Nightmare Man

The quick and dirty version of this movie without any spoilers - it changes the type of movie it's trying to be too many times! The problem with movies that do that is they don't do any one right. Good slashers stick with something - suspense, believability, etc. and run with it. The five is because it does entertain the viewer, but the acting is average and the movie does not give you something to think about after the credits role. Bottom line for those deciding whether or not to watch this movie - if you're hinging an evening on this flick, skip it. If it's a rainy day and there is quite nothing else to do, crack open that bottle of cognac and half of your attention will suffice to get the full value of this one.

After ordering an African mask (from Italy?) that promises increased fertility, Ellen (Blythe Metz) begins to experience demonic visions of a 'Nightmare Man' attacking her. To help rid her of these horrible visions, Ellen's flaccid husband, William (Luciano Szafir), takes her to a health clinic. En route, the couple's car breaks down and Ellen is attacked by the Nightmare Man yet again. Fleeing, she takes shelter in a lone cabin with a group of strangers. The unstoppable Nightmare Man, however, continues his attack on the group of Ellen's protectors. The batch in After Dark Horrorfest 2006 was a disappointment and I heard the same about this 2007's as well. Regardless of my disappointment in them, however, the films always did have a couple things going for them: they're original (mostly) and they have cool one-sheets. Other than a rare couple, I haven't seen any of the fest-horrors that I'd consider to be of any quality. Nightmare Man looked promising. . . again, creative story and a cool poster. Unfortunately, the actual film fell flat due to extremely poor execution by writer/director Rolfe Kanefsky. It wasn't COMPLETELY bad: The Nightmare Man was pretty cool-looking, even though he looked like Howie Mandel in Little Monsters ("Got 'em, got 'em, need 'em, got 'em"). And, again, the story was interesting. There were a few scenes of some very good tension & suspense. Also, a bit of gore & violence helped it along, though the gore wasn't very well done. The dialogue was in a league of its own of horrible and it was made even worse by some terrible performances by the leads (I understand and advocate the hiring of international actors, but c'mon, I could barely understand the husband). The script was jammed with clichés. Over the course of a two-minute period: The arguing couple's car runs out of gas, she accuses him, the phone gets no reception, no cars on the road for 'eighty miles,' 'Oh wait! I saw a gas station sign!,' the husband leaves the wife alone in the dark in the middle of the woods, etc. Yikes! I thought my head would explode out of lack of creativity there. The predictability of the ending is pathetic and, in an attempt to eliminate the predictability, gets even MORE predictable and downright stupid. And, it all comes together to make an ultimately crappy modern horror film. Final verdict: 3/10. PASS!

Woman who may or may not be crazy has dreams about a demon called the nightmare man. It takes its form from a fertility mask and when she's left alone by her husband when they run out of gas the demon comes after her and chases her to a house in the woods. Awful just really awful. This was part of the after dark horror festival for this year and I'm shocked. Somewhere a while back I thought I saw on TV or in a horror fest or something(months and months and months ago) and I started it and hated it or at least disliked it enough to shut it off early on or walk out, this time unfortunately, as part of the After Dark festival, I suffered almost to the end. How this ended up in After Dark after that is beyond me. Its terrible. No one seems to be able to act which isn't entirely the casts fault since the direction is pretty poor. This reminded me of some really dreadful horror films from the early 1980's and late 1970's as the drive in films were dying. I'm talking films where Lawanda Paige was comic relief and big breasted "stars" took off their tops. You know a movie is bad when all I can say nice about it is that the women look good and some of them disrobe. I hope I never sit through this a third time.

