American Nightmare is a 1983 Canadian Slasher Film directed by Don McBrearty and starring Lawrence Day, Lora Staley, Lenore Zann, Michael Ironside, Larry Aubrey, and Alexandra Paul. The plot revolves around pianist Eric Blake (Day) in an unspecified American city as he investigates the disappearance of his sister Isabelle (Paul), in the process uncovering a modern-day Jack the Ripper.
Not to be confused with the 2002 film of the same name, or Cody Rhodes, who uses the title as his Red Baron.
Provides examples of the following tropes:
- Blackmail: A man known only as the Fixer videotapes prostitutes having sex with johns and then uses the tapes to blackmail them. It is from viewing one of those tapes that Eric learns of his father Hamilton having an incestuous affair with Isabelle.
- Bury Your Gays: Eric's transgender neighbor Dolly is found dead in the basement of Louise's apartment building.
- Disposable Sex Worker: Deconstructed. The whole point of the film is that women in the sex industry are still human and do not deserve to die for being in it. Isabelle in particular serves as a reminder that they are all someone's loved ones and that their deaths affect those around them.
- Hooker with a Heart of Gold: Louise, one of Isabelle's fellow strippers at the club where she is employed, is portrayed as a well-meaning young woman who is simply trying to survive in the sordid environment that is the unnamed city.
- Hypocrite: Hamilton Blake is the head of a charity dedicated to abused and at-risk children, yet has been secretly molesting his own child behind the others' backs.
- Killed to Uphold the Masquerade: Tony reveals that he killed the other women in order to suppress the truth of his boss's incestuous activities and uphold his good reputation in the community.
- Not Even Bothering with the Accent: Although the story supposedly takes place in a major American city, none of the Canadian actors make any attempt to hide their accents.
- Parental Incest: While reviewing the Fixer's video tapes, Eric is horrified to discover that one of them appears to show Isabelle engaging in sexual acts with his father Hamilton. When he confronts him on the subject, he learns that the affair began shortly after their mother's death. Disgusted, he threatens to publicly expose the affair between them, prompting Hamilton to commit suicide.
- Police Are Useless: The city's police force, particularly Sgt. Skylar, is too apathetic to do anything about the murders and is utterly dismissive of the missing women. A major theme of the film is how law enforcement agencies are often indifferent towards individuals such as prostitutes, junkies, and vagrants.
- Slashed Throat: Tina is tackled by Tony and subsequently killed by having her throat slashed.
- Villain with Good Publicity: Hamilton Blake is considered by many of the city's residents to be an upstanding citizen thanks to being the CEO of a firm that serves as a major employer for the city's population and the head of a charitable organization for abused and endangered children. This makes the eventual revelation that he was engaged in an incestuous affair with his own daughter all the more hard-hitting.
- Where the Hell Is Springfield?: The story is said to take place in a major city somewhere in the U.S., but where exactly is never specified.
- Wretched Hive: The unnamed city where the story takes place is a seedy, decaying place where crime and prostitution run rampant and where the police are too apathetic to do anything about it.
