It
is not a good idea to nod off during this film. You might encounter one of the
subjects. Fortunately, it will be very difficult to drift off during one of the
scariest documentaries you will ever see that isn’t about Scientology. Shaking
it off at bed time will be a different matter. Filmmaker Rodney Ascher
documents the very real phenomenon of sleep paralysis and the terrifying
figures often seen by those who suffer from it in The Nightmare, which screens tonight during the 2015 Sundance Film Festival.
Like
his interview subjects who agreed to appear on camera, Ascher (the co-director
of Room 237) has personally experienced
sleep paralysis. Medical professionals generally acknowledge it involves the
conscious sensation of rigid immobility, until the afflicted sleeper manages to
rouse themselves out of it. Of course, there is more to the story. Those who
have endured persistent sleep paralysis often report seeing and sometimes
hearing dark, menacing figures. Typically, these are the “Shadow Men,” often observed
acting under the direction of the “Hat Man.”
This
might sound fantastical, but Ascher has multiple sources attesting to these
demonic dream stalkers. Indeed, there is something deeply archetypal about
them, especially Hat Man, who can be seen as a forerunner to Freddy Kruger buried
deep within our collective subconscious.
While
Nightmare adheres to the standard
accepted form of documentary films, Ascher’s dramatic recreations of
participants’ nightmare encounters are genuinely frightening. Everything about
them represents superior horror film mechanics, from the eerie lighting to the evocative
set design. This film will scare you in the moment, but it will also challenge
your safe assumptions regarding the nature of reality. Clearly, Hat Man is real
enough for a considerable number of people out there, so what does that mean
for our world view?
Yet,
Ascher does not leave us bereft of hope and deprived of sleep. Surprisingly, Nightmare will hold considerable
interest for Evangelical audiences, who are not likely to be amongst the film’s
target demographic. Nonetheless, one subsequently empowered Christian
discovered she could vanquish her sleep demons by invoking a name. No spoilers,
but his initials are “J.C.”