Film

Nightmare Sisters

Name: Nightmare Sisters
Genre: Horror, Comedy
Released: 1988
Cast: Linnea Quigley, Brinke Stevens, Michelle Bauer, Timothy Kauffman, Matthew Phelps

A cheerfully trashy 1988 horror-comedy where three nerdy sorority girls get possessed by a sex demon via séance gone wrong. It's 83 minutes of low-budget practical effects, enthusiastic amateurism, and unironic fun—made by people who knew exactly what they were making and didn't apologize for it. For viewers who love cult horror and B-movies without pretension.

TMDb rating

2.8

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you enjoy cheap, cheerfully silly 1980s horror where the gore and the giggles are equally committed, and you can forgive rough edges for a campy, low-budget sense of fun.

Skip it if you want slick scares or a tight, serious plot; this one is loose, goofy and often more interested in its own silliness than in building real dread.

What it asks of you: Just under ninety minutes, so it stays brisk, and it asks you to switch off your expectations for polish and simply go along with its bright, sleazy, rough-hewn mood.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Demons1985

An Italian splatter-opera where demonic possession turns a movie theater into a bloodbath. Dario Argento's visual excess, practical gore that still stuns, and a synth score that doesn't quit. Pure sensory overload, completely committed to its own chaos.

But The plot is skeletal and the dubbing is sometimes awkward. If you need coherent narrative logic, the movie will frustrate you immediately.

Chopping Mall1986

Teenagers trapped overnight in a mall with a homicidal robot. An absurd premise executed with genuine craft, real stunt work, and a cast that understands the assignment. Funny and tense in equal measure, deeply lovable.

But The robot design looks like a 1986 vision of 2015, so there's dated futurism baked in. It's also shorter on gore than the premise suggests, which some want more of.

Night of the Comet1984

A comet wipes out most of humanity, leaving two Valley girls and a drifter to navigate the ruins. Witty, weirdly touching, and visually inventive on a budget. A post-apocalyptic film that actually cares about its characters and plays the humor and dread straight.

But The action sequences are minimal and it moves at a contemplative pace. If you want spectacle over character, you'll lose interest fast.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Nightmare Sisters

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Mulholland Drive2001

Both films use possession as a metaphor for becoming someone else—whether literally demonic or the more subtle possession of ambition and desire that Hollywood demands.

David Lynch's fractured Los Angeles nightmare is structured like a Hollywood horror film—beautiful women, possession by an alien force (in this case, ego and desire), and a reality that splinters when you look too closely. It transforms the possession narrative into something profound about identity and reinvention.

But It's a 147-minute puzzle box that doesn't announce what it is. If you need clarity, you'll feel lost. Lynch's pacing is glacial in stretches, and the final act requires patience and intellectual openness.

Sorority House Massacre1986

Essentially a slasher parody that commits fully to its own silliness. Fast-paced, genuinely weird, and packed with the practical horror craft of its era. A cult favorite that rewards viewers willing to meet it where it is.

But The acting is enthusiastically amateurish and the script has loose logic. Some will find it endearing; others will find it unbearable.

The Return of the Living Dead1985

A punk-inflected zombie comedy where the undead actually run and think. Dark, genuinely funny, with a killer soundtrack and practical effects that still impress. Makes the familiar premise feel urgent and weird.

But Tone whiplash—it swings hard between slapstick and genuine body horror. The '80s punk aesthetic won't appeal to everyone, and neither will the deliberate anarchism of the humor.

Fright Night1985

A vampire movie that loves monsters and understands why. Balances scares, humor, and actual stakes without ever losing its wit. Roddy McDowall is a delight, and the practical vampire effects hold up beautifully.

But The middle drags a bit and some of the comedy is genuinely dated. Also requires you to buy the romantic subplot, which doesn't always land.

Ghoulies1984

A ridiculous creature feature about tiny demons summoned in a mansion. Low-budget practical puppetry, practical effects chaos, and a script that never insults your intelligence but also doesn't take itself seriously. Absurdist fun.

But The creatures are adorable rather than scary, and the plot is genuinely thin. If you need menace over spectacle, this won't deliver.

Bad Boys1983

A brutal, dark prison drama from George Armitage, not the Will Smith film. Pulpy, grounded, and made with real visual intelligence. A cult film that proved exploitation cinema could be genuinely artful.

But It's grim and often ugly to watch. There's no camp or humor—just brutality. It's a hard sit and not rewarding in any comfortable way.

Videodrome1983

Both use sexual appetite as a vehicle for literal physical transformation. Cronenberg makes it nightmarish; Nightmare Sisters makes it funny. Same engine, completely different registers.

Cronenberg's hallucinatory nightmare about a man descending into a media-induced fever dream. Like Nightmare Sisters, it's about possession and transformation, but deadly serious about it. The practical body horror is still unsettling and the film's ideas about technology and sex are genuinely prophetic.

But It's deeply grotesque and stays with you in uncomfortable ways. No humor, no release valve—just unease. Some will find it brilliant; others will find it disturbing for its own sake.

Possession1981

Both films weaponize female sexuality as the site of horror and transformation. Żuławski treats it as tragedy and philosophy; the Nightmare Sisters treat it as comedy and play. They're asking the same question about women's bodies and power, just from opposite poles of the emotional spectrum.

Andrzej Żuławski's avant-garde horror film, set in a decaying Berlin, where a marriage collapsing mirrors a woman's possession by an alien creature. Visually stunning, sexually explicit, and deeply unsettling. It's not a plot film—it's a film of pure aesthetic and emotional intensity, shot like someone's nightmare made flesh.

But It's difficult, pretentious, and openly hostile to viewer comfort. The creature effects are genuinely disturbing rather than fun. If you want entertainment, not cinema as endurance test, stay away.