Nightmares & Dreamscapes Collection (DVD)

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!

Good movies. Short stories

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.

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.

8 stories on 3 discs, I haven’t seen these in years, so glad I came across this collection. Super fast shipping.

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.

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.

Arrive today happy 😊

Solo 1 de las historias es buena. Las demás sumamente aburridas.

A very good film. I thought it was very interesting. This one I will be keeping in my collection.

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!😁

The eight stories in this mini-series are exciting, scary and absorbing. Great actors and directors. Will watch this series again ang again

Love Stephen King....Loved this