The Worst Film Ever

So much average

Good story, Not enough for a whole film

Best movie ever!

It seems that After Dark decided to distribute a film that was in that "so bad it's funny" category, worthy of MST3K-style commentary throughout. In fact, that's really the only way I'd recommend watching this film, because anything else will lead to utter disappointment. This movie starts off featuring Ellen, a woman who receives an African mask of a fertility deity she ordered to help her and her husband with their sex life, only it looks nothing like what she expected—a all-too- classic devil/demon looking face, which she insists leads to an actual demon taking over her body and mind (and haunting her dreams). Her husband, Bill (an Antonio Banderas knock-off), is driving her to have her committed to a mental hospital, when the car runs out of gas in a remote location. He goes off to get more gas, leaving her alone to see that this demon is in the woods where the car stalled and is actually after her. It pursues her to a house where four young adults are having a small party, and people start dying.There's so much I wasn't expecting from this film (due to the level of professional cinema making I've come to expect from the movies distributed by After Dark) that I was already disappointed three minutes in. The camera quality is no better than a mid-grade porno and the acting and scriptwriting are no better. There's pretty much no exposition whatsoever—no character building to see Ellen's decline from a simple married woman to a possessed psychotic/schizophrenic, so don't expect to feel any sort of connection or sympathy for her...or any other character, for that matter. The editing, the blood-and-gore effects, the music—it's all pretty cheap. Even the demon mask itself looks like a cheap plastic mask you could find in any Halloween or general costume shop with a "Made in Taiwan" sticker on the back.Even the "twist" an hour in is something I saw coming...but, admittedly, the second twist a short while later was sort of a saving grace for the film (if you can even think of it that way). In fact, the last 15-or-so minutes had me reminiscing a little of "Evil Dead." Perhaps that's the sort of cheesy, hokey mood of horror film making these people were out to accomplish. It's just about as cheap, if you factor in the difference of years between the two films. So, if you're really in the mood to watch something that's so bad that's it becomes all too easy to make fun of it during the entire ride, you could give "Nightmare Man" a try. There might be better films to suit that style of MST3K "horror," but I don't normally go in for such flicks myself, to be honest. Of course, if you're looking for an actually well-made scary movie to truly unsettle and disturb you, avoid this like the plague.

OK, now here's one of those After Dark movies, that I've read a lot of negative reviews especially at IMDb, and after seeing the movie, I don't know where they are coming from. Those reviewers seem to have missed the whole premise of the story, which is basically a new telling of the famous "Trilogy of Terror" African Zuni fetish doll, starring Karen Black. That is what this movie is about, the very same premise. A woman gets a box in the mail, and inside is a black demon mask, which was sent by mistake I assume, because it was supposed to be a fertility mask to help her husband get it up. When she puts it on, she believes herself to be possessed by a demon spirit that she keeps seeing, and she calls it the Nightmare Man. Now her husband is taking her to a clinic to help her get over her condition, and their car runs out of gas, and he takes off to find gas, but she starts seeing the Nightmare Man, and runs into the woods being chased and comes across a cottage where two sexy couples are having a party. Yep, this one has a generous amount of nudity, which is always good, but their party is interrupted by this crazy woman saying, this demon is trying to escape her body, but then again, it is also chasing her. The people are freaked out to say the least, but then all at once, this demon thing actually does attack and starts killing off the party people. BUT, is it really a demon, and what about the husband returning with the gas, he is on his way to the cottage, is he really the Nightmare Man trying to scare his Wife. Well, that's what you find out in this very entertaining horror film, that mixes a little slasher, a little possession, and a little monster madness. I read complaints about the acting, and that is just plain bogus. The performances are top rate all the way, I saw nothing to complain about at all. I really liked this one and glad I bought it, it delivers on the graphic blood and a little gore. And the direct comparison to the "Trilogy of Terror" episode is right on target. I listened to the very end of the commentary, and even they tell you that.

Not that I am saying this movie was all bad, but that was the highlight and if the sexy talk is the highlight of a horror movie then it is not much of a horror film in the end. The story has this woman who seems to be having a bit of trouble on the marital front. Her solution to the problems seems to be to order some love god mask, they instead seem to send her the evil demon love god mask and throughout the movie you wander if this manifest ion is real or not. She is being driven to the mental institution by her husband they break down and she is seemingly stalked and attacked by this person or thing while her husband is getting gas. Meanwhile, somewhere in the woods there is a house with two couples. Two very cute girls who are friends and their boyfriends. They play truth or dare and then the crazy...or not, girl ends up in their care. Well lets just say there is somebody out there trying to get at her as he quickly steals a crossbow and handles the one guy while he is being mooned. However, you still don't know if it is the mysterious nightmare man the girl goes on about or something else. The husband is heading for the cabin though and soon afterward so are the police. This movie had potential as do most horror movies and like so many they just miss some stuff. On the plus side you get to see a couple of good kills, some good nudity, and the end was rather good too. However, I was kind of hoping for something more in the lines of say an Evil Dead movie rather than a typical slasher film with a twist here and there. So far out of the three Afterdark movies in this new batch this is the strongest, sadly though compared to the last batch this one would be tied with Penny Dreadful as the weakest in my eyes.

Really, the only reason I rate this film so high (and 4 out of 10 isn't exactly a good rating) is because of the fine buttocks and overall body of Tiffany Shepis. Although her hair looks like crap in this movie. I'm a big fan if Ms. Shepis, so she is the only reason to even attempt to watch this movie. Oh, and there is the discussion of a lesbian tryst between the two female leads, but do we get to see any of that? No, and that sucks.The only other possible positive thing I could say about this movie is that sometimes, some scenes build tension well, but thats it. In horror movies like this it doesn't matter who the actors are, they can be the greatest actors in the universe and they will still suck, and this movie is no exception.The first half of this movie is horribly s l o w!!!! It takes forever before anyone gets killed, and all the annoying exposition spells out the whole movie, well except for the plot twist in the third act.By far the worst actor is the husband of the crazy women. Apparently, he styles himself as kind of an Antonio Banderas type of person. What he obviously is a ridiculous looser in a bad horror movie. Man does he sound stupid every time he opens his mouth! The guy who plays Tifanny Shepis' boyfriend is also a moron. The way he gets killed is great, and I hope to never see him in another movie ever again.There is an attempt at an actual plot in Nightmare Man, and thats kind of refreshing for these types of horror movies, but then again, it really isn't that great - the special effects are at about the level they had in 1985. But overall I did enjoy the gore, right when I was getting sick of this stupid movie, someone would get an arrow through the face and that made up for it. Still, Rolfe Kanefsky should never make a movie ever again. How do people like him find the will and money to continue? Rolfe, Uwe Boll and Ulli Lommel form the triumvirate of the worst filmmakers of the 21st century. All three of them apparently have tons of money to waste of awful movies that should have never been made. There are so many other worthwhile places in the world their time and money could go. I would say talents as well, but its clear that they are 100% talent-free.