A woman is haunted by a "nightmare man" who fills her dreams with terror. When her medication runs out, Nightmare Man seemingly escapes her subconscious and enters the physical world. Hiding out in a secluded cottage (along with Tiffany Shepis and friends), she tries to stop the monster, but carnage ensues... can the beast be stopped without hurting the woman who carries him? I really wanted to see this film for the Tiffany Shepis acting (and nudity) as well as the Rolfe Kanefsky writing and directing. Full disclosure: as part of my work as a reviewer, I have talked with both Tiffany and Rolfe and continue to exchange mail with Rolfe on occasion. So I'm a little biased, and I was more than eager to see this film (which in all honesty should have been released over a year ago). What we have here is Kanefsky's trademarks. Good-looking girls in various stages of undress, holding rather large weapons (in this case a rifle and a crossbow). There's some sexual suggestive situations ("erotic truth or dare") and a killer demon on the loose. Unlike "The Hazing" with the excessive "Evil Dead" references, this one seems largely unique. I've heard it compared to "The Exorcist" (which is an amazing stretch), and there is one subtle and one not to subtle reference to Kanefsky's earlier film "There's Nothing Out There". What is bothersome about Rolfe's movies is how he has big ideas but small budgets. His writing is much better than the average horror writer's and his directing is quite exquisite (as my friend Hannah keenly pointed out, he has that 1980s sense of where to put the camera while chasing a girl through the woods). And his special effects and gore are pretty decent. Even the acting is above average (Shepis in particular, but no one here was lacking -- which is more than I can say about other, "bigger" films). This comes off as bothersome because if you're a film snob or don't have the patience for lower budget films, you'll be really turned off my the film quality. I don't know film grades (35mm? Super 8? These terms are familiar to me but unclear at the same time), so I can't say what he uses, but it does give the air of less than the Hollywood standard. Which, in turn, screams "amateur" to some people, despite Rolfe being quite the veteran of film and horror in particular. His "Hazing" makes him well-known in the cult circles -- he's without a doubt the biggest director in the 2007 After Dark Horrorfest lineup. So anyway, the film is enjoyable if you don't mind that. Good death scenes, plenty of dry humor, some butts and breasts for the guys to enjoy. Blood, blood, blood (and even a little gore and pieces of dangling flesh). The pacing is good. I found some parts too slow or too long, but Hannah says the suspense was really well done compared to films her and I have seen lately, so I suppose it depends what pace you're ready for. Maybe I needed a beer (Regal Cinemas is lacking in the booze department). Of the four films I've seen so far this year, I'm ranking "Nightmare Man" my second favorite (behind "Tooth and Nail"). It's worth seeing in the theater if you can get there, or otherwise I sincerely hope you make it a top renting priority when it comes out. Throw on a few special features on the DVD and this may even be worth owning (a commentary track, Rolfe? Could you do that for us?). But yeah, I give this one two thumbs up (assuming Hannah allows me to borrow her thumb).

this was a pretty decent little low budget horror flick,, reminds you of the b movies of the 70's and 80's. a woman convinced by her husband is going to be checked into a mental hospital for her visions of the Nightmare Man.. she gets a mask from Rome, apparently she thinks it's the wrong mask and wants to ship it off the next morning,, apparently she think that this mask is supposed to be like a fertility drug or something,, something to help her husband get it up.. the car breaks down , husband leaves to get gas, doesn't return,, this is where the fun starts,, Nightmare Man comes after her, and she manager to get to a cabin with a bunch of other people who have their own little issues. that's as far as i wanna go with what happens in the movie.. Tiffany Schepis is by far the freshest newest hottie in town,, she ought be in a lot more movies,, she can act.. and her eye candy is unbelievable. this is a pretty decent film for such a low budget..

Wow, this movie was downright bad. From the acting to the score to the screenplay to the direction, just downright bad. I think the writer didn't realize that fertility deals with procreation, not libido. The biggest problem with this movie is apparent from the get-go. Generally in movies you pull for a hero, whether them likely or not. Films have protagonists and the audience is supposed to like or care for them depending on the context. In order for this film to work, we have to truly care for the well-being and safety of said protagonist. The character is terribly written; she's whiny, bitchy, and full of inconsistency. The actress makes it worse. She's just terrible. Literally unbelievably bad. The plot is weak, and the "twist" is seen miles away. Very obvious, yet it doesn't make much sense. The minor characters are fluff at best, and the "being" is hilarious. It isn't one of those, "so bad it's good" things, you actually find yourself forcing laughter at just how terrible this is. The score reminds me of shaking uncontrollably in a cold sweat. It's uncomfortable, annoying and headache-inducing. All in all, this movie is only worth a viewing if you're attempting to show someone how NOT to make a film. You could point out plot, screenplay, direction, cinematography, acting, characters, score, visuals, et cetera. There are times we are all tempted to watch something so horrible, we get chuckles. This is NOT that film. Just stay away if you know what's good for you.

8 Films to Die for...I've had it with you. One stinker after another. Oh, yeah, there were a few decent movies (Grave Dancers, Unrest)but that has changed. One horribly bad bomb after another. Again, money well spent on DVD cover art and fake four star reviews and that's it!! The production values on this stinker didn't even meet that of a * movie's. The women cast members were strictly placed in it for T & A reasons. The guy who played the husband must of had something to do with financing this movie, because there was no other reason for him to be in it. He had the range of a plastic action figure. I will make a solemn promise, to never, ever, buy or rent another 8 Films to Die For flick. To me, they have reached the point of no return (like Full Moon.) Shame on them.

