Nightmare Cinema
Framing: The Projectionist
Director: Mick Garris
Writer: Mick Garris
Cast: Mickey Rourke
Segment 1: The Thing in the Woods
Director: Alejandro Brugués
Writer: Alejandro Brugués
Cast: Sarah Elizabeth Withers, Eric Nelsen, Chris Warren, Kevin Fonteyne
Segment 2: Mirare
Director: Joe Dante
Writer: Richard Christian Matheson
Cast: Zarah Mahler, Mark Grossman, Richard Chamberlain
Segment 3: Mashit
Director: Ryûhei Kitamura
Writer: Sandra Becerril
Cast: Maurice Benard
Segment 4: This Way to Egress
Director: David Slade
Writer: David Slade, Lawrence C. Connolly
Cast: Elizabeth Reaser, Adam Godley
Segment 5: Dead
Director: Mick Garris
Writer: Mick Garris
Cast: Faly Rakotohavana, Annabeth Gish, Daryl C. Brown, Orson Chaplin
Part of: /slash Filmfestival
Seen on: 28.9.2018
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Nightmare Cinema is a nice, but not outstanding anthology. I enjoyed watching it, but most of the segments are a little too straightforward to really made me love them. That being said, if you’re looking for something along classic lines, Nightmare Cinema will satisfy your itch.

Read more about each of the segments after the jump.

The Projectionist

The Projectionist (Mickey Rourke) runs a very special cinema. One where the star of each screening is you and the movie is your nightmare.

As a framing device it was nice and Mickey Rourke has quite an outfit, but nothing much happens there.

The Thing in the Woods

Samantha (Sarah Elizabeth Withers) has obviously had quite a night. She is covered in blood and The Welder (Eric Nelsen) is after her. Now it’s time for a last stand.

I liked the idea of basically starting in the middle of the showdown of a slasher – and then I was actually surprised by the plot twist. [SPOILERS] The absurd moment where her head opens was great. But I’m not a huge fan for a storyline that vindicates a nerd who is on a violent spree. It reminds me too much of GamerGate et al who are so convinced that they are right. [/SPOILERS]

Mirare

Anna (Zarah Mahler) has agreed to get some surgery done to please her fiancé David (Mark Grossman). But things take a bit of a different turn than expected.

Mirare had great acting, but other than that, it was a little too predictable. I think it would have profited from not adhering to genre conventions quite as much as it did. But it was nice enough.

Mashit

Something is very wrong at the Catholic school and Father Benedict (Maurice Benard) has to handle it – even if that means turning against his students. If they are his students at all.

Mashit was probably the weakest of all of the segments. It managed to create neither tension nor fun. At least the nun was pretty good. But otherwise it was forgettable.

This Way to Egress

Helen (Elizabeth Reaser) fears that she is going insane. As she is waiting for the doctor, things turn from bad to worse.

This Way to Egress was definitely the best segment, despite or maybe because feeling like it comes from a different anthology. The black and white and the receptionist (or rather, her make up) were visually stunning, and I liked the concept which I found both interesting and unusual. I would have liked to spend more time in this atmospheric segment.

Dead

Riley (Faly Rakotohavana) wakes in the hospital after both he and his parents were shot. He barely survived, his parents weren’t as lucky. And now Riley starts seeing the dead everywhere.

Rakotohavana is absolutely fantastic and while the story of this segment isn’t great, it was well-executed, so I was with it emotionally all the time. I liked it.

Summarizing: decent, but not great.