BA_Harrison Butcher, Baker, Nightmare Maker (AKA Night Warning AKA The Evil Protégé) opens with a great car accident that results in the driver's head being pulverised by a log falling from the back of a lorry, and his blood-spattered wife screaming helplessly as the vehicle careers off the road and over a cliff; it's an excellent start to what proves to be one of the better official Video Nasties, a macabre psycho killer thriller that benefits from a delightfully twisted plot, lots of gruesome murders, and fine performances, especially from Susan Tyrell and Bo Svenson, doing what they do best, playing a complete loony and a bigoted cop respectively.Tyrell is 'Aunt' Cheryl, who has raised Billy (Jimmy McNichol) since the age of two, after his parents were killed in the aforementioned car crash. Billy is now 17, and is looking forward to attending Denver University with his girlfriend Julia (Julia Duffy), but Cheryl has grown a little too attached to her nephew over the years and is determined to do whatever is necessary to make him stay with her.Svenson's narrow-minded detective, Joe Carlson, appears on the scene after Cheryl kills a man who she claims tried to rape her. Carlson's investigation leads him to suspect that Billy killed the man and that his aunt is covering for him, but the detective couldn't be further from the truth: Cheryl is barking mad and this isn't the first time she has killed... and it won't be the last! As Cheryl spirals out of control, she drugs Billy to keep him under control, hacks a couple of people to death with a machete, and bludgeons Julie with a meat tenderiser, throwing her in the basement where the poor girl discovers the remains of Cheryl's first victim, including his severed head preserved in a pickle jar. On top of all this violence, the plot also introduces elements of homophobia and incest, and throws in a sex scene for Billy and Julie, thereby getting in its quota of nudity.Even if all of this death and deviancy had somehow managed to escape the BBFC's attention during the Video Nasty era, the provocative image on the video cover was guaranteed to make them sit up and take notice: it depicted a gore-drenched Tyrell, top open to expose her bloody cleavage. Copies were seized, the film was banned, and has remained unavailable in the UK ever since—a shame, 'cos it really deserves better.

HumanoidOfFlesh An orphaned teenager finds himself being dominated by his aunt who's hell-bent on keeping him with her...at all costs.Sexually repressed Aunt Cheryl wants her little teenage Billy to stay at home.She will do everything to make him stay-even when it means bloody murder..."Night Warning" by sadly deceased this year William Asher is an unique entry into the slasher film sub-genre.It's obviously influenced by "Psycho","What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?" or "Strait-Jacket" with shades of "Friday the 13th" hidden in the dark.Susan Tyrrell's main performance is utterly nutty and unhinged.Bo Svenson is also fantastic as a homophobic detective.The script is entertaining and there is a good amount of gore and bloody slashing.If you like rural setting,shocks and wild insanity "Night Warning" is a perfect film to watch.9 aunts out of 10.

merklekranz If ever a horror movie could be accused of throwing in everything but the proverbial "kitchen sink", "Night Warning" is that movie. With homosexual bashing, a nod to "Psycho", and a furious mother - son fixation, this film doesn't quit till all the cliché's are covered. The opening has a rather impressive car crash, that sets a somewhat intricate story in motion. Susan Tyrrell is in full deranged mode, and Bo Svenson is despicable as the investigating lieutenant. His entire investigation is built on "air castles' with homosexual overtones. Eventually the wheels of sanity come off, and Tyrrell gives a memorable performance that by itself carries the film into above average territory. - MERK

AngryChair The strongest of horror films always seems to be those whose victims are sympathetic and whose villains are mercilessly frightening. Night Warning is a testament to just that!Young man becomes the unhealthy obsession of his aunt, who raised him, which leads him into a web of madness and murder!Night Warning is a relatively unknown film, which is a shame because it is a truly effective and fairly original thriller. The story is very intriguing, full of mystery, suspense, and some solid shocks. A big part of the originality factor of this film is the fact that the story dares to explore subjects very rarely touched upon by most genre pictures, such as incest, homosexuality, and the question of what morally right really is. It is a complex and emotionally strong tale, that's gripping in a way that few thrillers ever are.The excellent cast is another strong feature of this movie. Bo Svenson is solid as a homophobic police detective. A young Jimmy McNichol is touching as an attractive teen desperately trying to have a normal life. The greatest of all though is Susan Tyrrell as one of the most demented villains you'll ever see! Also among the cast is a young Bill Paxton in one of his earliest roles.Night Warning is a terrific shocker that seems to have been lost over time, but for those seeking a truly jarring genre picture it is well worth finding a copy of!**** out of ****