The Horror Show
Nightworld
by Patricio Valladares
There are some actors that are an automatic source of joy that it doesn't matter what they're in, you're going to watch. Robert Englund is very high on that list for me. When I saw his named attached to this odd little film on Netflix I knew I had to watch it… it certainly was a movie.
Nightworld is the story of Brett, played by Jason London. Brett is a retired American police officer now living in Bulgaria. His wife of a few years has passed and Brett is suffering from horrific nightmares reliving his wife's death. His friend suggests he take this security guard job watching over this obviously spooky block of apartments. He thinks it'll be a good idea for Brett to get out of the house, it might even help his nightmares. Brett agrees and heads to the capital city of Sophia.
Brett is greeted by two very odd fellows that manage the property. They ask him questions and begin to explain what his duties will be. Deep in the basement of this building there is a large hangar hidden behind a door with creepy symbols. All Brett has to do is monitor the closed-circuit security feed of the inside of the hangar and he is to phone a specific number if he sees anything happening. Needless to say, he sees a shadow and calls the number. That's when we get to see the man himself, Robert Englund, as Jacob. He was the previous caretaker, but now he's blind. Apparently, there's a gateway to the land of the dead called the Nightworld and the dead want to come through. With the help of a cute cafe owner, Zara, Brett has to figure out how to hold back an entire world of the dead.
This film was okay. I could tell it was a nod to Fulci's “Seven Doors” series. It was slow paced just like a lot of Italian horror films, problem is, it's not a Lucio Fulci film. It's missing what makes Giallo Horror great, and it was also kind of boring. Don't get me wrong, the acting was fine, the effects were fine. Everything was fine. Fine is great for a type of pen, but fine is not great when it's a horror movie.
Nightworld is on Netflix now. Watch it if you really want to see Robert Englund portray a blind man. I wouldn't rush to see it, though. It can totally wait.
Robin Thompson, HMS
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