Nightmares & Dreamscapes: From the Stories of Stephen King 

A television mini-series adaptation of Nightmares and Dreamscapes, Stephen King's collection of short horror stories.

Stars:

Robert Mammone, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Tom Berenger

Won 2 Primetime Emmys. Another 10 wins & 14 nominations.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Robert Mammone	...	Dr. Peter Jennings / ... 2 episodes, 2006
Kodi Smit-McPhee	...	Brandon / ... 2 episodes, 2006

Storyline

An eight episode adaptation of Stephen King's short stories, primarily from the Nightmares and Dreamscapes series. "Battleground" follows a quiet hitman becoming a target for violent revenge when he finds a mysterious package on his doorstep; A young woman and her attorney husband getting lost in a notoriously evil London neighborhood named "Crouch End"; "Umney's Last Case" is a 1930's era detective who realizes he's the main character in a novel, and he's being written out; A successful filmmaker films himself in "The End of the Whole Mess", recalling his genius brother's life and the scientific plan he applied to end world violence with unanticipated results; "The Road Virus Heads North" drives into gear as a celebrated writer realizes the demonic figure in the painting he's just acquired, is changing to show that it's onto the same stretch of road he's on; "The Fifth Quarter" has an ex-convict who goes to dastardly means to find treasure that puts his family's life at risk; "...

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Plot Keywords:

tv mini series | elvis | elvis presley | based on the works of stephen king | anthology | 

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Genres:

Drama | Fantasy | Horror | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Details

Official Sites:

Five [UK] TNT [United States]

Country:

Australia USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 June 2006 (USA)

Also Known As:

Incubi e deliri

Filming Locations:

Central City Studios, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Company Credits

Production Co:

Coote Hayes Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

378 min (original) 480 min (DVD)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

16:9

Did You Know?

Trivia

During the entire episode of "Battleground," not a single word is spoken.

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Goofs

The package that arrives in "Battleground" has San Francisco misspelled.

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Quotes

Willie Evans: Where's the gun you shot him with?
Keenan: It was self defense.
Willie Evans: Alright, where's the self defense weapon you shot him with?

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Connections

Version of Nightmares & Dreamscapes: From the Stories of Stephen King: Autopsy Room Four (2006)

User Reviews

Some episodes are better than others...

This fares better than much of Stephen King made-for-TV adaptations, though the episodes are hit or miss:

BATTLEGROUND 8/10 - easily the best episode AND an homage to the greatest made-for-TV horror ever, "Trilogy of Terror." There's even a cameo by our friend the Zuni Doll! It goes the "no dialogue" route, and William Hurt pulls it off well. The FX are ace. Loved this one. Unfortunately, it's mostly downhill from here.

CROUCH'S END 5/10 - this is pretty awful and Claire Forlani has got to be the worst working "name" actress, but there's something eerie in it's Lovecraft-ness that I appreciated for a bit.

THE ROAD VIRUS HEADS NORTH 4/10 - Meh. It's good to see Tom Berenger and Marsha Mason working again. I guess.

UMNEY'S LAST CASE 7/10 - It has a neat noir-ish feel, mostly created by the inimitable character acting of William H. Macy.

THE END OF THE WHOLE MESS 6/10 - eh, this didn't translate too well, but it's watchable.

THE FIFTH QUARTER 7/10 - This one's sort of a heist story with great performances (Sisto, Samantha Mathis) and a surprising homoerotic subplot. Good stuff here.

AUTOPSY ROOM FOUR 4/10 - another King adaptation ruined by Richard Thomas! YOU KNOW THEY GOT A HELL OF A BAND 4/10 - I remember reading this as a youngster and finding it REALLY eerie. What's not to be scared of by evil dead rocknroll icons? Well, how about really lame evil dead rocknroll icon impersonators? This does not translate well to film.