William Asher’s 1981 film Butcher, Baker, Nightmare Maker has the slasher distinction of boasting a delightfully ridiculous title. No holidays or momentous occasions here, just a combination of Friday the 13th‘s slasher formula along with a heaping dose of psycho-biddy elements popularized by What Ever Happened to Baby Jane that results in a fun exploration of familial trauma and unchecked mental illness. In an era where eye-catching titles rarely espoused the actual nature of their films, Butcher, Baker, Nightmare Maker manages to capture attention as well as the schtick of its approach.
The film opens with an exceptionally over-the-top car crash which takes the life of Billy’s (Jimmy McNichol) parents – a fast descent down a winding mountain road without brakes leads to a fiery wreck, and this is a pretty good summation of the overall movie as well. The film jumps to Billy’s 17th birthday, and he seems to have it all: devoted mother figure in his Aunt Cheryl (Susan Tyrrell), loving girlfriend Julie (Julia Duffy), and a star spot on the basketball team with the hopes of a college scholarship looming. But Butcher, Baker, Nightmare Maker quickly works in its insidious plot about Cheryl’s… extreme worship of Billy, showing her obsession with keeping him home with her and the lengths she’ll go to maintain the status quo.
Asher’s direction is slow but methodical, resembling some of the better slashers of the day where character development and steady pacing took precedence over a burgeoning body count. Here, he spends a lot of time in the home, with Tyrrell’s character getting an even amount of screentime amongst Billy’s school exploits. Butcher, Baker, Nightmare Maker doesn’t hide its main conceit, and in fact revels in Tyrrell’s ability to go from sweet and pleasant to maniacal in the drop of a pin. These moments are some of the best in the film’s early scenes, before all of the killing takes place, and where the main psycho-biddy element is featured.
But the film tackles more dynamics than just the usual mother/son trauma. It has a running commentary on homosexuality and, particularly, homophobia, with detective character Joe Carlson (Bo Svenson) devoting a large part of his investigation to being misled into thinking that the murders centered around Billy and Cheryl must be related to gay “deviancy.” It’s a particularly progressive line of thinking in Butcher, Baker, Nightmare Maker, and it leads to an interesting dynamic during the film’s conclusion that questions the real villain of the story.
The movie doesn’t have a lot of on-screen kills, but there are a number of bloody moments throughout, and Butcher, Baker, Nightmare Maker features a particularly frenetic conclusion that more than makes up for the body count. Multiple grisly reveals are paired with an absolutely unhinged Tyrrell skulking around, and it makes for a delightful wrap-up that truly can’t be beat. There are twists and turns, but for the most part, Asher’s direction plays it fairly straightforward without relying on unnecessary flashbacks or diversions to get the point across. Instead, it’s simply 20 minutes of uninterrupted insanity.
Despite all of its obvious influences, Butcher, Baker, Nightmare Maker is a unique and ultimately rewarding slasher that truthfully deserves a lot more critical study than it has gotten thus far. Tyrrell delivers an excellent performance and the slow but steady pacing ensures there is ample time to explore specific character elements before letting chaos take the reins. If you haven’t seen this movie yet, quickly rectify that!
4K UHD
Severin Films has released Butcher, Baker, Nightmare Maker on 4K UHD with a new 4K scan from the original camera negative, and the results are excellent. The film has a medium-bodied grain that for the most part resolves quite well during darker scenes, but perhaps not able to get the most deep blacks from the HDR10. Detail is consistently high throughout, with clothing textures and facial features retaining noticeable structure with threads, patterns, and complexion. The film features a number of soft-focus shots and so those are also apparent here. It does appear that the negative has some damage, with occasional flecks of debris seen throughout. The HDR10 maintains a consistently lush color grading that noticeably enhances various colored props and background settings, and as noted previously, it does a good job maintaining delineation in low lighting, specifically during a particular darkly-lit reveal. Also of note is the correct presentation of the film in 1.85:1 aspect ratio, incorrectly displayed on Code Red’s previous Blu-ray.
A DTS-HD MA 2.0 mono soundtrack is featured for the film’s audio option, and this sounds strong with good dialogue volume levels and a great representation of the film’s brooding electronic soundtrack. English subtitles are also included here.
For extras, Severin assembles a number of older extras ported from a previous 2017 release as well as a new audio commentary and three new interviews with cast and crew. Along with the older audio commentaries from the Code Red release featuring Jimmy McNichol and a separate moderated commentary with Steve Breimer and Alan Jay Glueckman, this release sports a new track with co-producer and unit production manager Eugene Mazzola on both the UHD and Blu-ray discs. Mazzola is joined and moderated by Michael Felsher and extensively discusses his background in film and production, ways they were able to achieve the stunts without any post-production effects, and storytelling themes and beats. A new interview with Bo Svenson runs about 10 minutes and he discusses the way he embodies his role, his work with director William Asher, and the challenge of playing a homophobic villain – and also a charge injuring his kidney during shooting. Director of Photography Robbie Greenberg gives a new 15 minute interview about the film’s short shooting schedule, the way they lit the intimate settings, and working with the excellent Susan Tyrrell. The final new interview is a 17 minute discussion with editor Ted Nicolaou, who talks about cutting the opening car crash sequence, working with Bill Paxton in an early role, and the film’s excellent spotlight on homophobia.
Along with these new interviews, archival interviews with Jimmy McNichol, Susan Tyrrell, Steve Easton, Allan A. Apone, and Steve Breimer are included as well. These can be played individually or altogether. A trailer (on both UHD and Blu-ray disc) and TV spot are also featured. Reversible cover artwork and limited edition slipcover round out the physical package.
Extra Features
Disc 1: UHD
- NEW 4K scan from the original camera negative
- Audio Commentary With Star Jimmy McNichol
- Audio Commentary With Co-Writer/Producer Steve Breimer And Co-Writer Alan Jay Glueckman, Moderated By Mondo Digital’s Nathaniel Thompson
- NEW Audio Commentary With Co-Producer And Unit Production Manager Eugene Mazzola
- Trailer (1080p, 1:29)
Disc 2: Blu-ray
- NEW 4K scan from the original camera negative
- Audio Commentary With Star Jimmy McNichol
- Audio Commentary With Co-Writer/Producer Steve Breimer And Co-Writer Alan Jay Glueckman, Moderated By Mondo Digital’s Nathaniel Thompson
- NEW Audio Commentary With Co-Producer And Unit Production Manager Eugene Mazzola
- NEW Extreme Prejudice – Interview With Actor Bo Svenson (1080p, 9:49)
- NEW Point And Shoot – Interview With Director Of Photography Robbie Greenberg (1080p, 15:04)
- NEW Family Dynamics – Interview With Editor Ted Nicolaou (1080p, 16:51)
- Cast And Crew Interviews With Actors Jimmy McNichol, Susan Tyrrell And Steve Eastin, Make-Up Artist Allan A. Apone And Producer Steve Breimer (1080i, 45:00)
- Trailer (1080p, 1:29)
- TV Spot (1080i, 0:33)
Verdict
Butcher, Baker, Nightmare Maker is an inspiring, insane slasher that still has relevance to this day. This release from Severin Films gives the movie excellent picture quality and a number of new extras, along with solid value with its physical package.
