Rodney Ascher’s new documentary is all about nightmares, the real ones.
Last year, Ascher delivered the weird and mostly fascinating documentary Room 237, which peeled back the various layers of some seriously bat-shit interpretations of Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining. His new film, The Nightmare, is a documentary in which he investigates the demonic visions experienced by victims of sleep paralysis and provoked by Ascher’s own unsettling experiences with the condition.
Ascher talks up his new film, saying:
This project was a once in a lifetime opportunity to cross-breed two genres I love, documentary and horror. After exploring people’s real-life waking nightmares in long, free-flowing personal interviews, it was a bizarre trip through the looking glass to bring them to life and get lost inside of them on the set.
They released the film’s first image today of a dark figure standing over the body of a someone sleeping. That picture is at the top of this article and it’s amazing how simple, yet utterly terrifying it is. Nightmares are a wonderful thing, in that they provoke an insanely emotional response from the mind. Our brains conjure up some of the most wicked scenarios while we sleep, and Ascher’s The Nightmare will explore the worst of them. This is one to keep an eye on, folks.
themissingreel.com 
Interesting. I’ve Always Experienced Sleep Paralysis But Never The Shadows Or Monsters People Claim To See That Comes With It.
I can’t even imagine how terrifying it would be. No thanks!
I’ve suffered from a sleep paralysis since my college days and some CRAZY shit can go down. Once I was in bed, laying on my side and felt someone crawl in behind me – then they slipped a rope around my neck and began to pull. I thought I was going to die. It’s easier now because you can sort of learn to control aspects of it – like I always know when an episode is coming because there’s a buzzing in my ears and I can try to prevent it.
Anyway, this one is definitely going on my list! I’m curious what if feels like for other people…
Wow, that’s terrifying. I’m sure we’re going to be hearing some very freaky stories in the doc, much like yours!
This sounds truly terrifying. And kind of awesome. I bloody loved Room 237. I took notes when I watched it, really need to type up my review actually.
Yeah, once I read about this one I knew I had to share it. Can’t wait to see how this one turns out. Will probably keep me awake at night, though!
This is a must watch for me. I’ve experienced sleep paralysis several times a year that I can remember ever since I was 9 years old. Only saw things once. All the other times it seems like my hearing is very amplified.