Clever and entertaining enough to recommend even to members of the 1%

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

It is interesting even when nothing much happens, which is for most of its 3-hour running time. Read full review

Blistering performances.

Describing a Jess Franco directed film as a curio is like describing the sky as 'a bit blue'. 'Nightmares Come at Night' – not one of the greatest titles – is either a hypnotic and sensual journey, or barely comprehensible, badly shot, softcore porn.Susan Korda, or Soledad Miranda as she is better known, plays the air-headed girlfriend of 'the neighbour' in very brief scenes that don't do her justice. Diana Lorys plays Anna de Istria, who is being driven out of her mind, or so it seems. Her friend Cynthia (Colette Giacobine) may or may not have something to do with this. The always brilliant Paul Muller plays Dr. Lucas, again pretty under-used. As the story goes, that is pretty much it – not that intricate plot contrivances usually bothered Franco too much.The rest is much as expected – a fine, jazzy musical soundtrack, lots of swooping cameras and 'deliberately' blurred scenes, extravagantly made-up women and shifty men. It doesn't, however, add anything new, horrific, or particularly interesting and so the attention tends to drift more than once before some answers are finally revealed at the end.Perfunctory by Jess Franco's standards. Not unenjoyable, but not very engaging either.

Two exotic dancers embark on a erotic friendship which takes a turn when one of them begins having recurring nightmares of her killing people in which the line between realty and fantasy begins to blur to the most extreme.Maybe I was let down because the film has some terrible dubbing, but if the words they say are accurate, this is an awful story. Such pointless dialogue, and no real plot. The film seems to revolve around showing a woman naked repeatedly, while she may or may not be crazy.Further, I am told this movie is actually two unfinished movies sort of edited together. Normally that would never work, but with a Jess Franco film, you can hardly say it is even much worse than his usual stuff. Sadly, this may be the worst of his films I have seen.

Sexy, but troubled stripper Anna de Istria (a convincingly distraught performance by lovely and well-built brunette Diana Lorys) gets involved with the aloof and domineering Cynthia Robins (an effectively icy portrayal by yummy buxom blonde Colette Giacobine). Anna suffers from disturbing nightmares. Is Anna going crazy? Or is someone trying to drive her mad? Writer/director Jess Franco relates the absorbing story with his usual singularly languid, yet engrossing style: the seething erotic content (Anna's seemingly endless lethargic striptease act in a seedy nightclub in particular is simply priceless), deliberate pace, and meandering flashback-ridden narrative combine together to create a strangely hypnotic dream-like atmosphere. Naturally, we also get a plethora of tasty distaff nudity and a smidgen of sizzling lesbian soft-core sex. This film further benefits from sound acting by the capable cast: Lorys and Giacobine do excellent work in the lead roles, Paul Muller lends sturdy support as sympathetic psychiatrist Dr. Paul Lucas, Jack Taylor has a stand-out cameo as Cynthia's amorous and charismatic lover, and the striking and mesmerizing Soledad Miranda makes a strong impression in the regrettably small part of a flighty and impatient tramp. Jose Climet's roving and restless cinematography boasts a wealth of wonky zoom-ins as the camera goes in and out of focus throughout. Bruno Nicolai's groovy score hits the get-down funky spot. The surprise downbeat ending packs one hell of a punch. Well worth a look for Franco fans.

Strip-tease artist Anna(Diana Lorys of Blue Eyes of the Broken Doll)is having disturbing nightmares where she's forced against her will, it seems(..possibly under hypnosis by lover Cynthia? We do see her lips moving without words uttered as she stares towards the screen as if giving orders right before the off-screen murders occur), to murder people she doesn't even know. Her nervous cries to psychiatrist Dr. Paul Lucas(Paul Muller)are resisted, as he seems to offer an ear, but often scoffs at the idea of her being crazy, suggesting that hospital care might be an option worth pursuing. Anna is convinced that her lover, Cynthia(Colette Giacobine)is behind what ills her...this stems from the fact that the nightmares really didn't start until after beginning their love affair. Meanwhile a couple(Andrés Monales & Soledad Miranda), neighbors who live across from Cynthia's home where Anna stays, are often shown spying on them awaiting their "pay day".To be honest, there are some major problems that keep Franco's mystery undermined. I think Lorys is good in the right role, but, to be honest, she's not really the archetypal heroine that leads a Jess Franco production. Lorys isn't ugly, but I'm afraid to say that she doesn't really have the beauty needed for this particular role. And, Lorys tends to take it a bit over the top, except one scene, my favorite, which is in a dream sequence where Anna has this moment of tranquility and peace(..and what truly enhances this dream sequence is Bruno Nicolai's melodic and serene score which only makes the final result of it even more tragic and sad)as a possibility of true love with a fling of Cynthia's(played by Franco regular Jack Taylor)only to end in tragedy. I think Lorys is at her best when the character is subdued with the turmoil and paranoia bubbling underneath the surface, not elaborated outwardly where she often descends into hopeless melodramatics. My favorite actor in Franco's "inner circle" is Paul Muller, and he doesn't fail me here, either. His character carries an appearance as of someone who cares about the plight of a patient, listening to what Anna has to say with a quiet observance, delicately offering advice and solemn treatment to her..I think, in portraying the doctor in such a fashion, the end result with him makes a greater impact. I don't think anyone ever doubted Cynthia was corrupt. Cynthia, almost from the get-go, is pointed out as a culprit behind Anna's trauma..the way she slaps her around when angry at Anna for behaving "out of line" or how she seems little bothered at the suffering her lover is going through. Fans who adore Soledad Miranda will be sorely disappointed, because her role in the film is minimal. This is Lorys film, and Franco's camera doesn't shy away from closing in on her face and naked flesh. Lorys, like many a Franco heroine, wears revealing, see-through gowns, or those types opened down the middle as she sprawls out on a bed either in a seductive pose or under a difficult mental(..or nightmarish)state. The DVD version I watched of Nightmares Come at Night was full screen and the technical aspects of a low budget show. The lighting in certain scenes was rather blah, making it hard to see certain actions(..like a sex scene between Anna and a couple she would murder)taking place. Still, I've seen worse films than this and it held my attention..any film which uses dreams and a troubled heroine inflicted by them will always have a place with me. I have to say this is one of the saddest and grim Franco films I've seen. Two scenes which didn't work for me were the longish strip-tease sequence with Anna(..when she meets Cynthia for the first time;perhaps, I just never found Lorys acceptable or convincing so the act didn't wash)and a love-making scene between her and Cynthia due to Franco's blurring the camera not allowing us to see what was taking place between them. I think the best aspect of the film is Nicolai's score..it perfectly accentuates the mood of the story and characters even if the cast doesn't always succeed.