''Nightmare Cinema'' is a 2018 American horror anthology film featuring work by directors Alejandro Brugués, Joe Dante,

Mick Garris Mick Garris (born December 4, 1951) is an American filmmaker and screenwriter born in Santa Monica, California. He is best known for his work in the horror film genre, as well as making Stephen King adaptations. Early life Garris was born in Sant ...

, Ryūhei Kitamura, and

David Slade David Aldrin Slade (born 26 September 1969) is a British film and television director and actor. His works include the films ''Hard Candy'', ''30 Days of Night'' and '' The Twilight Saga: Eclipse''. Slade is also a director for television, dir ...

Plot

Five strangers converge at a haunted movie theater owned by The Projectionist (

Mickey Rourke Philip Andre "Mickey" Rourke Jr. (; born September 16, 1952) is an American actor and former boxer who has appeared primarily as a leading man in drama, action, and thriller films. During the star of the 1980s, Rourke played supporting roles i ...

). Once inside, the audience members witness a series of screenings that shows them their deepest fears and darkest secrets over five tales. * ''The Thing in the Woods'' (D: Alejandro Brugués), a postmodern sendup of slasher thrillers, involving a killer who is not what he seems. Starring Eric Nelsen, Sarah Withers, Kevin Fonteyne, and Chris Warren. * ''Mirari'' (D: Joe Dante), a woman with facial scars seeks plastic surgery at a sinister clinic. Starring

Richard Chamberlain George Richard Chamberlain (born March 31, 1934) is an American actor and singer, who became a teen idol in the title role of the television show '' Dr. Kildare'' (1961–1966). He subsequently appeared in several TV mini-series, such as ''Shō ...

, Zarah Mahler, Mark Grossman, and

Belinda Balaski Belinda Balaski (born December 8, 1947 in Inglewood, California) is an American actress. She is perhaps best known for her large supporting role as Terri Fisher in Joe Dante's ''The Howling'' (1981), and has continued to appear in most of Dan ...

. * ''Mashit'' (D: Ryūhei Kitamura), Catholic schoolgirls become possessed by a sex-crazed demon. Starring

Maurice Benard Maurice Benard (born March 1, 1963) is an American actor. In 1993, he was cast as Sonny Corinthos on the ABC soap opera ''General Hospital''. Early life and career Benard was born Mauricio José Morales in Martinez, California, the son of Mar ...

, Stephanie Cood, Calista Bess, and Mariela Garriga. * ''This Way to Egress'' (D: David Slade), a woman waiting for a doctor's appointment experiences disturbing shifts in reality. Starring

Elizabeth Reaser Elizabeth Ann Reaser (born July 2, 1975) is an American film, television, and stage actress. Her work includes the films ''Stay'', ''The Family Stone'', '' Sweet Land'', '' Against the Current'', '' The Twilight Saga'', ''Young Adult'', and '' Ou ...

Adam Godley Adam Godley (born 22 July 1964) is a British-American actor. He has been nominated for two Tony Awards and four Laurence Olivier Awards for his performances on the New York and London stages which include, ''Private Lives'' in 2001, ''The Pillo ...

Ezra Buzzington Ezra Buzzington is an American character actor in film and television. A figure in underground cinema, Buzzington is also the founder of the Seattle Fringe Festival and co-founder of the New York International Fringe Festival. Career With ov ...

, Bronwyn Merrill, and Patrick Wilson. * ''Dead'' (D: Mick Garris), an adolescent piano prodigy dies, is revived, and is under attack from supernatural forces. Starring Faly Rakotohavan,

Annabeth Gish Anne Elizabeth "Annabeth" Gish (born March 13, 1971) is an American actress. She has played roles in films ''Shag'', ''Hiding Out'', '' Mystic Pizza'', ''SLC Punk!'', ''The Last Supper'' and ''Double Jeopardy''. On television, she played Special ...

, Daryl C. Brown, Lexy Panterra, and Orson Chaplin.

Production

The project was announced in September 2017 with the five directors attached and Rourke as the storyteller. Filming took place in the United States in November and December 2017. Bruno Kohfield-Galeano provided his voice for an uncredited ADR loop group session and voiced Mr. Stitches and was also given special thanks in the credits.

Release

The film had its world premiere at the

Fantasia International Film Festival Fantasia International Film Festival (also known as Fantasia-fest, FanTasia, and Fant-Asia) is a film festival that has been based mainly in Montreal since its founding in 1996. Regularly held in July of each year, it is valued by both hardcore ...

in Canada on July 13, 2018. It received a limited release in the United States on June 21, 2019.

Reception

Critical response

On review aggregator

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

, ''Nightmare Cinema'' holds an approval rating of , based on reviews, and an average rating of . Its consensus reads, "Admirably eclectic yet more consistent than most horror anthologies, ''Nightmare Cinema'' should entertain viewers in the mood for a good old-fashioned creepshow." On

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...

, the film has a weighted average score of 59 out of 100, based on 8 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Dennis Harvey, writing for

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

, gave the film a favorable review and called it an "uneven but fun compendium of scare tales."

References

External links

* * {{Ryuhei Kitamura 2018 films 2018 horror films 2010s American films 2010s slasher films Alien invasions in films American black-and-white films American comedy horror films American horror anthology films American science fiction horror films American slasher films American splatter films American supernatural horror films Cinelou Films films Films about spiders Films directed by David Slade Films directed by Joe Dante Films directed by Mick Garris Films directed by Ryuhei Kitamura Films produced by Mick Garris Films set in a movie theatre Films scored by Richard Band Films with screenplays by Mick Garris Films with screenplays by Richard Christian Matheson Religious horror films Supernatural slasher films