Nightmares
(Giallo Films Screener Copy)
(2004)
review by Don't Feed the Dead

Darren Ward's short film "Nightmares" is nothing short of 11 minutes of excellence. Reliving the murders committed by a sociopath haunted by the spirits of his victims, Nightmares captivates the viewer with scenes of brutality without any sense of reasoning from its perpetrator.

 

As the nameless killer convincingly tells his stories, I could not help but notice how well a package I had in the DVD player. At first, Nightmares appears to be a series of brutal slayings with no rhyme or reason to them, rather, to expose the madness of one such individual. However, upon the end scene of the film, Ward ties his little nugget of horror into societal relevance. Violence, death, senseless murder - it's all around us at any given point. While all of these things are a given in society, the one radical in the equation is the individual and their motives. There is nothing "special" about the story the killer tells, rather it is the commonality of the issue at hand that becomes the pressing matter.

 

Nightmares, where it may have its shortcomings in providing a steady stream of entertainment as a feature film, could very well succeed as a mini series. The hauntings by the killer's victims could easily be broken down to tell a series of tales, each with their harrowing effect on the assailant. Hopefully, somebody will recognize Darren Ward and Giallo films for the virtual gold mine that Nightmares could evolve into. I for one, would definitely tune in to watch the ramblings of a madman. With shows like "Survivor", "Who's Your Daddy?" and "Big Brother" lighting up the ratings board, who's to say a little dose of "darker reality" couldn't succeed?