Nightmare Man (2006)

Director:

Rolfe Kanefsky

Writer:

Rolfe Kanefsky (writer)

Genre:

Horror | Thriller

Plot:

After receiving an African fertility mask as a gift Ellen tells her husband William that she's been...

Plot Keywords:

Nightmare | Woods | Mask | Paranoia | Demon

Cast

  (Credited cast)

Tiffany Shepis	...	Mia
Blythe Metz	...	Ellen
Luciano Szafir	...	William
James Ferris	...	Jack
Jack Sway	...	Ed
Hanna Putnam	...	Trinity
Robert Donavan	...	Dr. Evans
Richard Moll	...	Captain McCormac
Aaron Sherry	...	The Nightmare Man
Victor Kanefsky	...	Officer Val
Alice Glenn	...	Officer Kan
Gwen Davis	...	Officer Wendy Simmons

MPAA:

Rated R for horror violence, gore, some sexuality/nudity and language.

Runtime:

89 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Certification:

USA:R | UK:18 | Singapore:M18

Filming Locations:

Big Bear Lake, California, USA

Company:

Paradign Pictures

Goofs:

Continuity: The windows on both sides of the car are rolled up and then partway down, and back and forth many times, when they are driving to the asylum.

Quotes:

[Mia is loading a crossbow]
Trinity: What are you doing?
Mia: Uh... it's called protection.
Trinity: I meant before. Ed's "two girls" question?
Mia: [laughs] It's an inside joke. Don't worry. Nobody caught on. Unless, you told him.
Trinity: Never. Got it? Never.
Mia: That's what you said in college.
Trinity: Well... uh... this time I really mean it.

Movie Connections:

References The Exorcist (1973)

Much better than I expected but not for everyone

I have been looking forward to Nightmare Man ever since June of 2006, when I had the opportunity to meet Tiffany Shepis at Flashback Weekend in Chicago. She was honestly excited about it, and I found her enthusiasm infectious enough to check out this movie as one of the 8 Films to Die For.

She was right. I really enjoyed this movie. That is not to say that it is, well, really good. At it's core, this film is your classic "boobs and blood" b-movie. You have to go in accepting this. The script is flimsy at times, the dialog is openly bad at times, the characters act accordingly most of the time (few moments you'll ask yourself "is that REALLY the most reasonable reaction" but those moments are uncommon) but overall...I really liked it. What really makes the movie work is Kanefsky's ability to put the viewer in the scene. I haven't seen many films that capture the surroundings better than this one does. The scene at the edge of the road is phenomenal. I can tell you where every tree is in relation to the car. I could feel how far it was from the trunk of the car to the trunk of the really big tree off the rear passenger window. And I knew there wasn't much room for Ellen to move if (when) she needed to. The suspense created is fantastic, and that alone carries this movie. I will be seeking out Kanefsky's other films for that alone.

The acting is much better than I expected, Blythe Metz is a bit inconsistent, but when she's on she's really good. Tiffany Shepis does a good job, but the writing for her character is...confusing at best. Her reactions are not what you might expect to the events that unfold around her. Of the women in the movie, Hanna Putnam puts in the best performance, I hope to see her get some roles with more exposure. The male actors are not as impressive as this is really a movie that highlights the women for more than the obvious reasons. James Ferris is the best of the male actors, but I did like Jack Sway as Ed and Luciano Szafir with the exception of his accent getting in the way a little.

Overall, I do recommend this movie for those that like low-budget horror. I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. I hope you do to.