COLLECTOR'S CRYPT - NIGHTMARE MAN (RONIN FLIX BLU RAY)

Keeping up with current entertainment often feels like a fool’s errand. Whether it be video games or movies, it seems that there just isn’t enough time in the day and week to catch up on all that comes out. Unless of course, you’ve somehow found a job that will pay you to do just that (my DMs are open). For most of us, we prioritize what we will watch that is new and what we will watch that isn’t. Often times backlogs stretch years and the mere thought of trying to tackle those long, unwatched lists is more anxiety-inducing than excitement-generating. This also means that we are more likely than not to miss things upon their initial release, and this phenomenon is not slowing down. With streaming services trying to win the “who can make the shortest story into the longest series” competition to keep butts in seats and eyes on screens, it’s no wonder that many horror fans defer to watching older films since it can be exhausting trying to keep up with what’s new. One such film that slipped through my personal cracks (insert joke about an ass here) is 2006’s NIGHTMARE MAN. Recently released on BLU RAY by RONIN FLIX, is this early 00s film buried treasure or hidden trash?

WHAT’S IT ABOUT?

After receiving a demonic African mask in the mail, Ellen Morris is attacked in her dreams by an evil being she calls 'Nightmare Man' and is labeled a paranoid schizophrenic by both her Doctor and her husband. Unsure if the demon is real or not, Ellen flees for her life the next she is brutally attacked and is taken in by a group of friends staying at a remote cabin in the woods.

HOW IS IT?

Some of you may remember this film from the now-defunct AFTERDARK HORRORFEST releases, as NIGHTMARE MAN was part of the second wave of films they released on DVD in 2007. While I don’t remember seeing it then, I’m certain that I’m not alone. Because if I wasn’t, there would be a lot more people talking about this film and it wouldn’t have needed this long to finally get onto blu ray. Like so many of the Afterdark films, it’s far from perfect, but it’s got more going for it than it should and I venture to guess that lots of horror fans out there would be remiss if they didn’t check it out.

Broadly speaking, NIGHTMARE MAN can best be described as a slasher, but it’s also not. The slasher sensibilities are certainly here and present, but the 180 the film does in the third act makes this something wholly different and also wholly familiar.  While I don’t want to go into spoilers, I will say this about-face is on par with something like FROM DUSK TIL DAWN. Before we get to this shift in narrative, the leading-up bits are all slasher tropes 101, but executed in a very effective way. The film kicks off with jarring cold open which is the impetus for all of the events that will unfold. One thing that I admire about NIGHTMARE MAN is that it doesn’t waste time. Right from the jump we get a solid opening, which barrels into some really great stalking scenes, all of which lead to a pretty breakneck speed of storytelling. At no point was I bored with what was happening and in spite of a limited budget there are some pretty great technical work and practical effects on display. All of this gives NIGHTMARE MAN a bit more polish than one might expect, and it’s helped by some familiar genre actors who know how to handle themselves in front of a camera.

While NIGHTMARE MAN stands out for its genre-shifting third act and better-than-expected presentation, it also suffers from some issues that may interfere with your enjoyment. For one, there is some overt sexuality in here that doesn’t always feel appropriate. I’m no prude, but there is zero point in having Ellen be naked so often and the “fake orgasm” scene serves no purpose aside from titillation. It’s the kind of thing you’d forgive in an 80s horror film due to the time period, whereas even in 2006 these elements distract from the horror and veer more into grindhouse exploitation. Alongside the sultry elements, if you don’t like slasher movies you’re gonna have a hard time mustering up the strength to get to the third act. While these slasher elements are good enough, they aren’t going to convince non-believers to take a walk on the slashy side. All in all, NIGHTMARE MAN is better than these faults because it does what good genre films do, play with your expectations.

HOW DOES IT LOOK?

NIGHTMARE MAN is presented in 1080p HD with a 1.78:1 widescreen aspect ratio. Considering the relative newness of the film, it doesn’t seem as if RONIN FLIX has done much to improve the picture quality. Considering the initial release was on DVD, it’s fair to say that at the very least this does look better than that, but it is unclear if there was additional work done aside from upscaling to HD. You can see images from the release used throughout this review and seen below:

HOW DOES IT SOUND?

Surprisingly, NIGHTMARE MAN comes to us with a DTS-HD 5.1 surround sound audio track. Frankly, it’s a lot better than I expected. The rear channels are used effectively to create mood in the forest while pinpointing voices at various spots to really immerse you in the effect. The score is solid and all the dialogue comes through clearly, but above all, there is an English subtitle track for the hearing impaired. I’ve said it before, and I’ll keep saying it, but every release should have subtitles as there is a large community of fans who are hard of hearing and subtitles makes films more accessible.

ANYTHING SPECIAL?

RONIN FLIX is not known for its special features like its peers ARROW VIDEO and SCREAM FACTORY, but NIGHTMARE MAN has a pretty stacked list of features! Some of these are old transfers from the previous DVD release, while there are two new features including a new Making-Of and a new Commentary track. For this review, I started with the new making-of documentary, There's Something Out There: The Making of Nightmare Man. This 25-minute featurette is comprised of interviews with the writer/director ROLFE KANEFSKY, producer ESTHER GOODSTEIN, and various members of the cast. This is pretty standard making-of-fare with a lot of the discussion focusing on how the film came to be, how they got the actors and some experiences from the set. Interestingly, NIGHTMARE MAN was filmed in Big Bear, CA about 2-hours away from Los Angeles. The cast got along quite well, although the actor who played Ellen was a bit more introverted which caused some confusion on set as to if she was mad, but no harm no foul as they say.

The second feature I watched was the other making-of from the original DVD release, Creating a Nightmare: The Making of Nightmare Man. This 22-minute feature is more of a behind-the-scenes type of fare where there isn’t any formal one-camera interviews, rather, a compilation of behind-the-scenes footage cobbled together showing everything from casting auditions to practical effects troubleshooting. One nice addition here is that some of the effects-laden scenes shown during production are intercut with the final product so you can see the before and the after. Still, this is mostly behind-the-scenes stuff and if that’s your bag you’ll get a lot out of it. A full list of special features is listed below:

• NEW There's Something Out There: The Making of Nightmare Man featurette including interviews with director Rolfe Kanefsky, actors Tiffany Shepis and Blythe Metz, and crew members Jeff Farley, Esther Goodstein, and Christian Farrel

• Creating a Nightmare: The Making of Nightmare Man

• Extended Scenes

• Tiffany's Behind-the-Scenes

• Flubbing a Nightmare Gag Reel

• Stills Gallery

• Promo Reel

• NEW Film Score Audio-Only Track

• Audio Commentary with director Rolfe Kanefsky

LAST RITES

NIGHTMARE MAN is a fun twist on the slasher formula that will delight both marginal and massive fans of the sub-genre. Through clever execution of well-worn tropes, a third act that flips the script, and a pacey movie that doesn’t waste any time NIGHTMARE MAN is a must buy to the adoring horror fans collection!

THE GORY DETAILS

Thank you to the fine fiends at MVD ENTERTAINMENT for providing a review copy of NIGHTMARE MAN for the crypt. NIGHTMARE MAN is available NOW via MVD DIRECT and RONIN FLIX DIRECT!

Stay up to date with “The Dark Side Of Pop Culture” by following MacabreDaily on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.