Nightmare (1956 film)

Nightmare is a 1956 psychological thriller film noir starring Edward G. Robinson^[1]

The story is based on a novel by William Irish (aka Cornell Woolrich). The book also became a 1947 film, Fear in the Night.

Plot

New Orleans big band clarinetist Stan Grayson has a nightmare in which he sees himself in a mirrored room, killing a man. He awakens to find blood on himself, bruises on his neck, and a key from the dream in his hand.

Grayson goes to his brother-in-law, police detective Rene Bressard, about the problem but is dismissed. Later, the two men go on a picnic in the country with Grayson's girlfriend and sister. Grayson leads them to an empty house, the house of his dream, when it begins to rain. They are shocked to see that the house has a mirrored room just like in his dream. After it’s found out that a murder did indeed take place, Grayson becomes Bressard's number one suspect.

Grayson, stressed out and suicidal, protests his innocence, which makes Bressard dig deeper. That leads to them finding out about a hypnotist in Grayson's building who apparently set up the musician for murder.

Cast

• Edward G. Robinson as Rene Bressard
• Kevin McCarthy as Stan Grayson
• Connie Russell as Gina, Stan's Girl
• Virginia Christine as Mrs. Sue Bressard
• Gage Clarke as Harry Britten

Background

Nightmare was directed by longtime screenwriter Maxwell Shane, later the producer of the horror anthology television series Thriller in the early 1960s. He directed both versions of the film. Billy May and His Orchestra perform in this version.

Even though Robinson was not the hypnotist in the film, he was promoted as such in the film's movie posters.

References

External links

• Nightmare at the Internet Movie Database
• Nightmare at AllMovie
• Nightmare at the TCM Movie Database
• Nightmare scenes on YouTube