Rodney Ascher's The Nightmare is a documentary film exploring the phenomenon know as Sleep Paralysis that follows eight different people who share their experiences. These individuals witness dream episodes where they are paralyzed in their beds, haunted by disturbing images and terrifying sounds. Even stranger, even though these eight different people have absolutely no connection to each other, they all share the same visions in seeing these "shadow men", creepy figures who stand over them in their visions, who have also been depicted around the world by various cultures, showing up in artwork and other historical texts. The quality of The Nightmare's dream sequences are what elevates the film, amplifying the terror and giving true gravitas to what the horror these individuals are experiencing feels like. Featuring extremely well photographed sequences that use expressive lighting to set the mood, Ascher effectively expresses what these people are going through, giving the viewer some semblance of that sense of dread and terror that these individuals can't escape from. Even more terrifying is simply how little modern science can explain the phenomenon of Sleep Paralysis, with many of these individuals fed up with their doctors or psychologists lack of explanation. In sharing time with these individuals, The Nightmare captures how each one of them attempts to justify what is happening, some looking into the supernatural realm for answers while others turn to religion. Perhaps what makes this documentary/horror film so creepy is the simple concept that there is no scientific answer to what exactly is going on with Sleep Paralysis, a phenomenon that is still torturing many people around the world to this day.
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AuthorLove of all things cinema brought me here. Archives
June 2023
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