


Product Description Nightmares & Dreamscapes Collection (DVD)This hair-raising miniseries is comprised of 8 mind-bending stories each featuring an all-star cast and cutting-edge special effects. Each episode is adapted from on of King's short stories and will feature such notable performers as Oscar nominees William H. Macy, William Hurt, Tom Berenger and other favorites as Kim Delaney, Steven Weber, Henry Thomas, Samantha Manthis, Claire Forlani and others. The series will premiere this summer in a 4-week television event on TNT starting July 12, 2006.]]> desertcart.com Filter a Twilight Zone vibe through Stephen King's brain and you get Nightmares & Dreamscapes, an uneven but generally entertaining collection of eight tales that originally (2006) aired on TNT. There is no unifying theme here; although King's short stories provided the source material, there are six directors and seven screenwriters represented, so the episodes offer a variety of looks and styles, with content ranging from monsters to mind games, from pure fantasy to pulp fiction, from genuinely scary to merely unsettling. Still, a certain ineffably "King-ian" sensibility, combining elements of horror, terror, suspense, and whimsy, is always in evidence, as are the popular writer's own preoccupations (with authors who may or not be stand-ins for King himself, rock 'n' roll, and guys who won't ask for directions while their wives complain, inevitably leading them into very nasty situations). Among the highlights: In "Battleground," a merciless hit man (William Hurt) offs a toy manufacturer and then finds himself attacked in his own apartment by a battalion of indefatigable toy soldiers; directed by Brian Henson, the episode has no dialogue and some terrific effects work. In "Umney's Last Case," William H. Macy is amusing as a crime writer who cruelly toys with his literary alter ego, an arch, fedora-wearing gumshoe (also Macy); it's an acting tour de force and a story that takes some deft and intriguing turns. "The Road Virus Heads North," with Tom Berenger as a horror novelist who finds himself pursued by well, by a painting (guess you had to be there), is perhaps the scariest of the lot; it's also the best shot, with a cool jazz soundtrack and a nifty ending. Less successful is "Crouch End," set in a sinister part of London where "thin spots" in the earth lead to creepy new dimensions (nice premise, but it's overwritten and fails to sustain its Twilight Zone weirdness), while "You Know They Got a Hell of Band" is only fitfully effective in its depiction of Rock & Roll Heaven, Oregon, a town where Elvis is mayor and the rest of the living dead range from Hendrix and Joplin to Duane Allman and Buddy Holly. The three-disc set's decent if unexceptional special features include "inside looks" at the making of several episodes, actor interviews, and more. --Sam Graham Review: Short stories in movie format - I had to have this collection b/c it's Stephen King's adaptations on some of his short stories. The movies were well done and stayed mostly true to the stories. Recommended for fans! Review: Collection - Good movies. Short stories
| ASIN | B000GYI340 |
| Actors | Claire Forlani, Eion Bailey, Kim Delaney, Tom Berenger, William Hurt |
| Aspect Ratio | 1.78:1 |
| Best Sellers Rank | #12,576 in Movies & TV ( See Top 100 in Movies & TV ) #318 in Horror (Movies & TV) #1,627 in Drama DVDs |
| Customer Reviews | 4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars (849) |
| Director | Brian Henson, Mark Haber, Mikael Salomon, Rob Bowman |
| Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
| Item model number | 12569823686 |
| Language | English (Dolby Digital 5.1), Unqualified |
| MPAA rating | NR (Not Rated) |
| Media Format | NTSC, Subtitled |
| Number of discs | 3 |
| Product Dimensions | 7.75 x 5.75 x 0.53 inches; 5.78 ounces |
| Release date | October 24, 2006 |
| Run time | 6 hours and 18 minutes |
| Studio | WarnerBrothers |
| Subtitles: | Spanish |
| Writers | Kim LeMasters, Lawrence D. Cohen, Peter Filardi, Richard Christian Matheson, Sergio Mimica-Gezzan |
L**X
Short stories in movie format
I had to have this collection b/c it's Stephen King's adaptations on some of his short stories. The movies were well done and stayed mostly true to the stories. Recommended for fans!
P**Y
Collection
Good movies. Short stories
M**N
King Scores Big with Short Stories for the Screen
I have most of Stephen King's major movies so it was a very pleasant surprise to find this gem. The tape with the same title was incredible with all the creepyness and spell binding abilily typical of campfire stories. I was not sure that the suspense and "chills" could be adequately reproduced on the screen. This collection of several short stories--some from the tape and some from his book was no disappointment. The special effects are high end- easily matching the theater of the mind for those who enjoy King's books and tapes. Major actors are involved and the performances are great. Because it is a collection of short stories you can pick and choose what and when to watch. Although it is hard not to want "just one more." I was messmirized by the segment involving toy soldiers in a bizzare battle against a hitman played by William Hurt. In another story, a couple steps out of a taxi ride and ends up in a new world of increasing horror. I found myself whispering don't go there to the characters on screen. Typical of King, all characters are well developed even the tiny toy soldiers. You can't help but like or hate them. You are quickly engaged. King has no road map for his stories and there are multiple surprises and twists from his seemingly bottomless bag of plots. The mounting terror so typical in Kings stories is never lost on this smaller scale. The segments are short i.e. 30+ min but they have the same impact as a 2 hour movie. As an added bonus there are features with the actors commenting on the roles as well directors on how some of those special effects were done. Great acting, special effects and the always talented writing of Stephen King make this video well worth seeing.
