''Nightmare at Noon'', also titled ''Death Street USA'', is a 1988 American

action Action may refer to: * Action (narrative), a literary mode * Action fiction, a type of genre fiction * Action game, a genre of video game Film * Action film, a genre of film * ''Action'' (1921 film), a film by John Ford * ''Action'' (1980 fil ...

horror film Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit fear or disgust in its audience for entertainment purposes. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements include monsters, apoca ...

written and directed by

Nico Mastorakis Nico Mastorakis ( el, Νίκος Μαστοράκης; born 28 April 1941 in Athens, Greece) is a Greek filmmaker and radio producer. He is probably best known for his 1973 live interview of 17 arrested Greek students, which happened without their ...

, and starring

Wings Hauser Gerald Dwight "Wings" Hauser (born December 12, 1947) is an American actor and occasional director. He received an Independent Spirit Award nomination for his supporting role in '' Tough Guys Don't Dance'' (1987). Life and career Hauser was bo ...

Bo Hopkins William Mauldin "Bo" Hopkins (February 2, 1938 – May 28, 2022) Issucover/ref> was an American actor. He was known for playing supporting roles in a number of major studio films between 1969 and 1979, and appeared in many television shows and ...

George Kennedy George Harris Kennedy Jr. (February 18, 1925 – February 28, 2016) was an American actor who appeared in more than 100 film and television productions. He played "Dragline" opposite Paul Newman in ''Cool Hand Luke'' (1967), winning the Academ ...

, and

Brion James Brion Howard James (February 20, 1945 – August 7, 1999) was an American character actor. He portrayed Leon Kowalski in ''Blade Runner'' and appeared in ''Southern Comfort'', '' 48 Hrs.'', ''Another 48 Hrs.'', '' Silverado'', ''Tango & Cash'', ' ...

. The film was shot on-location in

Moab Moab ''Mōáb''; Assyrian: 𒈬𒀪𒁀𒀀𒀀 ''Mu'abâ'', 𒈠𒀪𒁀𒀀𒀀 ''Ma'bâ'', 𒈠𒀪𒀊 ''Ma'ab''; Egyptian: 𓈗𓇋𓃀𓅱𓈉 ''Mū'ībū'', name=, group= () is the name of an ancient Levantine kingdom whose territo ...

and Arches National Park, Utah. The score was composed by

Stanley Myers Stanley Myers (6 October 19309 November 1993) was an English composer and conductor, who scored over sixty films and television series, working closely with filmmakers Nicolas Roeg, Jerzy Skolimowski and Volker Schlöndorff. He is best known fo ...

and

Hans Zimmer Hans Florian Zimmer (; born 12 September 1957) is a German film score composer and music producer. He has won two Academy Awards, Oscars and four Grammy Awards, Grammys, and has been nominated for two Primetime Emmy Awards, Emmys and a Tony Awar ...

Plot

A mad albino scientist (

) injects a substance into the water supply for the fictional town of Canyonland, an isolated town in rural

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...

, with the help of a shadowy, unknown agency. Anybody who drinks the water eventually turns into a rabid

zombie A zombie (Haitian French: , ht, zonbi) is a mythological undead corporeal revenant created through the reanimation of a corpse. Zombies are most commonly found in horror and fantasy genre works. The term comes from Haitian folklore, in whic ...

. Some visitors who recently arrived in a

Recreational Vehicle A recreational vehicle, often abbreviated as RV, is a motor vehicle or trailer that includes living quarters designed for accommodation. Types of RVs include motorhomes, campervans, coaches, caravans (also known as travel trailers and camper ...

observe the zombies. After recollecting seeing something unusual at the river as they were driving to the town, they suspect it is the water turning the towns residents crazy. They attempt in vain to warn city officials and reach the outside world for help. The escape attempts are futile as the mad scientist has severed all means to leave or communicate with the outside world. Survivors at city hall formulate a theory they are part of a test of a new

bio-weapon A biological agent (also called bio-agent, biological threat agent, biological warfare agent, biological weapon, or bioweapon) is a bacterium, virus, protozoan, parasite, fungus, or toxin that can be used purposefully as a weapon in bioterrorism ...

, capable of destroying an entire nation with relative ease. The surviving towns people realize the next phase of the experiment is to incinerate the remains of the town to erase all traces of the test. By the time the Sheriff learns the water is poisoned it is too late, he has already drank. The Sheriff, in a last act of defiance before he transforms into a zombie, tries to force his way into a van the townspeople suspect is the command center, while others set fire to the van. While this cripples the experiment, the Albino is still alive. One of the visitors, Reilly (

) offers to take the lead to kill the albino to atone for his past; he and the Sheriff's daughter (who is also a deputy) decide to pursue the Albino on horseback, and once outside the town radio for help, thinking horses are the only viable way out of town. A chase ensues and the albino is eventually killed after the agency's attempt to extricate him via helicopter turns into a duel. The pilot of another helicopter arrives, after hearing a distress call, and engages the Albino's helicopter. Once the situation is contained, the Sheriff's daughter and the visiting stranger contemplate a relationship as they observe the decimated town.

Cast

as Ken Griffiths *

as Reilly *

as Sheriff Hanks *

Kimberly Beck Kimberly Beck (born January 9, 1956) is a former American actress and model. She is best known for her role as Trish Jarvis in Joseph Zito's '' Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter'' (1984). Her other film roles include Alfred Hitchcock's ''Marni ...

as Cheri Griffiths *

as The Albino * Kimberly Ross as Julia * Neal Wheeler as Charlie * David Christiansen as Dr. Miller *

Kim Milford Richard Kim Milford (February 7, 1951 – June 16, 1988), known professionally as Kim Milford, was an American actor, singer-songwriter, and composer. He was known for his stage acting in musicals such as ''The Rocky Horror Show'' and ''Jesu ...

as Anton * Mark Haarman as Deputy Marks * Jean St. James as Lori * S.A. Griffin as Benson

References

External links

* * {{rotten-tomatoes, nightmare_at_noon 1980s action horror films Films shot in Utah American action horror films Films scored by Hans Zimmer Films scored by Stanley Myers Films directed by Nico Mastorakis 1980s English-language films 1980s American films