Life is chaos.
Over the years, the finest stories committed to stage and screen have explored the resulting chaos of an infinite number of divergent characters, all possessing their own unique reasons for being. We’re a culture that revels in telling stories, so much so that there are literally hundreds if not thousands of outlets – big and small – that afford an untold number of storytellers the chance to weave their own respective tapestries. Of course, this isn’t to say that every story out there deserves to be told; but it does respect the reality that opportunity knocks … and knocks loudly and often. I’ll always encourage those who rise to the occasion, even when I might disagree with what it is they ultimately had to say.
2024’s Pesadilla shows written and directed by Dylan Anglin, a name I’ve never heard of but IMDB.com shows attached to an astonishing 13 different projects – most of them shorts – over (roughly) six years. That’s an aggressive output for any mythmaker. Aboard this most current adventure, Anglin has hired such screen talent as Anthony Garcia, Mike Davis, Gavin Cade Hulberg, Diya Taylor, Augustine Driscoll, and others. All of the cast and crew congealed around an occasionally dark tale of Fate, circumstance, and – somehow – Horror involving a gang of would-be criminals planning their next big heist on a nearby family overrun with grief. It’s a very human story – with a bit of the extraordinary thrown in for good measure – that takes some time to tell.
Suffice it to say, there’s a lot going on in Pesadilla – maybe too much, I’d argue – and I’m not convinced this was everyone’s best effort. As the talent seeks their reward for a job well done, so do viewers deserve some redeeming token for wading through the event … and I’m coming up a bit short, if you know what I mean.
(NOTE: The following review will contain minor spoilers necessary solely for the discussion of plot and/or characters. If you’re the type of reader who prefers a review entirely spoiler-free, then I’d encourage you to skip down to the last few paragraphs for the final assessment. If, however, you’re accepting of a few modest hints at ‘things to come,’ then read on …)
From the film’s IMDB.com page citation:
“After a house robbery fail, a group of thieves decide to try again in a house with a grieving family, but something sinister lurks in the darkness.”
Over the years, the finest stories committed to stage and screen have explored the resulting chaos of an infinite number of divergent characters, all possessing their own unique reasons for being. We’re a culture that revels in telling stories, so much so that there are literally hundreds if not thousands of outlets – big and small – that afford an untold number of storytellers the chance to weave their own respective tapestries. Of course, this isn’t to say that every story out there deserves to be told; but it does respect the reality that opportunity knocks … and knocks loudly and often. I’ll always encourage those who rise to the occasion, even when I might disagree with what it is they ultimately had to say.
2024’s Pesadilla shows written and directed by Dylan Anglin, a name I’ve never heard of but IMDB.com shows attached to an astonishing 13 different projects – most of them shorts – over (roughly) six years. That’s an aggressive output for any mythmaker. Aboard this most current adventure, Anglin has hired such screen talent as Anthony Garcia, Mike Davis, Gavin Cade Hulberg, Diya Taylor, Augustine Driscoll, and others. All of the cast and crew congealed around an occasionally dark tale of Fate, circumstance, and – somehow – Horror involving a gang of would-be criminals planning their next big heist on a nearby family overrun with grief. It’s a very human story – with a bit of the extraordinary thrown in for good measure – that takes some time to tell.
Suffice it to say, there’s a lot going on in Pesadilla – maybe too much, I’d argue – and I’m not convinced this was everyone’s best effort. As the talent seeks their reward for a job well done, so do viewers deserve some redeeming token for wading through the event … and I’m coming up a bit short, if you know what I mean.
(NOTE: The following review will contain minor spoilers necessary solely for the discussion of plot and/or characters. If you’re the type of reader who prefers a review entirely spoiler-free, then I’d encourage you to skip down to the last few paragraphs for the final assessment. If, however, you’re accepting of a few modest hints at ‘things to come,’ then read on …)
From the film’s IMDB.com page citation:
“After a house robbery fail, a group of thieves decide to try again in a house with a grieving family, but something sinister lurks in the darkness.”