Nightmare Man starts as Bill (Luciano Szafir) is driving his wife Ellen (Blythe Metz) cross country to a mental institute, apparently Ellen thinks she's possessed by some sort of demon from an Afican tribal wood carved face mask, obviously she isn't & that's why she's on her way to a loony bin. However en-route the car runs out of petrol in the middle of nowhere, Bill sets off on foot to find a petrol station while Ellen stays behind in the car. It turns out though Ellen may not be as mad as originally anticipated as the Nightmare Man (Aaron Sherry) becomes a living reality that wants to kill her, she runs away into some wood where she stumbles upon a log cabin with four friends inside who all become potential victims for the Nightmare Man... Written, produced & directed by Rolfe Kanefsky this low budget teen slasher isn't quite as bad as I had feared & isn't too bad if you have low enough expectations. The script obviously takes it inspiration from the self conscious Scream (1996) & it's imitators, this is a basic teen slasher & to be honest it doesn't really try to be anything else. Sure there are a couple of average twists in the story to liven things up a bit but at heart this is just a slasher. To be positive at least it moves along at a nice enough pace, there might have been a couple more murders but I wasn't bored with it, the character's are actually a lot better than I thought with reasonable decision making like actively trying to stick together & deciding not to go out in the woods alone or split up which is a nice change & generally speaking I thought it was a painless if undemanding & forgettable enough way to pass 90 odd minutes. The other thing that I liked about this film is Tiffany Shepis who I have seen in several other low budget horror films but didn't particularly know her in the sense if I saw a picture of her I wouldn't recognise her, here though she's probably the best thing about Nightmare Man as she runs around in her extremely mini skirt & boots holding a huge hunting rifle spouting mildly amusing one-liners, hey I'm easily pleased OK? Director Kanefsky does alright on a low budget but it's not stylish & it all rather flat & bland. I've just realised that I've seen every horror film Kanefsky has directed to this point (lucky me, not), The Hazing (2004) which is pretty good, Corpses (2004) which is not so good, Jacqueline Hyde (2006) which is terrible & this which is OK. There's no scares, the twists aren't entirely successful or surprising, there's not much tension & no atmosphere but nothings perfect I suppose. Horror fans will also be able to spot the blatant The Evil Dead (1982) homage. There's not much gore here, an arrow fired into someones mouth, a knife stuck under someones chin & a bit of blood splatter & not much else. Withn a supposed budget of about $250,000 this is as well made as you could expect, it's certainly glossier & nicer looking than many low budget straight-to-video/DVD horror film crap that's out there. As I said Tiffany Shepis is the best thing about Nightmare Man, she's a really hot looking chick with a great body & she actually gives a decent performance here which I'm sure no one was expecting to hear. The rest of the cast do OK & all of the girls find themselves in some degree of undress at one point or another. Nightmare Man isn't anything particularly special, in fact it's nothing more than OK but even that's still a hell of a lot better than I was expecting. Worth a watch for horror fans who have to see everything & anything but other more casual viewers out there may not be that impressed.

Well, I've seen some movies from "After Dark Horrorfest" and over all, they've been pretty good. This title is not one of them. To summarize it: the worst move I've ever seen. Bad effects, worse script and even worse acting. I don't know whether I should burst out laughing or burst out in tears because of the bad acting. There's no commitment from the actors to their respective roles. They're just reading their lines and scream a little. Something that also makes me hate this movie is, as I've said, the bad effects. You can clearly see that this is a low budget movie. Personally, I love low budget movies and they can be pretty amusing and it's okay if the effects aren't the best, but hey.. at least try to make it look good. On the other hand, it was scary from time to time and it definitely gave me some shocks. Overall, I wouldn't recommend this to anyone really, except to a person that's really (and I mean really) bored. Other than that, a total waste of time.

I had heard some good things about this Horrorfest film so I decided to give it a shot. I had fun with some parts of it but it's mostly an annoying, typical slasher mess. This is the only film of the 2007 Horrorfest I've seen but I'll probably be checking out the others as well. Though, they're usually pretty bad, to be honest. The acting was okay, I guess but Tiffany Shepis' character was so extremely annoying that her performance alone could have ruined the whole movie. However, a lot of things did. The script is terrible, I am so tired of "trapped in a cabin in the middle of the woods with a killer on the loose" films. There was also very little suspense whatsoever. One thing I liked was the blood, it seems like a throw back to low budget horror of the 70's and 80's and that made me happy. Unfortunately, it was pretty much the only thing. If you decide to see this, see it for the blood alone and expect nothing else. It truly is a tedious film that does absolutely nothing we haven't seen a million times before.