Butcher, Baker, Nightmare Maker

**Butcher, Baker, Nightmare Maker** (also known as "Night Warning") is a 1981 American horror film directed by William Asher which was released on November 21, 1981 by Comworld Pictures.

## Plot

The film centers on orphaned teenager Billy Lynch, who finds himself involved in a murder investigation after his protective, but disturbed aunt Cheryl stabs a man to death in their house.

## Cast

* Jimmy McNichol as Billy Lynch
* Susan Tyrrell as Cheryl Roberts
* Bo Svenson as Detective Joe Carlson
* Bill Paxton as Eddie (credited as William Paxton)
* Marcia Lewis as Margie
* Julia Duffy as Julia
* Steve Eastin as Coach Tom Landers
* Britt Leach as Sergeant Cook
* Caskey Swaim as Phil Brody

## Production

Producer and co-writer Stephen Breimer co-wrote the screenplay for "Butcher, Baker, Nightmare Maker" with Boon Collins and Alan Jay Glueckman, aspiring to blend elements of character-driven films led by female villains (such as "What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?") with the slasher film.

The genesis of the story was based on Breimer's own curiosity about his biological parents, as he himself was adopted.

Though the core of the plot was devised by Breimer and Glueckman, Boone (a writer from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada) helped write several sequences, including the opening car crash death of Billy's parents.

### Casting

Jimmy McNichol (who was cast as the male lead, Billy) was among the first to sign on to the film.

McNichol had achieved significant success as a child star, which led to him signing a three-picture contract with executive producer Jerry Weintraub, in which he would receive top billing.

Breimer had initially wanted Bill Paxton for the leading role, but instead gave him a minor supporting part as one of Billy's bullying classmates.

After McNichol was cast, Bo Svenson (who was also represented by McNichol's talent agency) was cast in the role of Joe Carlson, the homophobic detective.

In seeking an actress to portray Cheryl, producer Stephen Breimer hand-selected Susan Tyrrell based on her performance in the 1972 film, "Fat City." Glueckman was enthusiastic about Tyrrell's involvement in the film, having met her on the set of the 1980 film, "Forbidden Zone."

Director William Asher instructed Tyrrell to "pull out all the stops," giving her character an exaggerated performance that would help lend the film a "larger-than-life" quality.

Julia Duffy was cast as Billy's girlfriend, Julia, beating out several other actresses who auditioned for the part, including Daryl Hannah and Ally Sheedy.

### Filming

Principal photography for "Butcher, Baker, Nightmare Maker" took place in Los Angeles, California.

Though William Asher is solely credited as director, the film's opening sequence was shot by Michael Miller (who had previously directed "Jackson County Jail" for Roger Corman). Jan de Bont served as Miller's cinematographer for the scene.

Finding Miller's production pacing too slow, the film's investors fired Miller and replaced him with Asher. Asher had previously had a long career directing in television, including numerous episodes of "I Love Lucy" and "Bewitched."

The home in the film was located on a historic property in Elysian Park that housed a larger estate, as well as several other cottages.

## Distribution

The film was first given a small regional release through Comworld Pictures under the title "Butcher, Baker, Nightmare Maker" in several cities in Oregon, including Salem and Corvallis, on November 20, 1981.

The theatrical release for "Butcher, Baker, Nightmare Maker" expanded in March of 1982, screening in St. Louis, Missouri as well as Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

The film was re-released in January of 1983 under the title "Night Warning", first screening in the California cities of San Francisco and Santa Cruz, as well as Indianapolis, Indiana.

## Critical Reception

Upon the opening of "Butcher, Baker, Nightmare Maker" in Corvallis, Oregon, local Corvallis Gazette-Times critic Lloyd Woods praised the performances of Susan Tyrrell and Bo Svenson as well as the direction of William Asher, who he felt *"does a credible job in developing the derangement."*

On Rotten Tomatoes, it has an approval rating of 92% based on 12 reviews with an average rating of 5.70\10.

Leonard Maltin awarded the film his usual two-and-a-half out of four stars, his most frequently used rating, writing: *"Explosive, tour-de-force acting by Tyrrell distinguishes this formula horror film."*

Following its January 1983 re-release under the title "Night Warning", critic J. A. Conner of the Santa Cruz Sentinel characterized the film as a *"Tennessee Williams version of Psycho"* and deemed it an early contender for the worst films of 1983, summarizing: *"Night Warning is just another drive-in grindhouse sleazoid mess that somehow wandered into town by the back door."*

AllMovie awarded the film two-and-a-half out of five stars and labeled it *"an especially unique entry into the slasher film cycle in the 1980s"* based on its influences, the 1960s Gothic horror films.

Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times wrote: *"Unfolding deftly under Asher's direction, Night Warning combines darkly outrageous humor with persuasive psychological validity."*

Variety called it *"a fine psychological horror film"* in which Susan Tyrrell *"gives a tour-de-force performance."*

In Horror Movies of the 1980s, John Kenneth Muir rated it 3.5/4 stars, calling it *"a true gem of the decade"* and *"the 1980s' most twisted, bizarre cinematic vision of motherhood."*

In a 2019 article published in Film Comment, Justin Stewart praised William Asher for directing *"with a meat-and-potatoes efficiency and visual sense, letting the casting, risk-taking performances, and the twisted, quirky screenplay... carry the day,"* and also praised Susan Tyrrell's performance.