writers_reign
Let's begin by getting the few squawks out of the way; for no discernible reason the story is set in New Orleans yet not one single person in the cast employs a Southern accent or indeed anything other than an Eastern accent of the kind we'd expect to find in Manhattan. New Orleans of course is celebrated as the cradle of jazz and protagonist Kevin McCarthy is indeed a muso BUT he plays clarinet in a large SWING orchestra - led, in fact, by the great Billy May who also has a speaking role and plays trumpet, as he did in real life. Nothing wrong with that, in fact in my case it's a bonus EXCEPT New Orleans is synonymous with Dixieland and a Swing outfit on Bourbon Street would be like Turnip Greens at the Four Seasons. Those cavils to one side we're left with a taut, nourish entry which holds the attention all the way.
bkoganbing
In the role right before he made a comeback of sorts in The Ten Commandments, Edward G. Robinson stars in Nightmare where he solves both a crime and a particular nightmare that Kevin McCarthy is going through. You see McCarthy thinks he killed and Robinson is a New Orleans homicide detective.Kevin plays a mean jazz clarinet in Billy May's Orchestra where girlfriend Connie Russell sings. McCarthy who scored with the same kind of role in Invasion Of The Body Snatchers thinks he's killed someone in an old mansion in a room with a lot of mirrors. There's a man and a woman in the same recurring dream.Like his Body Snatchers part, McCarthy is trapped in a Nightmare and by circumstances he can't control. Of course the very cynical homicide detective Robinson doesn't really believe him, but he's going along for the sake of Virginia Christine, Robinson's wife and McCarthy's sister.In the end it becomes clear enough though the manipulator of the events is a character introduced after Robinson really begins an investigation. Nightmare is a decent enough noir thriller, but it really does look shot on the cheap with real New Orleans and country Louisiana locations. Not on the to 10 list of any of the principals.
violentcop5
Maxwell Shea remade his own film; the cheap Noir thriller "Fear in the Night" as 1956's "Nightmare" with a bigger budget and an A-list cast, yet the film follows the formers structure so closely you wonder what was the point. The two films are basically the same movie yet where they differ "Fear in the Night" comes out the superior, its hokey plot felt more at home with its low-budget and it was nicely complimented by an effective dark atmosphere, also the films conclusion and hallucination/dream scenes were sharper and more creatively shot . The one thing "Nightmare" has over the original is in the cast, 'Noir' staple and the always great Edward G Robinson, takes the role of the protagonist cop brother in-law (which was fairly flat in the original) and injects it with the warmth and vitality that is expected from him. Kevin Mcarthy has played the 'average man pushed to hysteria' role before but for good reason; he does it well, his performance is preferable to Deforrest Kelly's big eye-balled take on the same character. Even though its neck and neck with the original "Nightmare" comes out short, which doesn't make it a bad film, I just wouldn't recommend it if you've seen the original, but if you haven't there are some cheap B-movie thrills to be fond in the A-list surroundings.
howdymax
Kevin McCarthy, a jazzman from New Orleans, has a nightmare. He dreams he was in a strange room and committed a murder, only to find out the next morning that there are clues he actually did it. Terrified, he goes to his brother-in-law (Edward G Robinson) to ask for help. Edward G doesn't believe him at first, but soon the evidence begins to pile up. The rest is too good to reveal. Kevin McCarthy's performance right on the heels of "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" is flawless - the terrified victim - again. Eddie G's character as the cynical, hard boiled homicide dick is one of his best. The story riveted me from start to finish and director Maxwell Shane set just the right tone. Watch for the final scenes in the mirrored room. The atmosphere shots of New Orleans in the 50's transports us back to another time. It's a mystery - a drama - a thriller. Do not miss it.
AD
