Nightmare Symphony – Reelgore Releasing (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Italy, 2020
Directors: Domiziano Cristopharo, Daniele Trani
Writer: Antonio Tentori
Cast: Frank LaLoggia, Antonella Salvucci, Poison Rouge, Halil Budakova, Antonio Tentori, Hasan Lushi, Nexhmije Selca, Oltion Budakova, Lumi Budakova, Merita Budakova, Florim Kleqka, Ilmi Hajzeri, Blin Budakova, Irene Baruffetti, Federico di Pasquale, Pietro Cinieri, Lina Budakova

Release Date: December 13th, 2022
Approximate Running Time: 81 Minutes 34 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVCC
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Stereo English/Italian
Subtitles: English SDH, Swedish
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: $34.95

"Frank is a stressed-out director, trying to complete a seemingly doomed horror film called A Peacock's Tale. Between ongoing arguments with the scriptwriter and producer, Frank faces his own existential crisis and is plagued by terrible nightmares and paranoia. Life begins to imitate art, it seems, when those involved in the film production are butchered by a mysterious masked figure. Can Frank still differentiate between reality and the brutal killings that are based on the movie's script?" - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.25/5

Nightmare Symphony comes on a 25 GB single layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 22.5 GB

Feature: 18.9 GB

Shot on digital, the source looks excellent. Colors and flesh tones look correct; black levels and image clarity are strong; and compression is very good.

Audio: 4.25/5

This release comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD stereo mix in English and Italian with removable English SDH subtitles and removable Swedish subtitles. The audio sounds clear, balanced, and robust when it should. That said, you have to watch with subtitles on for all dialog in order to understand the Italian dialog.

Extras:

Extras for this release include reversible cover art, a teaser trailer (1 minute 21 seconds, DTS-HD stereo), a theatrical trailer (1 minute 47 seconds, DTS-HD stereo English, no subtitles), an option to listen to Nightmare Symphony’s soundtrack (42 minutes 30 seconds - 14 songs), behind the scenes bloopers (8 minutes 42 seconds, DTS-HD stereo English/Italian, no subtitles), an interview with director Domiziano Christopharo (13 minutes 48 seconds, DTS-HD stereo English, no subtitles), and an Interview with screenwriter Antonio Tentori (6 minutes 15 seconds, DTS-HD stereo Italian with removable English subtitles).

Summary:

Co-directed by Domiziano Cristopharo (House of Flesh Mannequins) and Daniele Trani, who has worked as a cinematographer on several films directed by Domiziano Cristopharo. Nightmare Symphony is an homage to the cinema of Lucio Fulci.

Besides gory set pieces and the look of Nightmare Symphony, another area where Nightmare Symphony is influenced by Lucio Fulci is its poster art, which clearly references A Cat in the Brain, a film that went by the alternate title Nightmare Concert.

Lucio Fulci is Nightmare Symphony’s main influence. Nightmare Symphony is also a modern take on the giallo, a genre in which Lucio Fulci was one of the most prominent filmmakers to have worked. That said, when it comes to the killer in Nightmare Symphony, don’t expect the black-gloved killer that has become synonymous with giallo cinema. Nightmare Symphony’s killer wears a peacock mask.

The narrative revolves around a filmmaker who is struggling to get their latest film completed. And along the way, they’re forced to make compromises that go against their artistic intentions. Nightmare Symphony is a metacinematic tale in which life imitating art has deadly consequences.

From a production standpoint, Nightmare Symphony has all the elements that one would expect from a film that is paying homage to Lucio Fulci and giallo cinema. The premise is well-executed, and the finale perfectly brings together the events that preceded. That said, the narrative is very basic, and it is essentially propped up by its gory set pieces. Other strengths include a solid score that reinforces the mood and enthusiastic performances from the cast. Ultimately, Nightmare Symphony is a highly entertaining film that fans of giallo cinema should enjoy.

Nightmare Symphony gets a solid release from Reelgore Releasing that comes with a strong audio/video presentation and a pair of informative extras, recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer