Nightmare Cinema

I’m a big fan of anthology horror movies and TV shows. Creepshow stands as one of my all-time favorite horror movies, so when I see another anthology horror film getting good buzz, I get excited. Word had it that this one was a blast but, as things turn out, it totally blows. Mickey Rourke plays the Projectionist, a purposeless dude screening horror films in an old, mystical theater. The premise for the multiple short films in this movie has something to do with the main characters walking into the theater, sitting down, and seeing their story. Each one of those stories, including a demon possession tale, a crazy mother, a cabin in the woods scenario, and a kid who sees dead people, is lame, lame, lame. There isn’t an original moment to be had in this thing. It should just be called Mickey Rourke Actually Gets a Job because that’s the only shocking thing about it. Standard gore effects, terrible writing, and lousy direction abound. Even Joe Dante, the man who made Gremlins, accomplishes next to nothing with his stupid short about an evil plastic surgeon. It’s as if a bunch of studios took a group of throwaway horror scripts, repurposed them as an anthology, and tried to pass them off as having some sort of binding theme. The shorts smack into each other. There’s no point in any of them being in the same realm, and the whole Projectionist gimmick doesn’t work. It’s a disjointed, sloppy mess. (Available for rent and download during a limited theatrical release.)