Alice Cooper: The Nightmare (TV Movie 1975)

Alice Cooper: The Nightmare (TV Movie 1975). 1h 6m | Unrated

“I am not sure how Vincent Price came to be involved with pop/rock music but, apart from his famed contribution to Michael Jacksonu0026#39;s song u0026quot;Thrilleru0026quot; from his eponymous (and top-selling) 1982 record, he appeared in this TV special inspired by Heavy Metal exponent Alice Cooperu0026#39;s concept album u0026quot;Welcome To My Nightmareu0026quot;. On a personal note, I had long been interested in checking out Cooperu0026#39;s earliest albums, given that they had been produced by Bob Ezrin and featured guitarists Steve Hunter and Dick Wagner – all 3 of whom were also involved with Lou Reedu0026#39;s 1973 solo masterpiece u0026quot;Berlinu0026quot; and, Hunter and Wagner only, Reedu0026#39;s successive release, u0026quot;Rock u0026#39;Nu0026#39; Roll Animalu0026quot; – to my mind the best live album ever! u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe basic premise here is simple: a man finds that he cannot wake up from his own nightmare. Guiding him through the maze of vaguely surreal visions (clichéd Halloween imagery giving way to a lair of spider/human hybrids, a refrigerator graveyard, and even having a top-hatted Cooper engaged in a tap-dance routine with a trio of likewise-attired skeletons!) is an ageing Price – making intermittent campy appearances to spout unspeakable lines and laugh himself silly – as The Spirit Of The Nightmare. Cooper is shown in and out of (his recognizable face-painted) character, as the young man asleep in bed dreaming and, of course, the protagonist of the u0026quot;phantasmu0026quot; (as Price vividly puts it). Throughout, he is also made to reflect on his life – childhood memories evoked by a fairground ride and the recounting of his success story being literally u0026#39;torn from the headlinesu0026#39;.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe approach to this early form of (extended) music video is typical of the era: a gaudily elaborate mise-en-scene (exemplified by distracting and pointless choreography, even if the color scheme is imaginatively-deployed) undercut by poor technical quality. On the other hand, the artistu0026#39;s essence emerges well enough (with the outstanding track being the eventual single release u0026quot;Only Women Bleedu0026quot;), and he clearly relished the opportunity since he would often return to the screen in subsequent years (albeit mostly in small roles and guest spots)! At 66 minutes, the program is tolerable and even mildly enjoyable for what it tries to do (though, regrettably, it requires Vincent Price to be embarrassed somewhat – in any case, he would re-unite with the same performer on THE STRANGE CASE OF ALICE COOPER in 1979). For what it is worth, Cooperu0026#39;s live staging of the album the following year would also be caught on tape and, since last year, has reportedly been busy at work on a sequel to the original album to be titled u0026quot;Welcome 2 My Nightmareu0026quot;!”