Customer Reviews

The Nightmare Collection

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4 star:		(2)
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After I reviewed 'Fangoria's Blood Drive' DVD short collection I got some crap from people saying I didn't know what I was talking about, well here's my freaking proof! Enigma Films and Creature-Corner got together to bring you GOOD horror shorts on a DVD collection called The Nightmare Collection that will actually make you feel proud that you spent your hard earned money on it.

In my review for 'Fangoria's Blood Drive' I pointed out that there were so many good horror shorts out there, that I didn't know why in gods name they chose what they chose. One example I gave was My Skin (review), which I said deserved to be on a DVD of that caliber. Well guess what? 'My Skin' is the first short on the 'Nightmare Collection'- what a great way to kick off five shorts! In the short film 'My skin,' which runs about 12 minutes, Death flies in to collect the soul of a murdered young woman, but first takes revenge on her killer. After replacing all of the incriminating evidence - the bullets, the smoking gun, even the murderer's fingerprints - Death takes a moment to place a very special phone call. Here the supernatural vengeance truly begins. You can read my review of the film at the link above, there's no point in typing it again.

The next three films were OK, but it's worth the wait because the fifth is mega-awesome! The second film was called Monster and it was a modern day retelling of the 'Frankenstein' legend. I wasn't a huge fan of the short as a whole, I was bored during most of it, but I enjoyed the jack-assy fun over-acting. I hope it was their intention, because it's great! The Frankenstein monsters FX were done really well, and there is a decent amount of blood for you gore hounds out there.

The third film was called Bad Company, which was about two psychopaths on the road killing people. They stop a guy in the road and highjack his car- and of course there's a twist, which if you can't figure out, then you don't watch enough horror movies. This was my least fav of the five movies because of its lack of creativity, but once again I enjoyed the acting performances. The movie is cut and dry and when it was over, it didn't do much of anything for me.

The Wretched was the fourth short, which went by incredibly fast. This short was more art than film, as a man awakens in a prison and tries to escape while flashbacks tell the story of how he got there. The FX was astounding for an independent film, but there was little to no dialogue and it's pretty boring. The twist at the end was cool, but not cool enough to make me want to ever watch it again.

Which brings me to Don't Worry, it's Only Your Imagination, which was by far the most damn cool horror short I've seen in a long time- even though it wasn't that short. 'Don't Worry' follows a repair man for a group of houses who is sent to one in order to clean up after a grizzly death. There's mold everywhere and the stench of dirt- and of course death. We find out that the same repairman found the dead body of the man who died there and he really doesn't want to stick around. Weird 'clues' start popping up about his death as he cleans and he gets stuck at the house while a storm strikes. As these clues build up, he starts hallucinating and getting really scared of the dark. The reasons he is so scared is apparent when you see the film. So when he freaks out and wants to leave the house he can't because it's pitch black outside and there's light in the house. The story evolves slowly, but perfectly, as it builds character and creates the perfect environment for some serious scares. The FX work on this movie kicks major ass as well and the fact that the short was shot in black and white just adds to the eeriness of it all (I'm a sucker for black and white films). The conclusion was a given once the structure was set, but when you've got such great build and environment, who gives a fu*&?

Between 'Don't Worry' and 'My Skin' there is no reason why you shouldn't pick this up, I can't wait to show my friends 'Don't Worry' because it was so rad. The DVD is loaded with extras, but nothing really worth watching and Necro Nancy's introductions were kind of ultra-cheesy, but so was the DVD. I would highly recommend picking this up if you've got some cash to spare, it beats wasting your money on some of those craptacular big budget Hollywood movies.

- Bloody Disgusting

THE NIGHTMARE COLLECTION features 5 Horror films as produced by indie filmmakers. As one can occasionally find some real gems in short collections, I decided to check this one out. Please refer to the first Amazon review by Enigma Rick, as he provides a synopsis for all 5 films as well as some thoughtful commentaries. For reasons of brevity I won't review the first 4 films as they are marginal at best. Been there done that. Not much there for the connoisseur, except for perhaps, MY SKIN. Further, the shorts are hosted by a dead chick known as Necro Nancy, who unfortunately came across as wooden and campy. She is featured on the box art, however, the menu page depicts her with green rot on her face. This is far more "attractive", (sorry Nancy), and the producers should have pursued that look. After all, do we really need another Elvira? I like Elvira, but lets notch it up and take it to the next step. I think Enigma Films should capitalize on the Zombie Pin Up Girls craze that is infecting the Haunt and Horror community and play that angle. What Horror fan would say no to a Host dead chick sporting chunks of flesh falling from her face? Not me! So Nancy, get some serious rot happening for volume 2. But I digress... This collection is noteworthy for the final entry, DON'T WORRY IT'S ONLY YOUR IMAGINATION. DW is by far the best film in this series and perhaps the best Horror short that I have seen. As it's run time is approximately 1 hour, it is arguably not really a short film, and thankfully I never caught myself watching the clock. I was, however, sorry when it was over as I could not get enough of this film. DW is shot in glorious black and white and grabs you right from the get go. That continues as it is one of those rare films that draws you in and makes you feel as though you are part of the action. DW is about a handyman who is cleaning up a house where a death had occurred. As night closes in and the rain comes, he spends the night alone, and soon discovers that he is being stalked by the "dark ones", cadaverous demons who hide in the shadows. The handyman must now survive the night or join their ranks before dawn. Enough said, though I must note that the camera work, composition, editing and sound were superb and they all worked to set the mood of the picture. The music and synth effects were great even though I had my doubts when the credits rolled. The "scoring", if I may use that term, really added to the somber mood of the picture. There are no brain dead oversexed teens or hackneyed black comedy in this one. There is no T & A. That's right kiddies, this is a true Horror film and it stands heads and shoulders above the junk that other filmmakers have thrust at us for many years. The atmosphere is highly charged with dark, foreboding and extremely oppressive imagery. The stone gargoyle whose face turns into a menacing grimace, as if to say; "Gotcha!", is but one of many examples. The build up is deftly handled as the handyman finds clues as what the deceased owner of the house dabbled in and how it may have been involved in his death. There is a library of occult books, a strange video tape, mysterious photos that appear to show the undead and a series of drugs which may also play a sinister role. Yep, there are ghosts and demons, and the FX are for the most part excellent. The gruesome body forms were top notch and the jump scares were well timed and not of the gratuitous variety, (they scare you even on repeated viewings!). Zombie filmmakers take note and study the appearance of these gruesome gems. Now that is my kind of rot! Actually, Zombie aficionados would also take to this outing though it is NOT a Zombie film. Overall the props were great, though perhaps a couple of shots revealed too much and may have best been left on the cutting room floor, though the dark, black and white grainy photography added to the effect and atmosphere. The acting was also competent and I found myself wanting more of the videotaped monologues of the deceased owner who provided warnings as to what lurked in the shadows. Cripes, I could go on but check this one out. Yeah it is low budget (thanks to Dad, etc. in the credits), but my oh my was it well done! Despite the usual shortcomings, this film did it's job because it is scary! My rating is strictly for this film and it deserves a solid 4 stars. I am looking forward to volume 2 which is said to be in production. Volume #1 is Highly recommended!