Completely lost in the shuffle of early '80s slasher films was this excellent little shocker, which was announced with much fanfare in magazines like Famous Monsters and had a paperback tie-in novel on the stands many months before anyone actually had a chance to see it. Originally entitled Butcher, Baker, Nightmare Maker, it barely played a handful of theaters in the U.S. and was promptly shuffled off to VHS from HBO Video as Night Warning. Most likely due to its bloody cover art, it also drew the wrath of the BBFC in the United Kingdom (under the title Nightmare Maker) where it was withdrawn and stigmatized as part of the video nasties scare. Fortunately the quality of the film itself was enough to earn strong word of mouth among fans, and it frequently popped up on lists of underrated horror films in various fanzines.

Much of the appeal lies in the go-for-broke performance of the late Susan Tyrrell, a fiery actress known for her work in films like Fat City, Island in the Stream, and Forbidden Zone. Here she delivers a character unlike any other in horror history, the domineering, homicidal Aunt Cheryl, who nurtures an unnaturally close relationship with her nephew, Billy (Jimmy McNichol), after his parents are killed in a violent car accident (a show-stopping opener if there ever was one). With Billy firmly in adolescence and expressing an interest in girls, specifically classmate Julia (a pre-Newhart Duffy), Cheryl feels threatened by the potential loss of her baby boy. Things get even more complicated when Billy comes home to find Cheryl covered in blood and a TV repairman lying dead on the floor; though his aunt claims she was defending herself from a rape attempt, the bigoted investigating officer, Detective Joe Carlson (Svenson), gets it into his head that Billy committed the murder as part of some insane gay spat. As we quickly learn, Cheryl is really nutty as a fruitcake and easily provoked into wielding a butcher knife, which makes Billy's passage to adulthood far more violent than usual.

Marketing this film must have been a tricky proposition considering this film has plenty of blood and thunder but can't quite be classified as a slasher movie. If anything it's a descendant of the "horror hag" cycle of the 1960s, but the teen angle gives it a markedly different, queasy spin. Furthermore it's wildly ahead of its time in its depiction of an openly gay, non stereotypical character, Billy's gym coach (Steve Eastin), who is depicted throughout as a positive character and - in a real rarity for the time - doesn't die. Svenson's venal character is also one of the most repugnant villains of the era, a bigoted monster who makes Tyrrell's murderess far more sympathetic by comparison. Stylistically the film is fairly straightforward thanks to director William Asher, who was known at the time for a slew of TV sitcoms and most of the AIP beach party movies. He was a bizarre choice to be sure (maybe the thunderstorm finale reminded the producers of an AIP film), but somehow it all came together with much stronger performances than were usually found in American horror films of the period.

After that VHS release went out of circulation, Butcher, Baker became extremely difficult to see. For years it continued to pop up on "most wanted" DVD lists of genre titles, with rumors circulating every couple of years about an impending release somewhere in the world. Finally the 2014 edition from Code Red made that a reality with a new HD transfer from the negative (once presumed lost) bearing the Butcher, Baker title, and needless to say, anyone familiar with the old video transfer was shocked by the improvement. (If you ever get the chance to see any of the beautiful 35mm prints still floating around, by all means don't miss it.) At the time it was the best the film looked at home, but more on that in a moment.

The plentiful extras kick off with two audio commentaries, the first with Jimmy McNichol (who made his feature film starring debut here and also enjoyed a career as a rock singer) and moderator Jeff McKay, with Code Red's Bill Olsen occasionally chiming in. The beginning is a little bumpy but McNichol soon finds his groove, remembering plenty about the film and sharing anecdotes about all of the cast members. The second commentary is moderated by yours truly and was recorded several years earlier with producer/writer Steven Breimer and co-writer Alan Jay Glueckman, who go more into the background production of the film including Asher's input, distribution issues, and the real-life inspirations for many of the film's key scenes involving real life maternal traumas. The ridiculous original trailer (under the Night Warning title and almost entirely devoid of Tyrrell) is the first of the video extras, followed by five featurettes. McNichol gets an 8m29s chat about his career at the time, his current life in Colorado, and memories of Tyrrell, Duffy, Svenson, and a very young Bill Paxton; he's still proud of the film and points out its value today as a snapshot of attitudes at the time towards sexuality and growing up. Then you get a 10m55s interview with Tyrrell, who never saw the finished film and "hated every dang minute of it!" We basically see her reacting to a screening of the film, which makes for a pretty astonishing experience as she hurls out bon mots like "Ew, ew, is that his head?," "God, what a butt!," and "What is that, a drunken Mexican?" She will be missed, to put it mildly. Then Breimer returns for a 12m22s interview in which he goes a bit more into the film's temporary obscurity, its fan following, and the inexplicable retitling which led to a thwarted ad campaign. A 9-minute chat with Eastin (or Easton, as he's sometimes credited) is also worthwhile as the veteran character actor talks about auditioning and getting the role of "the gay basketball coach," plus stories about working with the three leads with a particular emphasis on Tyrrell. As with the others, he describes the production as a "real fight" to get made, which makes it all the more amazing it turned out so well. (His comment about his own sexual orientation is a keeper, too.) Finally, makeup effects artist Alan Apone has a 4m56s piece (in his studio), with a very abrupt ending, about the film's low budget pitfalls including a hairdresser punching out Bo Svenson and a blood-pumping gag gone awry.

In 2017, Code Red revisited the film for a much-needed Blu-ray release that you just knew had to come along at some point. All of the extras from the DVD have been carried over (both commentaries, trailer, and five featurettes), and the film has been given a completely fresh scan with a much more careful color correction job that evens out the flesh tones and darker scenes for a fresher, more appealing presentation. Detail also advances considerably with more image information visible on all sides of the frame, and the darker scenes (especially in the final stretch) are more legible, making it a significant upgrade all around. The DTS-HD MA English mono track sounds good considering it's a pretty basic sound mix to begin with. Sold exclusively through Diabolik upon its debut, the disc comes with reversible cover options sporting the Butcher, Baker and Night Warning poster art.

In 2024, Severin Films upgraded the film to a UHD and Blu-ray combo set, as well as a standalone Blu-ray, porting over both of the previous commentaries while adding a worthwhile new one by co-producer and unit production manager Eugene Mazzola in discussion with Michael Felsher for lots of stories about the nitty gritty of the production including stories about the cast, the tie-in novel, and lots more. The commentaries and trailer are on both discs, while the Blu-ray has the rest of the extras starting with the new "Extreme Prejudice" (9m49s) with Svenson recalling coming onto the film without possibly reading the script first, playing off of the lively Tyrrell, and going to some pretty dark places to get his character across. In "Point and Shoot" (15m4s), director of photography Robbie Greenberg looks back at working with Asher, also coming on before the script was locked, stepping in after the original director and cinematographer were let go, and being part of the photography scene in San Francisco. In "Family Dynamics" (16m41s), editor and future Subspecies director Ted Nicolau covers his move into filmmaking after planning to be a doctor, his move to sound recording on The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and wild experiences on Roar, and the skills he brought to the feature at hand with its tricky narrative and tonal shifts. Ported over from the earlier releases are the interviews with Tyrrell, Eastin, Apone, and Breimer, plus a TV spot. As for the film itself, the new 4K scan from the original negative looks very impressive and makes for a substantial upgrade with more image info in the frame, deeper blacks, much finer detail and film grain, and satisfying colors throughout. The DTS-HD MA English 2.0 mono track is also in excellent condition and features optional English SDH subtitles.

Severin Films (UHD)

Code Red (Blu-ray)

Code Red (DVD)

Updated review on May 26, 2024