A Night to Dismember

A Night to Dismember

Year: 1983

Runtime: 69 mins

Language: English

Director: Doris Wishman

HorrorHorror

Lust, betrayal and dismemberment… A woman from a “cursed” family is released from a mental facility, and soon dismembered corpses start turning up.

A Night to Dismember (1983) – Spoiler-Free Movie Summary & Plot Overview

Get a spoiler-free look at A Night to Dismember (1983) with a clear plot overview that covers the setting, main characters, and story premise—without revealing key twists or the ending. Perfect for deciding if this film is your next watch.

The remote community of Woodmire Lake clings to the whispers of an ancestral curse that has haunted the Kent family for generations. The lake’s mist‑shrouded shores and the creaking old house where the Kents reside create a brooding backdrop, where every hallway seems to echo with the weight of forgotten sins. The town’s uneasy peace is constantly disturbed by the lingering fear that the past is never truly buried, setting a tone that oscillates between gothic melancholy and nervous dread.

When Vicki Kent is finally released from a secluded mental facility, she returns to the house that has both defined and confined her life. Determined to rebuild, she steps back into a world that feels both familiar and hostile—her parents, Adam and Blanche, try to smooth the transition, while her siblings, Billy and Mary, wrestle with their own reservations and protective instincts. The family’s dynamics are a tangled mixture of love, suspicion, and an unspoken awareness that something darker may still be lurking beneath the surface.

The atmosphere thickens as relatives from the wider Kent branch begin to appear, each bringing their own shadows and secrets. Unsettling encounters in the dimly lit rooms and the ever‑present lake serve as silent reminders that the family’s legacy is more than just a story told at dinner. As Vicki attempts to reconnect with the outside world, the line between reality and paranoia blurs, and even the most mundane interactions feel charged with an unseen menace.

Against this backdrop, a lone investigator arrives, drawn by the strange undercurrents that flow through Woodmire Lake. The detective’s presence adds a fresh, probing perspective to the already tense environment, hinting at revelations that could either untangle the knot of the Kent curse or tighten it further. The film lingers in the spaces between what is seen and what is felt, inviting the audience to question how much of the horror is inherited and how much is simply waiting to be uncovered.

Last Updated: December 04, 2025 at 16:19

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Explore Movie Threads

Discover curated groups of movies connected by mood, themes, and story style. Browse collections built around emotion, atmosphere, and narrative focus to easily find films that match what you feel like watching right now.

Cursed family horror movies like A Night to Dismember

Blood-soaked tales where a family's dark secrets lead to brutal internal destruction.If you liked the grisly family dynamics and internal betrayal in A Night to Dismember, explore more movies in this thread. These films focus on horror that erupts from within a family, featuring cursed lineages, feigned insanity, and brutal acts of violence between relatives, all set in an oppressive, paranoid atmosphere.

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Narrative Summary

Stories in this thread typically center on a family with a cursed or traumatic past. A catalyst, like the return of a relative or the uncovering of a secret, triggers a spiral of violence. The narrative relies on misdirection, often pointing to an external threat before revealing the killer is among the family, leading to a climax of shocking betrayal and brutal murder.

Why These Movies?

These movies are grouped by their shared focus on the family as both the victim and the monstrous entity. They create a specific, unsettling mood by combining the familiarity of home with the terror of betrayal, using graphic violence to underscore the theme of internal collapse. The pacing is often frenetic, matching the chaotic unraveling of familial bonds.

Frenetic and grisly slasher movies like A Night to Dismember

Movies that deliver a non-stop barrage of graphic violence and paranoid dread.Fans of the fast-paced, high-intensity horror in A Night to Dismember will find more chaotic slasher experiences here. These movies prioritize a relentless pace, grisly murder sequences, and an overall oppressive, unsettling atmosphere with high tension and bleak outcomes, perfect for viewers who want a non-stop thrill.

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Narrative Summary

The narrative pattern is straightforward but effective: a violent threat is introduced early, and the film proceeds with a series of brutal encounters. Character development is often secondary to the rapid succession of events, creating a experience focused on visceral shock and sustained anxiety. The mystery of the killer's identity may provide a through-line, but the primary drive is the constant escalation of violence.

Why These Movies?

These films are united by their shared commitment to a specific viewing experience: one of high-octane, chaotic horror. The similarity lies in the pace, the unapologetic gore, and the ability to maintain a state of high tension and unease from start to finish. They are less about slow-building dread and more about immediate, frenetic terror.

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A Night to Dismember Summary

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A Night to Dismember Summary

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A Night to Dismember Timeline

Characters, Settings & Themes in A Night to Dismember

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Characters, Settings & Themes in A Night to Dismember

More About A Night to Dismember

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Discover movies like A Night to Dismember that share similar genres, themes, and storytelling elements. Whether you’re drawn to the atmosphere, character arcs, or plot structure, these curated recommendations will help you explore more films you’ll love.