Three geeky, homely college co-eds are transformed into sexy, topless succubi. They seduce a trio of dumb jocks, reduce them to dust, and take the longest three-woman bubble bath in movie history before finally facing a hard-drinking exorcist.
Sounds dreadful, doesn’t it? It all depends on your tolerance for bad horror movies or you affection for the stars: Brinke Stevens, Linnea Quigley and Michelle Bauer. See, the truth of the matter is that “Nightmare Sisters” is the very first “Scream Queen” movie – as defined by the very first film in which the aforementioned fright trio appear together. Tried and true “Scream Queen” aficionados understand that only these ladies deserve the regal title and all others are pretenders to the throne.
“Nightmare Sisters” started a trend for the ladies – leading to other “Scream Queen” movies like “Sorority Babes in the Slimeball Bowl-O-Rama” and “Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers” (okay, only Bauer and Quigley, but still…). And for the next five years or so, these ladies dominated the world of sexy horror-comedies, marking a trend that has yet to be duplicated. The sex scenes in these movies never seemed lascivious or sleazy, but fun. Look at the bubble bath sequence in “Sisters” – the three ladies are crammed into a tub way too small to contain them, yet they seem like they’re having the time of their lives. Compare that to the modern-day “lesbian” films that have been dominating the no-budget horror-comedy-sex genre where everything is on display but the carefree feeling you get here.
So, no, “Nightmare Sisters” isn’t a very good movie. It’s grainy, dark, the majority of the film cramped medium shots in long single-takes. There’s almost no plot to speak of, and the three ladies aside, the acting is dreadful.
That being said, with my own personal love for classic and true “Scream Queen” movies, “Nightmare Sisters” ranks among my favorites.
The DVD presents the film in full-frame, and – sadly – it’s the best it’s ever looked. There are stills galleries for each of the three ladies, consisting of very early modeling shots (including a classic pose for Brinke that later made the cover of the first “Femme Fatales” magazine). There is also an out-takes section taken, apparently, from a bitched-up workprint unearthed from someone’s attic. And for die-hard fans, it’s worth every penny.
I’m not too surprised that it’s taken eight years for anyone to notice this, but the first movie that Brinke Stevens, Michelle Bauer and Linnea Quigley all appeared in together was actually Sorority Babes in the Slimeball Bowl-O-Rama, made the same year by most of the same people. This is confirmed in the recent documentary Screaming In High Heels.