First off, let me say this: on SciFiHistory.Net, I’ve always been one of the biggest supporters of independent film. Far more than most who watch, think, and write about flicks, I’ve always remained dedicated to some of these second features. And why not? They’re ‘in the can,’ and like anything else out there under the sun they deserve to be seen, thought over, and written about. That’s just how I’ve always rolled … and like always will.
Second off, let me say this: there really is plenty I could talk about when it comes to dissecting Pesadilla.
There’s a whole corral of characters – some who get a great amount of screen time while others feel truncated – and, frankly, several of them are quite interesting. Gramps (played by Mike Garcia) is probably one of the easiest to consider, mostly because he’s about as close to a villain as one might find in here; and – despite what we all may realize – the bad guys always make for great written copy. Squeeze (Niki Kapadia) offers perhaps the best narrative surprise of any of these characters; but it happens so late in the picture (in my estimation) and is far too brief for it to have the impact it truly could, would, and should have. Anthony Hartman (Anthony Garcia) gives a fabulous performance of a guy suffering under the weight of his own inconsolable grief, and yet he surprisingly gives Pesadilla about as much of a center as it ever has. There’s more – one of the burglars descent into madness mirrors a good deal of what indie films explored in the 1980’s and 1990’s – but rather than go on let’s just agree that the substance is there if one wanted to analyze those fragments.
Still, my job as one who investigates how well a story gets told has me pushing past many of those particulars because, inevitably, Pesadilla collapses under its own forces, some of which are technical. Camerawork is a bit too routine in spots, and the pacing could’ve benefitted from snipping various sequences judiciously if not eliminating several entirely. It has several subplots that – for lack of a better assessment – don’t quite support the whole but feel attached more to individuals; and I can’t help but wonder why one character needed more exploration when others were equally unimportant to the finale. The film even occasionally suffers from a somewhat ham-handed score by Álvaro Rodríguez Cabezas unnecessarily draws more attention to itself than it would or even should have. While often the sound mix is off – the music is way too loud – there are other times wherein the intensity of the tune doesn’t match what’s happening on screen; and this, too, distracts the feature from developing any authentic rhythm.
One of the essential problems with being a true auteur – essentially serving as both a screenwriter and director at the same time – is that there’s vastly more risk associated with minor errors getting blown out-of-proportion when not being reined in at some point in the filmmaking process. In other words, writers grow attached to their written words being spoken by the characters they’ve created; a seasoned director – in contrast – might better detect when a certain scene, a specific sequence, or even a delivered line doesn’t quite maximize the potential or may even hijack the desired effectiveness entirely. There’s nothing wrong with wearing two hats, but – especially when it comes to the indie scene – I’ve seen it fail a project more than I’ve seen it beneficial. This is not an insult: it’s just a statement of reality as I see it.
Second off, let me say this: there really is plenty I could talk about when it comes to dissecting Pesadilla.
There’s a whole corral of characters – some who get a great amount of screen time while others feel truncated – and, frankly, several of them are quite interesting. Gramps (played by Mike Garcia) is probably one of the easiest to consider, mostly because he’s about as close to a villain as one might find in here; and – despite what we all may realize – the bad guys always make for great written copy. Squeeze (Niki Kapadia) offers perhaps the best narrative surprise of any of these characters; but it happens so late in the picture (in my estimation) and is far too brief for it to have the impact it truly could, would, and should have. Anthony Hartman (Anthony Garcia) gives a fabulous performance of a guy suffering under the weight of his own inconsolable grief, and yet he surprisingly gives Pesadilla about as much of a center as it ever has. There’s more – one of the burglars descent into madness mirrors a good deal of what indie films explored in the 1980’s and 1990’s – but rather than go on let’s just agree that the substance is there if one wanted to analyze those fragments.
Still, my job as one who investigates how well a story gets told has me pushing past many of those particulars because, inevitably, Pesadilla collapses under its own forces, some of which are technical. Camerawork is a bit too routine in spots, and the pacing could’ve benefitted from snipping various sequences judiciously if not eliminating several entirely. It has several subplots that – for lack of a better assessment – don’t quite support the whole but feel attached more to individuals; and I can’t help but wonder why one character needed more exploration when others were equally unimportant to the finale. The film even occasionally suffers from a somewhat ham-handed score by Álvaro Rodríguez Cabezas unnecessarily draws more attention to itself than it would or even should have. While often the sound mix is off – the music is way too loud – there are other times wherein the intensity of the tune doesn’t match what’s happening on screen; and this, too, distracts the feature from developing any authentic rhythm.
