NIGHTMARE CINEMA Review—This Might Just Be the Best Horror Anthology Ever
Josh Millican
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Starring Mickey Rourke, Richard Chamberlain, Adam Godley
Written by Sandra Becerril, Alejandro Brugués, Lawrence C. Connolly, Mick Garris, Richard Christian Matheson, David Slade
Directed by Alejandro Brugués (segment “The Thing in
the Woods”), Joe Dante (segment “Mirari”) Ryûhei Kitamura (segment
“Mashit”), David Slade (segment “This Way to Egress”) Mick
Garris (segments “The Projectionist”, “Dead”)
Mick Garris originally conceived Nightmare Cinema as a follow-up to his hugely successful Masters of Horror series on Showtime—but with more of an emphasis on international filmmakers. Years of working on this passion project resulted in something different: A feature film horror anthology. And while horror anthologies have surged in popularity in the 21st Century, this one raises the bar. I dare say, Nightmare Cinema may just be the best horror anthology ever assembled, giving 2007’s Trick ‘r Treat and 1982’s Creepshow a run for their money.
Of course, every anthology has it’s highlights and low-points, right? Not Nightmare Cinema! While David Slade’s “This Way to Egress” knocked my socks off, each installment is immensely entertaining, engrossing, and unique. Garris has assembled a team of true genre all-stars, making Nightmare Cinema an experience all horror fans will want to enjoy—repeatedly! Here are brief recaps of what awaits intrepid terror seekers!
“The Thing in the Woods”, directed by Alejandro Brugués (Juan of the Dead), is a love letter to Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead—and so much more. What begins as a top-notch slasher throwback becomes something else entirely, incorporating elements reminiscent of James Gunn’s Slither. Fans of 2018’s meta horror comedy You Might Be the Killer may be especially tickled by the segment’s twists and turns. Count on intense thrills and side-splitting black comedy in spades.
“Mirari”, directed by Joe Dante (Gremlins) is a chilling meditation on the quest for physical perfection and radiant beauty. It features a young woman who’s self-conscious about a facial scar and her well-to-do fiancé who’s more than willing to pay for all the plastic surgery necessary for her to become her most stunning self. Set in the Mirari Clinic, the woman finds herself being pressured into additional surgeries at every turn, until she becomes something completely unrecognizable. But was her fiancé really inspired by a desire to beautify his lover, or something entirely more nefarious? The subtext encourages viewers to be happy with themselves as we are while putting the dark side of vain, elective surgeries on full, terrifying display.
It’s amazing that “Mashit”, directed by Ryûhei Kitamura (Midnight Meat Train, Verses) didn’t single-handedly push Nightmare Cinema into NC-17 territory. We’ve got familiar religious horror tropes along with standard possession motifs, but the level of violence (set in a church and featuring children) is nearly unprecedented. It’s set in a boarding school where a forbidden relationship between a priest and a nun inadvertently summons Mashit, a demon drawn to wonton acts of carnal lust. The only things that saves “Mashit” from being utterly devastating is its completely over-the-top pandemonium. Thrill seekers will be left stunned, breathless, and deliciously disturbed!
“This Way to Egress”, directed by David Slade (Hard Candy, 30 Days of Night) plunges viewers into a surreal, nightmarish world that produces Jacob’s Ladder-levels of hallucinatory dread, illustrating an almost sickening descent into madness. The segment poses a scenario that asks: What if a traumatic life-event could actually knock you into a different reality? And if this happened, would it even be possible to return home? “This Way to Egress” is shot in black and white, a medium that adds volumes to the segment’s unsettling dread and enhances the grimy sets and mutated characters we encounter. One of the most striking aspects of “This Way to Egress” is that it doesn’t have a traditional ending; rather the characters, and the viewers, are left wandering a hostile dimension where nothing is what it seems.
“Dead” by Mick Garris (Sleepwalkers, The Stand) seems like a familiar tale of the “I see dead people” variety, but it’s got more heart and soul than any other entry in Nightmare Cinema. It features young actor and talented pianist Faly Rakotohavana in a knock out performance as Riley, a teen who loses both of his parents in a random act of violence (a robbery gone wrong). While recovering, he befriends another young hospital patient who, after overdosing, also acquired the ability to see ghosts. But specters are the least of Riley’s worries. Before finding resolution, he must decide whether to join his loved ones on the other side—and contend with the villain who shattered his life in the first place.
The individual segments of Nightmare Cinema are framed by a wrap-around story that features random strangers inexplicably drawn into a mysterious movie theater. There, they encounter “The Projectionist” played by Mickey Rourke, a man who collects people’s worst nightmare—and forces characters to endure them. There’s a duality to this character, as he appears as both a harbinger of doom and an entity with the power to grant second chances.
During a Q&A following a recent screening at the Arena Cinelounge in Hollywood, Garris revealed he still has hopes of adapting Nightmare Cinema into a TV series featuring hour-long episodes. While I support this endeavor with enthusiasm, I’d be just as happy with another feature film that assembles a new batch of talented actors and filmmakers. No matter what form it takes Nightmare Cinema is a property with huge potential. The film is still screening in select theaters nationwide; it’s also available On Demand. Do not sleep on this one!
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NIGHTMARE CINEMA
Summary
As one of the best horror anthologies ever assembled, Nightmare Cinema is also one of 2019’s best genre flicks so far. Don’t be surprised to see it near the top of many Top 10 lists as the year comes to an end. It’s both a worthy successor to Mick Garris’s Masters of Horror series and a potential franchise that can stand on its own. I absolutely loved this movie and can’t wait to watch it again—and again!
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