Frightmare from 1981, directed by Norman Thaddeus Vane, is a raw, abrasive slice of American regional horror that thrives on excess anger and outsider energy. Where many early eighties slashers leaned into formula and body count,s this film feels more like a scream of frustration blasted straight onto celluloid. It is messy mean spirited and frequently uncomfortable, but those qualities are exactly what give it its cult power. Frightmare is not interested in polish or restraint. It wants to disturb, provoke, and overwhelm. The story centers on Conrad Radzoff, a former mental patient recently released from an institution after years of confinement for violent crimes. He moves in with his sister and her husband and quickly begins to unravel under the pressures of normal life. His grip on reality is tenuous at best, and his violent urges are barely contained. As Conrad drifts from job to job and situation to situation, his resentment toward society builds, eventually exploding into a seri...