Nightmare
Nightmare
R | 01 January 2005 (USA)
Watch Now on AMC+

Watch with Subscription, Cancel anytime

Watch Now
Nightmare Trailers

On the brink of madness, a director's only recourse is to make a movie of the savage murders he believes he committed. The morning after a wild party, a young film student awakens in the arms of a mysterious actress. Unsure where they are, the two find a video camera at the foot of the bed aimed at them. Suspicious of one another, the lovers decide to watch the tape. Their apprehension turns to terror as they see themselves on screen gleefully committing brutal murder in the room they've just slept in.

Reviews
WasAnnon

Slow pace in the most part of the movie.

FuzzyTagz

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

View More
Stephanie

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

View More
Francene Odetta

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

View More
lobomcthirsty

First of all, a quick message to the crew of the movie. When you go onto a site like IMDb, where people can click on the user-name you made up in two seconds by mashing on the keyboard to make up good reviews for your own movie, it is a good idea to maybe review some other titles first? Just so you don't, you know, look like you are shamelessly self-promoting. Because that makes you look like a scab.Anyway, I digress.Our hero of the story, a film student who is celebrating his latest well-received project, goes to a party and meets a girl. Within about an hour of meeting the girl, the two bump ugly for most of the night. Waking up the next morning, they find a mysterious camcorder. And on the camcorder is what appears to be the two of them committing a murder. Rather than do the logical thing and either turn it in to the police or destroy it, our hero decides to use not just the concept, but the camera its self for his latest script.Now. This is the best way I can describe the movie: naked. This movie is very naked. Softcore porn naked. In fact, this movie could pretty much be described as such with a violent bent. Nearly every character in the movie struts about naked, with most of the primaries including the two protagonists strutting about in their birthday suits for at least a quarter of the movie, in many scenes to where it becomes farcical. In one instance, the main character goes out into a hallway and strikes up a conversation with another character in the buff for no apparent reason.But then again, a lot of things in this movie seem to happen for no apparent reason. Once you get past the point where they discover the camera and tape, the film begins to get shaky. And by the middle of the film, the plot completely derails. Where the main characters are and what their motivations are become fuzzier and fuzzier. And that is if they make it to the end of the movie without completely vanishing. Character development, save their development towards an inevitable nude scene is practically non-existent. And where it does exist, it goes off into irrelevant tangents and confused "twists". Ultimately, little if anything gets resolved. Even the initial plot starter--the mysterious tape--is never explained or largely even touched upon.Another core aspect of the movie is the violence. Just as prevalent as the nudity and often accompanying it are violent scenes that are literally senseless. This is not at all enhanced by poor effects that often seem better suited for some D-grade slasher or monster movie. It contributes nothing to the plot and is clearly made only to shock and disturb.Nightmare is, in summation a pretentious and cheap shlock film. It almost seems as if it were written and directed by a pubescent pre-teen, claiming some shaky premise of artistic merit and using his time behind the camera to get as much fake blood and as many people naked on-screen as possible. If you want to watch a movie in the style this attempts, go watch Jacobs Ladder. It is in far, far better taste.

View More
krepsilent

I didn't see anyone comment on the ending, other than to say it goes nowhere, and I don't really agree with that, so here's my thoughts: the protagonist (Jason Scott Campbell) gets his first clue on how to "end the movie" / "catch the killer" / "end the murders", when his teacher tells him "it's time for the protagonist to take control - everyone's been a victim so far, it's time for him to take control - and time for you to finish the movie." A further clue comes from his classmate, the guy making the other movie: "... there's no villain.. it's almost as if, the director, he's the villain, he's the one putting us through all this." That's when he gets the idea - to end it, he must take control, so he invites Natalia over, grabs a knife, sets up the camera, starts it recording and he and Natalia lay on the bed, the knife hidden beside him. Increasingly certain he's the killer and/or crazy, Natalia starts fighting him, afraid he's going to kill her (or perhaps playing along, understanding his intent).Then the "movie with a movie" starts happening, and quite simply the protagonist kills the director, or the person filming. Next the scene cuts to the class film set, and the ending of the movie and movie within movie is shown - and then Natalia and protagonist huddle while he says "it's over, it's over".Who was the director? I think that is left up to the viewer. The literal interpretation could be the person who set everything up entered the room - maybe the janitor, maybe someone else, and the protagonist killed him. Another interpretation, more magical but still inside the movie, is the camera was some kind of window to another dimension, or the mind/dreams of the director, and somehow a magical second reality was interfering, and the act of killing the "director" was a way to pick an ending and stop it. Yet another interpretation is, the whole work is not actually a horror movie but an inside comment on film making of horror movies, and the comment is, in movies such as this, or Blair-witch, etc, the villain is simply the director.Personally, I think in some cases this type of ending can be brilliant, but in this case we weren't quite there (thus a 6). The viewer wonders, was this an intentional plan of a writer with a message? Or is this just a cowardly way to end a movie from a writer who was unwilling to write an actual ending, or couldn't make up his mind, or ran out of money? And I think that is what bothers so many viewers about endings like this.

View More
Unlikelyplace-1

It has taken me a little while to write about this film after I saw what I believe was it's East Coast Premier in Oct. at the Eerie Horror Fest (a new and remarkably well run film fest.) This is the first comment I've made on IMDb and feel this film is important for those who love surreal art, horror films, or the process of creating art -which leads right back into the surreal (secret deep, dark thoughts) anyways and now you're trapped in twisted, fun part of your imagination which is a neat place to be! The film is hard to describe because it deals with human impulses of sex, and drive for success, and violence and all sorts of dormant notions in the quiet places inside all of us - by taking us into an actual nightmare (how can you really describe a nightmare and get all the chilling feelings on IMDb?). It is a film that needs to be experienced.The acting is great - also it is a film about actors so again the nightmare cycle is already in full swing. Its a story of actualizing your dreams and creating expression - you see the tight interplay of ideas already? Smart, smart pop-psychological masterpiece. The horror aspects are brutal and disturbing (several times during the film I thought 'I'm imagining this whole thing...right?) A certain giddy sense of absurdity and feverish mania is also a strong part of what makes this movie (or film...or movie...or film) so great.Easily the best part about this film is that it feels like a dream...the sort of dream only hinted at by the title. It is strange, well crafted work that made me quite, quite satisfied.

View More
tdlssc

Twists you will never imagine make every minute of this movie intriguing and fascinating to to watch. The acting is amazing and the director has creating a thrilling masterpiece. As you learn more about the characters in this film, things change, making you wonder if you were paying enough attention. Jason Scott Campbell is an amazing actor who keeps the level of intensity high as he winds his way through the maze of events in this film. You will be going between thinking he is the only sane one in the film to wondering how people could not know he is totally nuts. Or is it him? Or another director? Or the college professor? The cinematographer? Everyone is suspect at some time during the movie. This is one nightmare I would be screaming to wake up from.

View More