Bizarre 80s Supernatural Horror Is The Perfect Nightmare Fever Dream
Written by Robert Scucci | Published
In 1987 Night Vision it’s one of those movies that feels so familiar even if you’ve never seen it before. It plays like one of those scary horrors you stumble upon at three in the morning after falling asleep to something, the kind where you wake up not sure if it’s real. You try to explain it to your friends the next day, and they just insist that you dreamed the whole thing because it sounds stupid.
That’s the best way to describe it Night Visionand probably the best idea to watch it. A low-budget supernatural horror that feels made-for-TV and plays like a fever dream, it fits well into the unknown corners of Tubi where movies live because no other streaming service seems brave enough to host them. If the idea of a violent VCR predicting the future, and satanic rituals made possible by whatever tape you slide into it, sounds appealing, then you’re in luck because Night Vision it is completely built in that area.
A Struggling Writer And His Tortured VCR
Night Vision tells the story of Andy Archer (Stacy Carson), a struggling writer from Kansas who moves to the city in hopes of making it big. To keep costs down, he pays weekly to stay in a motel that houses prostitutes and various sources, while he hunts for steady work at a local video store. It is there that he meets Jill Davies (Shirley Ross), a smart clerk to whom he falls in love.
While struggling with what he hopes will be the next great American novel, Andy crosses paths with Vinnie (Tony Carpenter), a low-level thief and wannabe mobster. After Andy saves him from jumping a gang, Vinnie shows his appreciation by letting Andy take home the TV and VCR from his house, completely unaware that the equipment comes with satanic baggage attached.
Once Andy brings the setup home, things begin to pressure him creatively. He begins to blurt out shocking news at an alarming rate, unaware that the VCR is putting him in a psychotic state that causes him to lose track of time. When he finally realizes that every story he’s written is coming true, the horror turns personal, putting Andy, Vinnie, and Jill in direct danger if he can’t find a way to stop the device from controlling his life.
The Kind of Cheese You Want to Watch
Filled with actors I’d never heard of and shot with what looked like any affordable portable camera available in the mid-80s, Night Vision it’s a simple watch especially because it fully covers its low beauty budget. There aren’t many special effects, but there’s just enough to sell the idea. Television screens bleed, splattered across rooms, and most of the diabolical rituals that push Andy to the brink play out on a screen within a screen, often surrounded by a large number of candles for added menace.
Andy’s slow descent into madness is also really fun to watch because he’s so focused on being a writer that he completely ignores the obvious warning signs piling up around him until it’s too late. Think about it Night Vision like the broke college student version Videodrome and you will know exactly what you are getting into. It’s rough around the edges, sure, but the idea is solid, and if you’re in the right frame of mind (read: a little sleepy on the couch) there’s a lot of fun to be had here.
Like most B movies, Night Vision currently streaming for free on Tubi.
