I’ve become a huge fan of Mick Garris over the past year after listening to countless episodes of his podcast, Post Mortem, and seeing him in various horror documentaries. His voice is calming, he’s highly intelligent, and his resume is incredible. Mick directed Psycho IV, he has worked with Stephen King on various adaptations of his work, he’s an author, and much more. With this in mind, when I heard that Mick was one of the driving forces behind Nightmare Cinema, I knew I had to check it out. I should also point out how Mick’s hair is epic! When I’m his age, I hope my hair is just as amazing.
Nightmare Cinema is a horror anthology comprised of five terrifying tales shot by five different directors, including Mick. My favorite of the bunch is the second one, Mirare, which was directed by Joe Dante, who is best known to horror fans for his work behind the lense on Gremlins, Gremlins 2, and The Howling. Dante’s short story in Nightmare Cinema is about plastic surgery gone wrong, and it features a wonderful performance by Richard Chamberlain. The only story that couldn’t hold my interest was Mashit, which deals with demonic possession in a catholic school. It started off well enough but lost my attention when the action and gore was heightened to an unnecessary level. Also, no one is going to top The Exorcist, so why try? Mick Garris’ Dead caps off Nightmare Cinema,and it does so well. His story is about life, death, and everything in between. I don’t want to reveal more than that because it’s better off if you experience this compelling story for yourself. I should also note that Mickey Rourke, who plays the projectionist in this movie, is terrific in his role. All in all, Nightmare Cinema is an excellently produced and directed horror anthology that is worth watching.
Official Synopsis
In this twisted horror anthology directed by a killer lineup of genre legends, five strangers are drawn to an abandoned theater and forced to watch their deepest and darkest fears play out before them. Lurking in the shadows is the Projectionist, who preys upon their souls with his collection of disturbing films. As each reel spins its sinister tale, the characters find frightening parallels to their own lives. Starring Mickey Rourke, Richard Chamberlain and Adam Godley, directed by Alejandro Brugués (Juan of the Dead), Joe Dante (Gremlins), Mick Garris (The Stand miniseries), Ryûhei Kitamura (The Midnight Meat Train) and David Slade (Black Mirror: Bandersnatch). A SHUDDER EXCLUSIVE (Also available on Shudder Canada and Shudder UK).