‘Nightmare Cinema’ Movie Review

Nightmare Cinema is a horror anthology film conceived by genre veteran Mick Garris. Several people wander into an old movie theater, and each patron is shown a horror vignette featuring themselves as the main characters. It soon becomes clear that the one showing them these stories, a mysterious figure known as The Projectionist (Mickey Rourke), is no ordinary man.

The five segments featured are each helmed by a different director, including Garris himself, who also directed the wraparound. The other four directors are Alejandro Brugués (Juan of the Dead), Ryûhei Kitamura (The Midnight Meat Train), David Slade (30 Days of Night), and one of my favorite horror filmmakers, Joe Dante (The Howling). Each one has its own style to it, which is something that can be a blessing and a curse to movies like this. I mostly liked that aspect of Nightmare Cinema, though Iʼm sure there are those who may be bothered by it. However, the tonal differences did stick out to me, and Iʼll go into that a little more in a bit.

First we have Bruguésʼ story, which is fairly tongue-in-cheek, and possibly my favorite. It pays homage to Sam Raimiʼs Evil Dead series, which is my all-time favorite horror franchise, so thatʼs a huge point in its favor. But then it takes a hard left turn and begins to reference another one of my favorite horror movies, so this one seemed tailor- made for me.

Then comes Danteʼs, a body horror tale (his first foray into the subgenre) that, while somewhat darkly funny, does have some disturbing imagery to rival the likes of Rob Zombie. It also happens to be quite similar to a certain iconic Twilight Zoneepisode, but I actually found that somewhat endearing, as it took it into some much more gruesome territory. Itʼs unlike anything Joe Dante has done before, and itʼs pretty good if you have a strong enough stomach.

After this came the most graphic of the bunch, Kitamuraʼs. His piece is about a demon that is tormenting some children in a Catholic boarding school. Be forewarned, this one features several children meeting a rather bloody demise, so this one might be too much for more casual viewers.

After that, David Sladeʼs contribution goes in a way different direction, presenting a surreal and cerebral black-and-white mindbender. It has to do with a struggling mother suffering from trauma and questioning her sanity, and it has an almost David Lynch vibe to it. While this segment was incredibly interesting and original, itʼs more art house style felt entirely out of place in an otherwise predominantly schlocky anthology. Again, itʼs great, but it just didnʼt gel with the others.

Finally, we have Garrisʼs piece. While this one wasnʼt quite as sober as Sladeʼs, it also felt just a little too grounded, given what we had previously been shown. It involved a young boy (played stunningly by a kid named Faly Rakotohavana) who lost his parents, and is now able to see ghosts. Itʼs a fairly played-out concept, but it had plenty of heart to it.

I rather enjoyed the film, despite its obvious flaws. Iʼm a big fan of multi-segmented horror films, like Creepshow or The House That Dripped Blood. Even Dead of Night, which, like Nightmare Cinema, features multiple directors doing their own segments, is a great example of how to create a unique work with several different stories. This movie is clearly helmed by directors who know what theyʼre doing, so each segment works pretty well on its own. Itʼs just the combination that can feel a bit sloppy at times.

Mick Garrisʼs passion project anthology, Nightmare Cinema, gives five different directors a chance to show their chops, and each one of them gets to shine. It may not always feel consistent or reach the heights of its inspirations, but it hits more than it misses and generally entertains.

SCORE: 4/5