Reviewed by Kevin Scott, MoreHorror.com
Nightmare Factory (2011)
Directed by: Donna Davies
Featuring: Gregory Nicotero, Howard Berger, Gabriel Bartalos, John Landis, George A. Romero, John Carpenter, and more.
There’s a unique subset of horror fan that enjoys the horror documentary. Some would rather not know what the man looks like behind the curtain, or all the drama, politics, or bureaucracy behind getting a horror movie made. Then there are others that will take all the inside information and factoids that they can get. Maybe being able to get a glimpse into the lives of horror directors and effects guys, and that they have the same problems as us, or sitting back in the armchair, and thinking “I could’ve done that!”. Whatever the case, I personally love a good horror documentary.
“Nightmare Factory” tells the story of KNB Effects Group, particularly Greg Nicotero, who has become legendary in the horror world, and achieved rock star status for his work with George Romero, Quentin Tarantino, and Robert Rodriguez. He is also the zombie mastermind behind “The Walking Dead”. Think of this as Greg inviting you over to watch some old home movies.
Greg Nicotero began his career as a fan boy, much like most do, but what’s really unique is how serendipitous his meeting with George Romero was. He grew up in Pittsburgh in the heart of “Night of the Living Dead” country, but while on a family vacation in Rome, his family happened to sit beside Romero at a café. Romero was there working with Dario Argento on the final draft for “Dawn of the Dead”. Romero then invited him to visit the set of “Dawn”, and there he met Tom Savini. Pretty cool huh?
From there he worked on “Day of the Dead” a few years later, and has since enjoyed a stellar career from hungry long haired rookie, to established horror royalty. The documentary includes footage from most of his projects with some very cool behind the scenes stuff. I particularly enjoyed some of the “Evil Dead 2” home movies.
Every documentary should not only be entertaining, but thought provoking, right? “Nightmare Factory” takes on the civil war going on in the film business between practical effects and CGI. CGI is becoming more prolific because of its infinite possibilities, eliminating the need for sets, and may make the artistry of practical effects seem ancient. Some of the EFX guys talk about encountering a lack of appreciation from filmmakers about the quality of their craft, and doing it quicker and dirtier with CGI. It was refreshing to hear optimism from Nicotero about how they might coexist, instead of a fat cat rant about these kids today. I’m more of a practical effects guy too, but the only thing constant is change, and unfortunately substance occasionally triumphs over style. It doesn’t mean you have to like it or stand for it.
I highly recommend “Nightmare Factory” which as of this writing is streaming on Netflix. It ranks right up there with another well done horror documentary “Under the Scares” about the underbelly of indie horror. You can’t make an omelet without breaking a few eggs, sometime knowing how many eggs got broken on the way to the finished product that you love so much, makes it even more cool.