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[BD Review] ‘Coma’ (1978)
Writer Michael Crichton was one of the go-to guys in Hollywood for nearly two decades, scribing gems like Jurassic Park, Twister, and the renowned television series ER, and became a household name up to and after his death. While he openly preferred writing as opposed to directing, he did sit in the directors chair for a handful of thrillers – two of them considered outstanding. Westworld, which hammered him onto the map, and Coma – which for all intensive purposes set the tone and created a skeleton for the Hollywood thriller for the next 10 years.
Genevieve Bujold, who’s incredibly hot ass in Earthquake made her a superstar (please fall over something again, please!), takes the lead in Coma – a thrilling adaptation of a Robin Cook novel that spent months on the NY Times best sellers list and gripped the nation. A story about power and trust gone awry, when a doctor uncovers a conspiracy where a rigged operating room is set up to purposefully slip patients into comas on the operating table. For the purpose of selling off their body parts on the black market.
Michael Douglas also stars as Bujold’s character’s boyfriend, who consistently assures her, “Everything is going to be all right,” without ever listening and looking at the building facts. It’s mildly frustrating and works at adding to the grip effect. Even with his mastery on the screen, Bujold pulls a commanding lead and Captains this film and its strong supporting cast. She is a good 1970’s actress, and very charming even with the bad haircut they had her wear. Maybe it was what doctors were doing back then? Whew.
Its Crichton’s story that is the overall star here. Its dark, to think that in your most vulnerable state – in a place where you trust your life in doctors hands – that you could be put under and shifted aside with the sign of a document and moved to another ward where you are kept until deemed “dead”, only to have your organs removed and sold to high priced bidders. Wealthy, and don’t want to wait on the kidney list for your son’s life saving organ? This hospital is where you’d go to get it. Its a tale that subtly gets under your skin, mostly because of how scientifically sound it is. Plus, its all laid out in layman’s terms so you don’t have to be a med school graduate to understand it. To tell anything else of the plot would chip away at the foundation of the whole experience.
A good healthy unexpected twist in the end brings Coma to an excellent crescendo. Style and clothes seem bland and awkward, from the hit man’s plaid jacket to Genevieve’s unflattering hairstyle, it screams 1970’s (strong story and non model actors and actresses). Yet Bujold still exudes a manner of MILF sexiness and the structure of the screenplay will keep you attentive and alert. Its just dated, perhaps a bit bland for some in the horror community who don’t get off on psychological digs. Its more of a drama than a horror film. Here the horror element is the notion that if third world countries abduct organs from victims – why not a conspiring money hungry hospital here in the United States? The methods to Coma‘s madness are quite scientifically sound and economically realistic, so the overall result does manage to get under your skin. And we all hate hospitals enough as it is, don’t we?
It was almost one year ago that Warner Bros. brought the entire original A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise to 4K in one massive 7-movie collection, with the limited edition SteelBook version of the set quickly selling out and becoming highly sought after. But we’re happy to report tonight that the SteelBook set is currently back in stock over on Amazon!
While supplies last, grab the Elm Street SteelBook collection for $154.99 right now!!
Orders placed for this re-release are scheduled to begin shipping out September 15, 2026.
[Related] Freddy’s Back: New ‘A Nightmare on Elm Street’ Movie in the Works at Paramount
From New Line Cinema, the collection includes the original seven films – A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984), A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge (1985), A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987), A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master (1988), A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child (1989), Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare (1991), and Wes Craven’s New Nightmare (1994) – along with the uncut versions of A Nightmare on Elm Street and The Dream Child.
Two BRAND NEW SPECIAL FEATURES for this set include:
- Boiler Room Confessional: The king of slashers, Robert Englund, takes us on a journey through the dream world, sharing what inspired Freddy Krueger, his rise as a cultural icon, and the legacy of A Nightmare on Elm Street, plus his favorite kills, scenes, and more.
- Freddy’s Footnotes: Robert Englund and original A Nightmare on Elm Street filmmakers revisit iconic scenes, revealing the movie magic and chaos behind our favorite nightmares. Pull back the curtain and relive epic moments through the eyes of those who made them.
Here’s the full breakdown of included Special Features for each movie…
A Nightmare on Elm Street
· Ready Freddy Focus Points
· Commentary with Wes Craven, Robert Englund, Heather Langenkamp, Ronee Blakley, Robert Shaye, and Sara Risher
· Commentary with Wes Craven, Heather Langenkamp, John Saxon, and Jacques Haitkin
· Alternate Endings – Scary Ending, Happy Ending, Freddy Ending
· The House that Freddy Built: The Legacy of New Line Horror
· Never Sleep Again: The Making of A Nightmare on Elm Street
· Night Terrors: The Origins of Wes Craven’s Nightmares
A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge
· Freddy on 8th Street
· Heroes and Villains
· The Male Witch
· Psychosexual Circus
A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors
· Behind the Story: Burnout
· Behind the Story: Fan Mail
· Behind the Story: The House that Freddy Built
· Behind the Story: Onward Christian Soldiers
· Behind the Story: Snakes and Ladders
· Behind the Story: That’s Showbiz
· Behind the Story: Trading 8’s
· Dokken Dream Warriors Music Video
A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master
· The Finnish Line
· Krueger, Freddy Krueger
· Hopeless Chest
· Let’s Makeup
A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child
· Behind the Story: Womb Raiders
· Behind the Story: The Sticky Floor
· Behind the Story: Take the Stairs
· Behind the Story: Hopkins Directs
· Behind the Story: A Slight Miscalculation
Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare
· 86’D
· Hellraiser
· Rachel’s Dream
· 3D Demise
Wes Craven’s New Nightmare
· Commentary with Wes Craven
· NEW – Boiler Room Confessional
· NEW – Freddy’s Footnotes
· Becoming a Filmmaker
· Filmmaker
· An Insane Troupe
· The Problem with Sequels
· Two Worlds
· Welcome to Prime Time: It Really Happened
· Welcome to Prime Time: A Childhood Memory
· Welcome to Prime Time: Sometime in the Early 80s
· Welcome to Prime Time: So It Began
· Welcome to Prime Time: Beauty and the Beast
· Welcome to Prime Time: Making the Glove
· Welcome to Prime Time: Shapeshifter
· Welcome to Prime Time: The Shoot
· Welcome to Prime Time: The Revolving Room
· Welcome to Prime Time: All’s Well that Ends Well
· Welcome to Prime Time: Talalay’s Tally
· Welcome to Prime Time: It Couldn’t Have Happened
· Welcome to Prime Time: Alternate Ending Version
· Conclusion: Where Gothic Plots Come From
· Conclusion: Why We Like Gothic
· Conclusion: Sadomasochism
· Conclusion: Freddy vs. Pinhead
· Conclusion: Freddy’s Manic Energy
· Conclusion: Creating Lasting Characters in Horror
· Conclusion: No More Magic Tricks
· Conclusion: Monster with Personality
· Conclusion: Freddy as Sex Machine
· Conclusion: Campfire Stories
The Elm Street collection is available in this collectible SteelBook packaging (exclusive to Amazon) and as a standard 4K collection that’s also available now over on Amazon.
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