| Midnight Cabaret | |
| Director: | Pece Dingo |
| Producer: | Niki Marvin Susan Moses |
| Screenplay: | Pece Dingo Lori Gloede |
| Story: | Paul Fries |
| Starring: | Laura Harrington Michael Des Barres |
| Music: | Michel Colombier |
| Editing: | Robert Gordon |
| Production Companies: | Lorimar Film Entertainment Niki Marvin Productions |
| Distributor: | Warner Home Video |
| Runtime: | 94 minutes |
| Country: | United States |
| Language: | English |
Midnight Cabaret is a 1990 direct-to-video surrealist horror film. Directed by Macedonian filmmaker Pece Dingo,[1] it stars Lisa Hart Carroll, Michael Des Barres, Paul Drake, Laura Harrington, Thom Mathews, Carolyn Seymour, Leonard Termo, Norbert Weisser, and Bruce Wright. It was released by Warner Home Video on November 26, 1990.[2]
The events depicted in a New York theatre show become a disturbing reality when one of its stars is found murdered, with police directing their attention to the production's leading lady, who appears to have fallen under the spell of a cult of Satanists.
Midnight Cabaret was initially intended for release in 1988 and received a MPA rating that same year,[3] but was not released until late 1990 as a direct to home video release through Warner Home Video.[4] Retro Junk lists the release date as November 26, 1990, while some newspapers state that it released on December 9 of that same year.[5]
Critical reception was mixed, with The Expositor praising the mix of dreams and reality qhile criticizing the acting and dialogue.[6] While criticising it for being "moody" rather than outright scary, TV Guide called Midnight Cabaret a "handsomely mounted film ... a must-see for horror fans in search of outré kicks".[7] Variety praised the acting of Michael Des Barres while stating that Bruce Wright delivered the film's worst performance.