disturbed by this thoroughly insipid and frequently ridiculous work. (01/08/2023)

Yet another anomaly of a movie written and directed by Claudio Fragasso (and his wife Rossella Drudi), which you can watch with quiet amazement at how anyone could have meant this seriously. Night Killer’s Italian title (Non aprite quella porta 3) leeches off Texas Chainsaw Massacre, while the killer’s appearance rips off the one in A Nightmare on Elm Street. But don't worry, the plot goes off in its own dubious way. The core of the plot is so terribly meaningless and naive that you can actually enjoy it. And should you feel that some of the murder scenes were superfluous in the context of the movie, you're right: Bruno Mattei was hired to spice the movie up by filling in the missing gore, and so he shot a few extra scenes. The acting performances are so terrible that they make you laugh out loud (yet the over-the-top Peter Hooten is totally brilliant!). For lovers of "so bad it's good" movies, Night Killer is an absolute must, as is Fragasso's notorious Troll 2 released the same year. (01/14/2020)

1990 might just be the pinnacle year for trash cinema, gifting us with iconic gems like Troll 2 and Night Killer, both courtesy of the crowned king of B-movies, sitting on a throne of excrement, Claudio Fragasso. His contributions are crucial for lovers of cinematic oddities. The best trash filmmakers have their own unique visions, casting subpar actors to deliver unbelievably bad yet captivating performances, crafting wonderfully terrible special effects, and taking themselves way too seriously with zero self-awareness. Italy has produced many directors who made B-movies with near-artistic finesse (think Dario Argento, Mario Bava, Lucio Fulci, or Sergio Martino). Fragasso, however, is not one of them. Claudio Fragasso is a notoriously bad director with interesting ideas but lacks the skills to execute them seriously, a fact he's blissfully unaware of. He genuinely believes in the artistic merit of his work, a sentiment he's expressed in numerous interviews. For the average viewer, his films are unwatchable. For connoisseurs of cinematic trash, his filmography is a goldmine. Night Killer is a spectacularly bad movie where nothing works, yet it's a fascinating watch. You'll find yourself in disbelief, wondering if what you're seeing is real. The film is sleazy, twisted, and bizarre, reaching heights few others dare. Fragasso aimed for a disturbing psychological horror, but studio interference brought in his former collaborator Bruno Mattei to add slasher elements, creating an even bigger mess. The killer wears a mask reminiscent of Freddy Krueger and uses a glove with blades – clearly ripping off Nightmare on Elm Street. In Italy, it's titled Non aprite quella porta 3, misleadingly suggesting it's part of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre series. Despite being called Night Killer, there isn't a single night scene – a few might occur in the evening, but they all happen indoors, so you can't tell if it's dark outside. Objectively, Night Killer deserves to be panned, but as a trash film enthusiast, it's exactly what I seek. If you can't stand trash cinema, take my rating with a grain of salt. I give it 4 stars for its immense unintentional hilarity. Night Killer is so bad it's fantastic. It's a shame everyone talks about Troll 2 while Night Killer remains forgotten. This film deserves to stand proudly beside Troll 2, forming a grandiose trash double feature from the crap-tastic year of 1990. BTW: Potential spoiler alert – the killer is the worst actor in the film, which might be tricky to identify since the film is full of awful performances, but his particularly bad acting stands out, making the final reveal something to savor. (01/11/2020)

The Italian horror movie Night Killer is quite trashy. They made a horror movie that just blatantly ripped off anything it wanted and yet, in the end, still made something that is somewhat original. Although the acting performances are truly awful, it comes across as an utterly ridiculous movie, underneath there is a story that is not completely straightforward, so it has the right spirit at least. (05/26/2020)