One of the essential problems with being a true auteur – essentially serving as both a screenwriter and director at the same time – is that there’s vastly more risk associated with minor errors getting blown out-of-proportion when not being reined in at some point in the filmmaking process. In other words, writers grow attached to their written words being spoken by the characters they’ve created; a seasoned director – in contrast – might better detect when a certain scene, a specific sequence, or even a delivered line doesn’t quite maximize the potential or may even hijack the desired effectiveness entirely. There’s nothing wrong with wearing two hats, but – especially when it comes to the indie scene – I’ve seen it fail a project more than I’ve seen it beneficial. This is not an insult: it’s just a statement of reality as I see it.
Now, where I think this phenomenon comes into play with Pesadilla is that Anglin’s shackled his drama – frankly, there’s no little Horror in this that what remains feels inserted more as a cash grab than it does any authenticity – with a lot of characters.
The old rule of “the more folks you hire, the more they have to say” comes very quickly into play; and the nearly 120-minute experience never quite gathers any significant tractions because it’s always changing gears. This isn’t to say that the bigger parts aren’t interesting; a few are and they’re very good, but the narrative grows tiresome when the viewer realizes every big part is also going to be getting his or her own big scenes. A bit of restraint was needed here – it’s sorely lacking, even in what would otherwise be a solid speaking part in a different film – but none arrives. Instead, there’s bloat – and, worse, a slow-moving bloat – which constipates any true development.
Furthermore, gone are the days when a casual happening can simply be inserted into the indie thriller, chiller, or drama to propel a story forward. In today’s marketplace, there’s an increased demand for everything to make sense – in spite of life’s alleged meaninglessness – and that isn’t always the case here.
This point is difficult to make without spoiling some of Pesadilla’s closest kept secrets, so let me try as best as possible to point out that Horror – in its purest state – works most efficiently when there are only enough rules to make the terror understandable. While no one denies the element of unpredictability elevates the experience, the audience should never have to strive to know why X is happening, what Y is a suitable outcome, and what all of this means for Z. Pesadilla – synonymous with ‘nightmare’ – envisions a central creature whose origins are ambiguous, at best. It’s perhaps the manifestation of one character’s subconscious, or it might be the collective indicator of the ensemble’s darkest fears and desires taking shape, or it could even be something else entirely. Absent any legitimate explanation, it’s a monster with no purpose other than to be a monster, and that’s just not how the best monster movies work.
Again, let me offer some modest clarification: Pesadilla doesn’t fail for a lack of ambition. I’d argue the exact opposite. I think it fails because Anglin was too ambitious. Too many tangents keep pulling the idea in different directions, and I grew tired with the posturing and re-posturing and re-re-posturing. Perhaps another voice in the writing and/or directing process might’ve helped give the entire film a greater sense of purpose. What evolves feels more like a series of one-act plays strung together for convenience’s sake, leaving the best stuff hamstrung by the weaker pieces that could’ve been excised entirely, leaving a cohesive whole that made for a better watch.
When life is chaos and film is just one attempt to both capture and interpret that turmoil, Pesadilla feels both malnourishes and curiously overfed. It doesn’t end with any legitimacy but instead just ends, leaving more questions than answers. While that may’ve been its intent, I still needed it to make sense, and this one didn’t.
The old rule of “the more folks you hire, the more they have to say” comes very quickly into play; and the nearly 120-minute experience never quite gathers any significant tractions because it’s always changing gears. This isn’t to say that the bigger parts aren’t interesting; a few are and they’re very good, but the narrative grows tiresome when the viewer realizes every big part is also going to be getting his or her own big scenes. A bit of restraint was needed here – it’s sorely lacking, even in what would otherwise be a solid speaking part in a different film – but none arrives. Instead, there’s bloat – and, worse, a slow-moving bloat – which constipates any true development.
