The Fiesta 13 1980’s Horror Movie OctoVember Challenge #11: Behind The Door 3 (1989) (Arrow)

62 1980’s Horror Movies in 62 Days.

You know when a bunch of American college students go to Serbia, nothing good can ever happen. Behind The Door 3 is sort of like a Serbian Midsommar.

Behind The Door 3 has nothing to do with the other Behind The Door movies, and while slow in spots, its a solid fish out of water college misadventure with supernatural elements, showcasing a pretty exciting train midsection. An early Hostel vibe.

This one was a surprise, great local mood, all the budget on screen–even a cheesy model train sequence that works–plus a decent plot.

We liked this one and would like to issue an apology to Bo Svenson. We always got Bo Svenson confused with Joe Don Baker which never bode well for Svenson. But Svenson goes all in as the student’s shady teacher, tricking the kids into a pagan ritual and stealing the movie.

The Trailer:

The Fiesta 13, Blaine, Ne.

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The Fiesta 13 1980’s Horror Movie OctoVember Challenge #10: Dream Demons (1988) (Criterion)

62 1980’s Horror Movies in 62 Days.

Nightmares bleed into reality as a Bride agonizes about her upcoming wedding and the mysteries of a new house.

Generally, dream sequences are dead weight and a cheat in horror movies. We give most movies two bites at The Dream Apple and that’s it.

However, Dream Demons does a good job of integrating the dreams into the plot all the way to its bloated and predictable conclusion. A local celebrity, the bride of a Falkland’s War Hero (It is Britain in the late 80’s) keeps having nightmares about her abusive groom. Soon, a stranger shows up and the nightmares blurs and things get weird.

While a perfectly serviceable, modest horror, Dream Demon doesn’t really take any big swings at the bat and fails for it. The ending is a bit too tidy. The nominal bad guys, two sleazy tabloid hacks are easily the highlight, but the film, ultimately, doesn’t know what to do with them.

The Trailer:

The Fiesta 13, Blaine, Ne.

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