I applaud the idea behind “The Nightmare Collection Vol. 1” DVD. Enigma
Films and Creature-Corner.com have taken five short horror films from indie filmmakers and have presented them in a neat little package loaded with extras, which includes a comic book about Necro Nancy (Krista Grotte), the host of the series. Horror directors who are independent and work in the realm of the short film don’t really have a decent way to get their films out there, so this is a welcome relief to those who want to see their work.
Of the five films presented, the two that stand out the most are
“My Skin,” which is an artistic look at Death (Tony Simmons), and
“Don’t Worry, It’s Only Your Imagination,” an overly long, moody piece about creepy things lingering in the darkness. Those two films make this worth checking out. The other three (“Bad Company,” “The Wretched” and “Monster”) leave a little less to be desired.
Of those three films, “Monster” is the most disappointing. It’s a modern re-telling of the Frankenstein tale … sorta. While it has moments approaching grindhouse greatness, the over-the-top acting, which often substitutes attitude for emotion, and poor direction ruin any kind of fright this could have delivered. It’s stereotypical in all the worst ways and makes me wish the people behind this anthology project would have sought out something a bit better.
All that aside, this is still a worthy endeavor to support, though the casual horror viewer is not going to appreciate it on any kind of level. This is strictly for horror fiends who wish the genre would be given more respect. “Monster,” however, will make them understand why that will never happen.
