The Nightmare

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The Nightmare

2015

1h 26m

Documentary

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

67%

Tomatometer

60 Reviews

43%

Popcornmeter

2,500+ Ratings

Eight people experience sleep paralysis, a condition which leaves them unable to move, speak or react.

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Critics Consensus

Part documentary, part thriller, The Nightmare works just well enough in both respects to deliver a uniquely disturbing viewing experience.

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Adam Nayman

The Walrus

02/29/2016

Few non-fiction films pack the affective punch of The Nightmare, which seeks to turn viewers into mirror images of its terror-stricken subjects.

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Mark Kermode

Observer (UK)

10/11/2015

2/5

Watching this overegged hybrid docu-horror investigation of sleep paralysis, I found myself fighting the urge to snooze.

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David Jenkins

Little White Lies

10/08/2015

3/5

Ascher should be making actual horror movies.

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Jorge Ignacio Castillo

The Canadian Crew

01/30/2020

2/5

The Nightmare is undeniably entertaining, but it's just empty calories.

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Joey Keogh

Wicked Horror

10/02/2019

4/10

The Nightmare is momentarily diverting... But it feels over-long, it doesn't have much to say in spite of the admittedly interesting subject matter, and it's unlikely non-horror fans are going to find it particularly scary.

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C.J. Prince

Way Too Indie

06/03/2019

7/10

The Nightmare obviously wants to scare people, and even though Ascher can be hit or miss on the recreations, he does have a good share of unnerving moments courtesy of his subjects.

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inta K

@intuciic Mar 20

Boring and repetitive, not much analysis done on causes, etc. Luckily could watch it on 1.5x speed.

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Melissa L

@Agent99 Sep 21

I've suffered from nightmares since I was a child. I felt that it could have been better.

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Iamwhoi M

@Shaboutiques 06/18/2025

More boring, than anything.

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Alec B

@Alec97 12/13/2023

It's interesting and scary but only at surface level. I get why Ascher avoided using an experts as interview subjects but it also makes me wonder what the point is here . . . even just a few minutes of expository dialogue could help give some context.

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Gareth v

@geewah 06/22/2023

Neither a horror story or an enlightening doco, this feature comes across as a confused mess.

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06/21/2022

I loved this movie because I've encountered sleep paralysis before. If you're watching to get scared, this isn't the one but if you want to learn about a world rarely discussed, you've found it. Don't try to compare to Insidious, it's not at that level. Aside from the silly shadow men and alien figures, it did great at explaining what people who suffer from or have experienced this go thru. Maybe more people will be compassionate when kids have them.

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Rodney Ascher

Director

Stephen Joseph

Actor

Estrella Cristina

Actor

Siegfried Peters

Chris

Yatoya Toy

Actor

Elise Robson

Actor

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Synopsis

Eight people experience sleep paralysis, a condition which leaves them unable to move, speak or react.

Director: Rodney Ascher
Producer: Ross M. Dinerstein, Glen Zipper, Tim Kirk
Production Co: New City Road, Campfire, Zipper Bros Films, Highland Park Classics
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 1, 2016
Runtime: 1h 26m