Nightmare: Collector's Edition - Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

Nightmare: Collector's Edition



Movie:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score:


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Movie
Last but not least, in Scream Factory’s mission to upgrade all 8 of the Universal Hammer Horror: 8-Film Collection we get one of the best of the bunch. Last effort was with Paranoiac, and finally we get the psychological thriller Nightmare. Creepy, twisted, and a devilishly good ending, Nightmare is one of my favorite classics to revisit now and again. Scream has given us a nice new 2K remaster from the interpositive, LOADS of extras on board to dig through, and nice new cover are (with the reversible original cover on the inside).

Janet (Jennie Linden) has suffered a lot over the years. As a child she witnessed her mother going fully insane and stabbing her father to death, and now she’s overcome with fear that she may have “inherited” her mother’s genetic tendency towards insanity. Her fear has driver herself to the brink, and Janet is now forced to take herself out of primary school and come back to her guardian Henry (David Knight) and his country home to rest and recoup. Henry has already known about her mental instabilities for a while now, and has hired a nurse named Grace (Moira Redmond) to pretend to be a house guest in order for her to take care of and keep an eye on Janet.

At first everything seems to be OK, but then Janet starts to see things, hear things, and before long the young girl begins to actually doubt her own mind. A tendency that will only grow deeper and deeper as her own wits are challenged by what she’s seeing. Not to spoil anything else in the movie, but it’s pretty obvious from the get go that it’s a case of real life gas lighting (not to be confused with the modern usage which has lost the original intent), and one that works out in favor of Henry and Grace. However, the movie’s not over yet and there’s more than a few secrets hidden away in the old house to eat away and Grace and Henry’s devious plan to turn Janet into the asylum.

Nightmare is a bit overlooked on the Hammer Horror lineup as it’s not as hammy and cheesy as the Dracula films, or the monster movies that made Hammer so popular. It’s a psychological thriller with a bite that plays much more serious. Kind of like Paranoiac, it’s more intense, and a movie with some actual stakes. The film doesn’t exactly try to steer you away from the fact that the entire premise is based upon manipulative gas lighting, and the audience catches on to that aspect of the narrative really quickly. However, the second half of the film is a delightful rubber band on the first half, snapping back with a vengeance and leaving a satisfied smile on the viewer’s face after some good old fashioned vigilante justice is performed.

The cast is all around good, with Moira really standing out later on in the film as she descends into the mouth of madness. She truly sells the role of a woman slowly going mad, even more than Jennie Linden did as Janet. It’s a fun flick and an entertaining watch, even though the actual twists and turns are pretty obvious for those of us who have been watching horror movies for a long time.




Rating:

Not Rated by the MPAA




Video:

The new 2K remaster looks pretty solid as well, boasting better black levels than the older Universal disc from the 8 film set, as well as seems to be a little nicer on the detail levels. There’s still some vertical lines and some speckles on the print, but detail levels are nice and strong with great facial tones and a very natural look. The white snow near the beginning of the movie is jaw dropping, with a clean and clear look that makes it feel as if the movie could have been shot yesterday. There’s a few grain spikes and soft looking shots inside the manor, but overall this is a pretty impressive looking disc.











Audio:

The 2.0 Mono DTS-HD MA lossless track is great for what it is. A simple mix that really only deals with dialog and the crescendos of the score. There’s not a whole lot of atmosphere outside of the score, and the dialog is generally spot on except for some harshness on the upper registers. A simple mix, but an effective one that fits replicates the theatrical mix quite well.












Extras:

• NEW 2K RESTORATION OF THE FILM from the interpositive
• NEW audio commentary with film historian Bruce Hallenbeck
• NEW Sleepless Nights – an interview with author/film historian Kim Newman
• NEW Slice and Fright – an interview with author/film historian Jonathan Rigby
• NEW Reliving the Nightmare – including interviews with actress Julie Samuel, continuity person Pauline Wise and focus puller Geoff Glover
• Nightmare …in the Making – including interviews with actress Jennie Linden, writer Jimmy Sangster and art director Don Mingaye, hosted by author Wayne Kinsey
• Jennie Linden Remembers – the full interview with actress Jennie Linden
• Madhouse: Inside Hammer's NIGHTMARE featuring interviews with film historians Jonathan Rigby, Kevin Lyons, Alan Barnes and John J. Johnson
• Theatrical Trailer
• Still Gallery

Final Score: ​

Nightmare is one of Hammer films more “adult” horror movies, forgoing all of the theater and monster movie madness hamminess to go for a classic revenge psychological thriller. It’s a bit twisted, more than a bit simple, but a lot of fun. Scream Factory has also done a good job with the new remaster and really packed in the extras this time. Easily outclasses the old Hammer Horror 8 film collection by a country mile, although it probably costs a bit more to recollect all 8 as individual releases. Fun Watch.


Technical Specifications:

Starring: David Knight, Moira Redmond, Jennie Linden, Brenda Bruce, George A. Cooper
Directed by: Freddie Francis
Written by: Jimmy Sangster
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 AVC
Audio: English: DTS-HD MA 2.0 Mono
Subtitles: English SDH
Studio: Scream Factory
Rated: NR
Runtime: 83 minutes
Blu-Ray Release Date: March 15th, 2022

Recommendation: Fun Watch

 

[Asere]

Thanks for the review. I will watch this one.

 

[tripplej]

Thanks for the review as well. I never heard of this but will look for it as well.