Butcher, Baker, Nightmare Maker (1981) ****

The first time I watched Butcher, Baker, Nightmare Maker (1981), a little over a year ago, I wrote that it was a film I could tell I was going to love right from the get-go (and also a film I wish I had seen much sooner). Seeing BBNM again, this time with an audience, was a treat. The opening tragedy is really something and sets the mood perfectly. The singular Susan Tyrell is marvelous as an unhinged lunatic who slowly unravels over the runtime (watching her go cuckoo is an absolute joy). Bo Svenson's character is easy to hate as a relentlessly homophobic cop. On that note, the film is interesting for tackling homophobia and portraying a positive gay character (Steve Eastin) in a way that few other films of the time did (and also for inverting the "final girl" and boyfriend roles). If you are in the mood for a hilarious, campy, exploitative psycho-slasher with an Oedipal bent and a deliciously satisfying, over the top ending, BBNM will not disappoint.

Recommended for fans of What Ever Happened To Baby Jane? (1962) (review), and Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984) (review), and Serial Mom (1994).