Shelley Regner ( Pitch Perfect’s ), Diane Franklin ( The Last American Virgin  Amityville II The Possession),  David Naughton ( An American Werewolf in London, Sharknado 5 ), and Jamison Newlander ( The Lost Boys, Bone Tomahawk ) star in Waking Nightmare which hits VOD August 18 from Terror Films.

Jordan (played by Shelley Regner) is suffering from manic nightmare episodes following the death of her friend Jamie, and to say those nightmare episodes are terrifying not just for Jordan but also for parents (played by Diane Franklin and  Jamison Newlander) is a huge understatement.  Imaging waking up to find you are holding a knife to your mother.   I wasn’t sure what to expect before watching Waking Nightmare. I was very much looking forward to seeing Diane, Jamison, and David in the same movie, having grown up with many of the films they had starred in previously, so to see them on screen together would be pretty cool.

And so with my popcorn at the ready and a nice drink, I sat down (at my home) and pressed play on Waking Nightmare. But before I tell you my thoughts on the film, lets hear (or rather read) what the films directors thought of the film. 

“We wanted to create a unique experience for horror fans by blending horror comedy and drama with the toxic uncertainty of films like Miike’s Audition. What drew me to the project was Brian’s concept of an unwitting killer who is just an average girl struggling to find normalcy in a mad world.”
–           Stephen Craig

“Bending the forms of reality is something that has always intrigued me. I was honored to work with my brother in cinema Stephen Craig on Waking Nightmare. Creating the world that the characters lived in, sane and insane in something that bends the visual scape of the genre. People are affected by sleepwalking. The unknown of where you’ll wake up, is truly a Waking Nightmare.” 
–           Brian Farmer 

Waking Nightmare is a very cool film. It starts with a wonderful loud anarchic opening credit sequence which I loved and whilst the film itself didn’t quite had that same feel to the opening credit sequence, I didn’t mind that at all. The music and the opening set me up to know that I was about to see something a little chaotic, and I was right. I really enjoyed Waking Nightmare and I hope you do too. No this isn’t a $150million dollar budgeted movie, no it hasn’t been polished in the editing suite to within a frame of its life, and no it doesn’t have a 100 piece orchestra to support it, and I think the film is  all the better for not having those things. Waking Nightmare is a raw, insane, journey filled with scenes of insanity and I had a blast. I’m sure this isn’t a film for everyone (specially those who only watch the major studio blockbusters) but it was a film for me.  Directors Stephen and Brian must have loved making this film, especially with the cast that they have. I’d love to have been on this set. You can also tell that the cast would have had such fun making this film. I mean I’m sure they will have met over the years but can you imagine being on set with them and hearing the stories they swapped during filming gaps.  Im super envious.

I think Waking Nightmare may resonate more with film fans (which include me of course) who watched the rise of the indie film in the early 90s, with the films of Kevin Smith, Steven Soderbergh, Richard Linklater and Robert Rodriguez to name a few and whilst Waking Nightmare doesn’t follow any of those directors specific films, What the directors of Waking Nightmare have on their hands is a film that feels like it carries the spirit of those classic indie film. Its not documentary but does feel pretty natural not just with the dialogue but also the way the characters are with each other.  I liked that style but I can see why that might be a little jarring for those who cant recall the classic indie era of films (which is still going thanks to films like Waking Nightmare)

So if you fancy a cool and raw feeling film, do check out Waking Nightmare. If you want to see some iconic cast members sharing the screen. Check out Waking Nightmare, and if you love watching films that are unique and different then check out Waking Nightmare.  Ive seen it twice now and yes its kinda bonkers, but its the kinda bonkers that I like in my movies from time to time.

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