R**7
A mixed bag, but more good than bad
This series is the true definition of a mixed bag! There are truly wonderful moments, and some truly awful ones as well. I can't help but think that better (or at least more cinematic) stories could have been picked. Stephen King has written just a few (!!!!). First of all, the production values of all episodes are impeccable. Most of the shows don't call for too much in the way of special effects, and that's fine. We are thus unable to sense the inevitable lower budgets that such a TV show would have. The DVD's themselves are also well done, with decent bonus materials, nice packaging, etc. You'll certainly be well entertained in general. BATTLEGROUND is one of my favorite King short stories of all time. I was absolutely thrilled to see that they finally made it into a "movie." It was put together to follow the original story very closely. Casting William Hurt was a great step, too. The "special effects" are very convincing for the most part, and the story, while totally ridiculous on one hand, is just perfect for such a short format. We see the situation, are asked to just go with it, and it moves quickly to a satisfying conclusion. Also, the show has NO dialogue. There are one or two moments when it's hard to believe a word wasn't uttered instead of a grunt, overall it was an effective little extra. A CROUCH END is probably the closest thing to a straight out horror story in this collection. The plot itself is simple, and frankly, not very original. It IS an homage to HP Lovecraft...his plots were seldom anything to get worked up about either. This story is all mood and atmosphere. And I can say that all my family members were quite neatly given the creeps by this episode. A high point. A- UMNEY'S LAST CASE is a terrific story...90% of the way through. It has great performances (who doesn't like William Macy), lovely art direction and a brisk little script. But the ending just fizzles, in my opinion. Somehow we get no emotional payoff and the ending is actually just a little confusing...as in, "that's it, it's just stopping right there?" B END OF THE WHOLE MESS plays like a modern day Twilight Zone episode. It's more sci-fi lite with an ironic twist. But for what it is, it's well done, and I liked seeing Ron Livingston in something that was against type. It's well written and acted, but emotionally uninvolving. B THE ROAD VIRUS HEADS NORTH Another creepy story, about a writer who picks up a painting at a garage sale, and as he travels north, the figures in the painting get closer and closer to him. It's certainly a creepy idea. The episode is well acted and is the most graphically violent of all the shows in this set. The ending reminds me very much (too much?) of the pilot episode of NIGHT GALLERY. The overall effect is creepy, but again, I think the ending was a bit weak. B THE FIFTH QUARTER This one feels like an Alfred Hitchcock Presents episode in modern times. More crime drama with some twists. It is quite well acted (I like seeing Jeremy Sisto and Samantha Mathis both)...but it doesn't fit in a collection entitled Nightmares and Dreamscapes. It's neither. I don't remember ever reading this story, either. While I didn't mind it, I kept wishing it had been substituted for something more "Stephen Kingish". B- AUTOPSY ROOM FOUR Yikes...the bottom of the barrel. Absolutely NOT a decent cinematic story. To read it is one thing, but to see the situation stretched out awkwardly to fit the allotted time...bad, bad, bad. It's the classic story of a guy on the slab at the morgue, still alive, but no one knows it and he is crying out in his head. It's close to a "buried alive" story. But IF it had to be made into a film, 20 minutes would have sufficed. Instead, we are forced to endure lots of scenes showing us the events leading up to the man's current situation. Scenes that are mundane, and VERY badly acted by Richard Thomas. (I'll admit it, I am NOT a Richard Thomas fan at all, but here he hits a new low). He's also the narrator, so it's mostly his voice we have to endure throughout. And there's a laughable subplot about a burgeoning romance between the coroner and one of her assistants. This is one of the worst Stephen King adaptations ever. D- YOU KNOW THEY GOT A HELL OF A BAND This is a pretty good story, about a little town not on any map that just might be hell. But I think it played better on the page. Lots of dead rock and roll stars appear in the story...one the page, we could picture the real people. On screen, we get a lot of second rate impersonators. And it's the kind of story where watching it makes you want to yell at the main characters "don't do that, you idiot!" because they keep making boneheaded moves you wouldn't want them too. Also, perennial Stephen King star Steven Weber is probably not quite the right guy for his role, although Kim Delaney is fine. It was okay viewing, but not the highpoint of the series, either. C So, as you can see, this is a mixed bag, but more good than bad. I'm giving it 4 stars overall, although I would still advise against watching the Richard Thomas episode at all. If it were a movie, it could become a cult classic bad movie. As a TV production, it's just kinda gross.
L**N
8 great stories by SK
8 stories on 3 discs, I haven’t seen these in years, so glad I came across this collection. Super fast shipping.
J**R
Nightmares & Dreamscapes- dvd
I’m a Stephen King fan so when I saw this, I had to have it. It’s been a while since I got this but the condition probably was new cause it still looks new now.
K**E
Skips
First two episodes had so many skips they weren't watchable. Disk didn't appear to be scratched but in 3 different players, it skipped playing in the same places.
J**Z
Happy
Arrive today happy 😊
E**B
Solo 1 de las historias es buena. Las demás sumamente aburridas.
C**E
A very good film. I thought it was very interesting. This one I will be keeping in my collection.
L**A
Excellent collection of short stories. I already have a copy for myself, this one is to add to my sister's Stephen King gift basket for Christmas. Ya, I've started my online Christmas shopping already, and darn glad I have!😁
L**S
The eight stories in this mini-series are exciting, scary and absorbing. Great actors and directors. Will watch this series again ang again
A**Y
Love Stephen King....Loved this
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