“All of the darkness looks alive.” A Review Rodney Ascher’s “The Nightmare” Documentary.
While the idea of watching a documentary about sleep paralysis doesn’t seem that thrilling, Rodney Ascher has the ability to capture each sufferers moment of horror and somehow bring it to life for the viewer in his newest film,“The Nightmare.” Now, horror documentaries have a tendency to turn into mocumentaries, often spoofing classic horror films, however, this is not the case. “The Nightmare,” concentrates on 8 separate individuals, men and woman from all walks of life, all across the globe, who suffer from similar episodes of phenomenon known as sleep paralysis. While most modern day horror films are pure movie magic, these are REAL subjects, these are their REAL lives, REAL encounters, REAL experiences. Each interviewee shares multiple episodes throughout the film and while the victim is sharing their story, the film cuts back and forth to reenactments. These reenactments themselves are terrifying, and it is very clear form the first episode that Ascher does not want you to feel
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