I have a love-hate thing with the work of Wes Craven. I think “Nightmare on Elm Street” is the greatest horror film ever made, and I came around on the “Scream” series after disliking it at first, but he’s made some stinkers. It might seem weird that I would dig deep enough into his ouvre to watch a 1990 made-for-television project of his, but that’s precisely what I did with “Nightvisions.”
What’s the premise here? A tough guy cop is paired with a female psychologist to investigate the crimes of a prolific serial killer. The psychologist starts seeing, well, visions, though not necessarily at night. She also has a tendency to enter strange fugue states where she “becomes” people around her.
James Remar, veteran of a million movies, plays the cop. Loryn Locklin, one of those faces that looks familiar, is the psychologist. Mitch Pileggi, of “The X-Files” TV show, has a role, and—of all people—Timothy Leary shows up for a bit.
Even though it’s set in LA, there’s very much a “Miami Vice” vibe to the film. Remar’s character is an “off the rails” Sonny Crockett stand-in who says things like, “I like being on the edge. The view’s better!“
A totally unnecessary scene with a female aerobics class was written into the film, but I didn’t complain.
It’s pretty cheeseball. I can only recommend this to the most die-hard Craven fan, who perhaps wants to cross something off a checklist.
I appreciated that the denouement took place in Hollywood, which would be right around when I lived in that area. (There is something a little pathetic about how in love with LA the film business is.)
If anything, it serves as a reminder that television has gotten a lot better since the 90s.
Best line: “Close your eyes. Close your eyes like you’re feeling the most delicious, sexy feeling you can imagine.“
