Horror fans shouldn’t sleep on ‘Nightmare Cinema’
Though more gory than truly scary, anthology chills with solid stories
Horror-anthology films are having a tremendous renaissance. Between big events such as André Øvredal’s upcoming “Scary Stories to Tell in the
Dark” and more indie fare such as “Ghost Stories,” it’s good to see the format kick out of the grave a bit. In that vein, “Nightmare Cinema,” opening Sunday at the Alamo Drafthouse LaCenterra in Katy for a very limited, late-night engagement, is a solid addition to the genre.
The wraparound tale is that of a haunted movie palace that lures in passersby and shows them films that lay their terrors and deaths to light. Mickey Rourke plays the mysterious projectionist — a sort of drunken, shirtless, classic Hollywood crypt keeper — with surreal zealotry. I’m almost certain he wasn’t cast in this film so much as was just there haunting the premises.
By far the masterpiece of the five-story collection is David Slade’s “This Way to Egress.” It’s exactly the sort of mind-bending creeper you’d expect from the director of “Black Mirror: Bandersnatch” and “Hard Candy.” It centers on Helen (Elizabeth Reaser), who begins experiencing profound hallucinations and is convinced it is a sign of a worsening mental illness. She attempts to see her doctor but, along the way, the world around her dissolves into a filthy, hellish dystopia populated by monstrous people.
The beauty of the anthology format is how it allows concepts that would probably not be able to sustain a feature-length film to be lean and razor sharp. That’s what “Egress” is. Helen’s descent into a kind of “Silent Hill” shadow world is stark and terrifying, despite her being in what appears to be no real danger for most of it. Slade is a master of small touches.
The pistol in Helen’s purse, for instance, has a tip that appears blistered and infected. It pulses in Helen’s hand like a marshmallow in the microwave and contributes heavily to the vileness of the scenario.
The rest of the stories are never quite as effective, though all of them are chilling in their own ways. The film starts with Alejandro Brugués’ “The Thing in the Woods” with barely a preamble. It’s refreshing to see an anthology film dive in that fast and hard. “Woods” is an almost laughably camp slasher romp. Like Drew Goddard’s “Cabin in the Woods,” it takes its genre and unexpectedly turns it on its head. Brugués brings the ridiculousness in spades but lacks a bit of Goddard’s scope. Still, it’s a fast-paced, gory way to get the blood pumping.
Of all the performances in the film, Faly Rakotohavana (“The Mick”) is the MVP. In Mick Garris’ “Dead,” the young actor portrays a piano prodigy whose triumphant recital ends in a murderous tragedy. Afterward, he is trapped at a hospital where the dead refuse to leave.
Of all the shorts, this is the one that has the most potential for a full film. Rakotohavana is a rare talent who balances teen earnestness with just enough attitude to make you root for him all the way. His story is almost more of an adventure than just a scary yarn. Even the mysterious projectionist roots for him.
A body-horror tale about plastic surgery and a classic story about demonic possession in a Catholic school round out the collection. They’re good enough for a squeamish turn, though they mostly work thanks to exemplary performances by television legends Richard Chamberlain and Maurice Benard.
The biggest problem is that there just isn’t a whole lot left to say that hasn’t already been said in those sub-genres. The possession story in “Mashit” does transcend in places thanks to terrifying special effects and the over-the-top spectacle of Benard, aka Sonny Corinthos from the daytime soap “General Hospital,” sword-fighting his way through demon children.
Overall, “Nightmare Cinema” is more stomach-turning than truly frightening, but thanks to the obvious love and care put into it, it’s worth seeing.