In the 1980s, Dan Aykroyd played a big part in some of the best movies of the decade, but there is one movie that isn’t just unfunny, it’s not a dark comedy, either; it’s just downright scary: 1991’s Nothing But Trouble. If you’ve never seen it or even heard of it, I wouldn’t be surprised. It was on cable a lot back then, and given that it has an all-star cast that also included Chevy Chase, Demi Moore, and John Candy, I will reluctantly admit I’ve watched it more times than it deserves. Now, when I think back, I don’t think of the laughs; I think of the horrors of the movie, and it’s not just the crummy writing.
An All-Star Cast At The Height Of Their Careers
The movie, which is also written and directed by Dan Aykroyd, features four of the biggest stars of the era. Chevy Chase was coming off National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, unquestionably one of the best Christmas movies of all time. John Candy had just starred in Home Alone. Demi Moore’s film directly before this one was a little movie called Ghost. Aykroyd starred in My Girl earlier that same year.
It’s hard to imagine a more successful group of movies where the stars then returned for a movie as… disappointing as Nothing But Trouble. The premise of the film is simple enough: Chase and Moore’s characters are on a road trip and find themselves in a backwater town called Valkenvania. They are pulled over after running a stop sign by the town’s police chief, played by Candy, and end up in front of a judge, played by Aykroyd. Everyone in the town is related and all named Valkenheiser, hence the name of the town.
It all goes off the rails after that.
The Movie Is Just Gross
In the movie, all of the Valkenheisers, mostly played by Aykroyd and Candy, who both assume multiple roles, are really, really weird-looking. It’s hard to describe just how unsettling all of the characters look. There is one scene in particular, where Chase and Moore end up at dinner with the senior member of the family, the 106-year-old Alvin “J.P” Valkenheiser, played by Aykroyd, wearing some of the most upsetting makeup I’ve ever seen in a movie. As he shovels hot dogs down his gullet, Chase and Moore try to escape, but are captured by Alvin’s inbred granddaughter (played by Candy).
The makeup alone is enough to make you sleep with the lights on. Add in the bizarre plotlines of incest, underground coal fires, and feasts of the nastiest-looking hot dogs ever, and you have the makings of a legendary horror movie. But this is a comedy. It’s hard to even laugh at how completely bizarre the whole thing is, because it’s so upsetting to watch Aykroyd and Candy in their makeup.
Oh, and did I mention that there is a random appearance by G-Shock and the rest of the legendary ‘90s rap group Digital Underground? Because, yeah, that’s in there too. Frankly, there is nothing on the 2025 movie schedule, which is full of horror movies that I love, that is nearly as nightmare-inducing as this supposed comedy. Watch at your own risk.
