Ascher, the director behind "Room 237," uses all the skills in his directorial arsenal to recreate the dreams and visions suffered by 8 people in the film. In my mind, they were beautiful depictions of the truth, and on several occasions the hairs on my neck stood up from seeing something so accurate and close to the truth. Even while the maladies of these victims range widely from visions of light to genital mutilation, we can hear in their voices the resounding fear that it could happen again.
What I found most interesting was the theories surrounding the disorder and the hypothesis the film chose to pursue. As in "Room 237" (a documentary about "The Shining" that explores various hidden meanings and themes), the narrators here offer various clues and conflicting accounts that leave it up to the imagination of the audience to sort out. One woman claimed to have said "Jesus" and the demons left her forever. Another man began feeling physical pain during these episodes, and he forever left his Atheist views behind in favor of Christianity. Some choose to live with it, others see it as a more spiritual problem.
What are we ultimately led to believe? Surely there were no doctors or sleep experts interviewed so as not to contradict the testimonies of these individuals. Yes, it makes for a more compelling argument and undoubtedly a better horror movie overall. The film had me believing that these dreams I have could potentially be a deeper evil, and yet aren't there two sides to every coin? As a movie to scare the pants off you, "The Nightmare" might very well succeed in keeping you up a few extra hours with a nightlight on. As a film focusing on the physical causes and cures for such an unusual disorder, it's about as realistic as the Boogeyman.
(Awards potential: Best Sound Mixing, Best Sound Editing)
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