Furthermore, gone are the days when a casual happening can simply be inserted into the indie thriller, chiller, or drama to propel a story forward. In today’s marketplace, there’s an increased demand for everything to make sense – in spite of life’s alleged meaninglessness – and that isn’t always the case here.
This point is difficult to make without spoiling some of Pesadilla’s closest kept secrets, so let me try as best as possible to point out that Horror – in its purest state – works most efficiently when there are only enough rules to make the terror understandable. While no one denies the element of unpredictability elevates the experience, the audience should never have to strive to know why X is happening, what Y is a suitable outcome, and what all of this means for Z. Pesadilla – synonymous with ‘nightmare’ – envisions a central creature whose origins are ambiguous, at best. It’s perhaps the manifestation of one character’s subconscious, or it might be the collective indicator of the ensemble’s darkest fears and desires taking shape, or it could even be something else entirely. Absent any legitimate explanation, it’s a monster with no purpose other than to be a monster, and that’s just not how the best monster movies work.
Again, let me offer some modest clarification: Pesadilla doesn’t fail for a lack of ambition. I’d argue the exact opposite. I think it fails because Anglin was too ambitious. Too many tangents keep pulling the idea in different directions, and I grew tired with the posturing and re-posturing and re-re-posturing. Perhaps another voice in the writing and/or directing process might’ve helped give the entire film a greater sense of purpose. What evolves feels more like a series of one-act plays strung together for convenience’s sake, leaving the best stuff hamstrung by the weaker pieces that could’ve been excised entirely, leaving a cohesive whole that made for a better watch.
When life is chaos and film is just one attempt to both capture and interpret that turmoil, Pesadilla feels both malnourishes and curiously overfed. It doesn’t end with any legitimacy but instead just ends, leaving more questions than answers. While that may’ve been its intent, I still needed it to make sense, and this one didn’t.
Pesadilla (2024) was produced by SmokeyDog Entertainment and Production Pictures. DVD distribution (for this particular release) has been handled by the folks at Bayview Entertainment. As for the technical specifications? While I’m no trained video expert, I found the provided sights-and-sounds to, mostly, be of good quality: there are a few scenes with some questionable cinematography – slightly off-center framing and whatnot – that I believe were intended to convey a message, but I’m not bright enough to know that for certain. Lastly, if you’re looking for special features? Argh. Not a single one. Not necessarily a miss as I’m not sure much could’ve been added.
Alas … this one is Hard To Recommend, folks.
There’s an awful lot to unpack with a film like Pesadilla (2024), and – in most cases – that’s not a bad thing. But the more one has to unpack, then the more fulfilling the journey needs to be once the destination is reached, and that’s just not the case here. The project is filled with characters – some vastly more interesting than others – and instead of the dark yarn that gets told here I would rather have spent time with one, two, or three of them, gotten to know them better, and then saw where it all ended up. While the production’s constant hint that something horrific was afoot, this one was far too conventional for me ever to accept it as a Horror film. In fact, the Horror felt tacked on – and not in a good way – making the closing scenes more confusing than anything else.
In the interests of fairness, I’m pleased to disclose that the fine folks at Allied Vaughn provided me with a complimentary Blu-ray of Pesadilla (2024) by request for the expressed purpose of completing this review. Their contribution to me in no way, shape, or form influenced my opinion of it.
-- EZ
Alas … this one is Hard To Recommend, folks.
There’s an awful lot to unpack with a film like Pesadilla (2024), and – in most cases – that’s not a bad thing. But the more one has to unpack, then the more fulfilling the journey needs to be once the destination is reached, and that’s just not the case here. The project is filled with characters – some vastly more interesting than others – and instead of the dark yarn that gets told here I would rather have spent time with one, two, or three of them, gotten to know them better, and then saw where it all ended up. While the production’s constant hint that something horrific was afoot, this one was far too conventional for me ever to accept it as a Horror film. In fact, the Horror felt tacked on – and not in a good way – making the closing scenes more confusing than anything else.
In the interests of fairness, I’m pleased to disclose that the fine folks at Allied Vaughn provided me with a complimentary Blu-ray of Pesadilla (2024) by request for the expressed purpose of completing this review. Their contribution to me in no way, shape, or form influenced my opinion of it.
-- EZ
RSS Feed