The Nightmare
Gravitas Ventures | Release Date: June 5, 2015 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
68
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 18 Critic Reviews
Positive:
11
Mixed:
7
Negative:
0
Watch Now
Buy on
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Expand

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
91
IndieWireEric KohnMay 4, 2015
Cutting between various chilling anecdotes of sinister late night visions and horrifying reenactments, The Nightmare manages a tricky balance of visceral fright and sincere investigation. It's a rare non-fiction achievement that earns the ability to freak you out. Read full review
88
Slant MagazineChuck BowenMay 31, 2015
As in Rodney Ascher's previous film, Room 237, the subject of obsession is complemented by a despairing attempt to process it, corral it, and somehow conquer it. Read full review
80
The DissolveScott TobiasJun 4, 2015
With The Nightmare, Ascher abandons the strictures of a conventional documentary to frolic in the terrifying netherworlds of human consciousness. It’s not enough for Ascher, a sufferer himself, to tell his audience about sleep paralysis—they have to feel it, too. Read full review
80
The GuardianJordan HoffmanMay 4, 2015
More frightening (yet strangely entertaining) than most of today’s narrative horror films. Read full review
75
Miami HeraldRene RodriguezJun 11, 2015
That’s one of the great accomplishments of Ascher’s film: Intercutting his interviews with fictional recreations of what the subjects are describing allows you to see a version of what they saw, and you don’t need to believe any of it for The Nightmare to give you a major case of the creeps. Read full review
75
RogerEbert.comSheila O'MalleyJun 5, 2015
The Nightmare is more effective than the esoteric "Room 237" because it represents a full immersion into a common human experience. The re-enactments are superb. Read full review
75
The A.V. ClubMike D'AngeloJun 3, 2015
The human brain, this movie suggests, is the ultimate horror-movie director, and sleep-paralysis hallucinations are just an extreme form of the standard-issue nightmares we all unwillingly create on a regular basis. It’s one thing to be tormented. It’s another thing to face the grim reality that you’re tormenting yourself. Read full review
70
Arizona RepublicBill GoodykoontzJun 11, 2015
The Nightmare is a different kind of documentary, shelving the usual experts and talking heads for a more personal experience of the title subject. That's good and bad. Read full review
70
Village VoiceAlan ScherstuhlJun 2, 2015
Ascher sometimes indulges in jump scares, and there's one unconvincing burst of gore. At first, these horror techniques seemed to me a mistake, but his subjects themselves continually link their experiences to movies they've seen, especially Communion and A Nightmare on Elm Street. Read full review
70
VarietyJustin ChangMay 4, 2015
Whether it is the movies that have shaped our dreams or our dreams that have shaped the movies, it’s safe to assume that The Nightmare will find its place in that eternally recurring cycle. Read full review
63
Boston GlobeTy BurrJun 4, 2015
Less a straight doc than a psycho-cinematic inquiry into unknown territory, it’s really something to see. Whether it’s something to believe is another matter. Read full review
60
EmpireDavid HughesOct 6, 2015
While Ascher brings the experiences to life in a way that could conceivably induce nightmares in casual viewers, the potency of these scenes is ultimately diminished by repetition. Read full review
60
Time Out LondonTom HuddlestonOct 5, 2015
Ascher’s aim isn’t simply to inform. The Nightmare wants to be the first properly scary documentary, employing time-honoured horror movie techniques in a concerted effort to spook the viewer. But it’s here that Ascher slightly oversteps himself. Read full review
60
The Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeMay 4, 2015
Neither as frightening as a good horror flick nor as enlightening as a straight documentary, Rodney Ascher's The Nightmare borrows from both worlds in its depiction of the phenomenon known as sleep paralysis. Read full review
60
Screen DailyAnthony KaufmanMay 4, 2015
Ascher may be a better media analyst, or mythologist, than chronicler of the human condition. With The Nightmare’s foregrounding of the paranormal and refusal to acknowledge the psychological, the project sometimes feels disingenuous. Read full review
58
The PlaylistRodrigo PerezMay 4, 2015
The Nightmare can be deeply distressing and blood-curdling, and it can be a little silly, too. Read full review
50
Los Angeles TimesRobert AbeleJun 4, 2015
Ascher is too content to let repetition of experience take over his film. Read full review
50
The New York TimesBen KenigsbergJun 4, 2015
While "Room 237" sought evidence for its most outlandish conceits, The Nightmare declines to delve. As the testimonies grow repetitive, the strategy suggests willful ignorance. Read full review
More From This Movie

68 Critic Reviews

3.8 User Reviews

Details & Credits|Trailers

Current Movie Releases
By MetascoreBy User Score
1 81 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple
2 77 Project Hail Mary
3 75 Send Help
4 73 Hoppers
5 72 The Sheep Detectives
SEE ALL
Essential Links
New on Amazon Prime Video
New on Netflix
Coming Soon to DVD/Blu-ray
SEE ALL