Ol’ Janet (Jennie Linden) is having a rough time at boarding school what with her constant screamin’ nightmares and all… but who could blame her, given that she saw her mother stab her father to death.
anyway, everyone is sick to their shit of being woke up at all other’s by J-Dawg’s banshee wail, so she is soon sent packing back to her opulent home where she will be cared for by Grace (Moira Redmond), a comely nurse hired by her currently-absent guardian Henry Baxter (David Knight).
Speaking of ol’ Hank, imagine how chagrinned he is when upon returning home he discovers that Janet has had a major psychotic break after believing she sees a woman in white roaming the halls of the house only to appear stabbed to death in the same bed her father died in!
Janet’s mental state worsens from there and before long it becomes impossible to tell fantasy from reality for our wayward heroine… which will have disastrous consequences for all around her!
Despite being released by Universal Pictures, Nightmare is Hammer film through and through… and not just because they actually produced it… but yeah, I guess that is the “hugest” part of it all…
Nightmare also happens to be a highly effective psychological thriller loaded to the rafters with Gothic atmosphere (that mansion alone boils n’ ghouls… ) with a unique double narrative courtesy of screenwriter Jimmy Sangster (1957’s The Curse of Frankenstein and 1958’s Dracula to name a few of the Hammer productions he has been associated with) that takes us through the plight of young Janet while the second half deals with the aftermath of those that meant to cause Janet harm.
The two storylines intertwine to deliver a truly satisfying mystery filled with all manner of creepy curveballs and suitably mounting suspense delivered with beautiful chiaroscuro black and white cinematographer courtesy of John Wilcox (The Evil of Frankenstein from the same year and studio) and some bold directorial strokes from Freddie Francis (who wouldn’t you know directed the aforementioned The Evil of Frankenstein). It’s a hell of a creative team, and they know their craft extremely well!
Thankfully, Scream Factory have included a nice selection of bonus material to enhance the excellent main event which kicks off with a fact-packed audio commentary from author/film historian Bruce Hallenbeck, followed by interviews with author/film historian Kim Newman and author/film historian Jonathan Rigby discussing the careers of those involved in the film’s production (and the unoriginality of it’s title) and the film’s place in Hammer history (as well as it’s place as a historical document) respectively.
Following that we get a duo of retrospectives on Nightmare featuring interviews with cast and crew, as well as an extended interview with Linden culled from the same), as well as a scholarly look at the film featuring interviews with film historians Rigby, Kevin Lyons, Alan Barnes, and John J. Johnson.
Lastly comes the film’s theatrical trailer and a stills gallery.
Comprised of a thrilling double narrative and loads of style, Nightmare is a criminally underrated entry in Hammer’s vast horror catalog and should be scooped up immediately by fans of the sinister studio!
