Nightmare Factory

2011
7.3| 1h34m| en
Details

The story of how one Pittsburgh boy’s fascination with monsters drove him to the very top of the Hollywood food chain. In 1989, Greg Nicotero, much to his parents’ chagrin, quit medical school and headed for Hollywood to pursue a dream of making monsters. Together with gore masters Howard Berger and Robert Kurtzman, Nicotero went on to create KNB EFX Group, one of the most prolific makeup effects studios in the world. After twenty years as the “go to guy” for the world’s most successful horror/sci-fi films, Greg Nicotero is the first one directors like Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez call.

AD
AD

Watch Free for 30 Days

All Prime Video Movies and TV Shows. Cancel anytime. Watch Now

Trailers & Clips

Reviews

ReaderKenka Let's be realistic.
Aneesa Wardle The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.
Hattie I didn’t really have many expectations going into the movie (good or bad), but I actually really enjoyed it. I really liked the characters and the banter between them.
Stephanie There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes
Michael_Elliott Nightmare Factory (2011) **** (out of 4)Excellent documentary taking a look at the special effects of Greg Nicotero, Howard Berger and Robert Kurtzman, the team that would make up KNB. The documentary takes a look at the early history of special effects, which included the work of Lon Chaney and works itself up to Tom Savini and his ground-breaking work on DAWN OF THE DEAD and Friday THE 13TH. From there we hear from Nicotero and how he got involved with DAY OF THE DEAD, which led to one big film after another. NIGHTMARE FACTORY does a wonderful job at not only telling you the story of these three men but it also gives you a much better appreciation of the work they do. It's strange to think that so many great make-up artists were overlooked in previous decades but thanks to DVD commentaries, featurettes and movies like this, these artists are given their due, which is great. The documentary also features interviews with the likes of John Carpenter, George Romero, Quentin Tarantino, Frank Darabont and others. These men talk about their appreciation of the KNB group but also comment on the horror films that meant so much to them as children. The best thing about this documentary is that there's plenty of behind-the-scenes footage of the team at work on various films like EVIL DEAD 2, PREDATORS, KILL BILL, PIRANHA and The Walking Dead television show. Fans of horror films will certainly want to check this out.
poe426 NIGHTMARE FACTORY, like THE SCI-FI BOYS, is one of those documentaries I could just sit and watch over and over without ever really getting bored. That's due, in no small part, to the fact that I was exactly like a lot of the people profiled in these documentaries- with one glaring distinction: I grew up in Abject Poverty, so the odds were always against my doing anything that required even a minimal outlay. I tried to WRITE my way into filmmaking, but things never quite worked out the way I'd hoped (although I DID get a response from George Romero, thanks to people like Forrest J. Ackerman and Bob Michelucci). Another problem I've always encountered: a lack of real interest on the part of any of the people I've known (I finally ran into a fellow comic book fan some years ago and we talked on the phone so much that his wife began to suspect something was up- there wasn't, of course- but even that friendship proved temporary: I haven't seen the guy in a year and a half, now; he grew "sick" of my "s***," he said). It's good to know that I'm not alone in this world when it comes to being a "fanboy." It's also good to know that some of Us make it Big in the end.
gavin6942 An inside look at the world of Hollywood special effects and the company paving the way, KNB Effects.This gets right to the heart of horror effects -- no one does better than KNB (with all due respect to Tom Savini, who is essentially their predecessor). And all the mandatory people are here: Romero, Landis, Carpenter... and of course Nicotero and Berger themselves (but no Kurtzman, who left the team). Even a few unexpected guests... like Elijah Wood.At first, a big focus seems to be "The Walking Dead" rather than a historical look at the team... but then we get the archive footage of "Evil Dead II" and other earlier works from the guys. Amazing stuff, and gives incredible insight into the horror movie magic.Who knew such great things came from Pittsburgh?
mcc1134 I loved this flick! It's a great look inside the life of a special effects artist: how do you get there, the highs, the lows! I'd recommend this on to any gore or horror buffs for sure! Or even if you just love docs and are curious about how so much of the non-digital movie magic is done and how that blends with CGI to make the most impossible before your eyes! If you're a Greg Nicotero fan, you get some insight on his childhood and you can see how much he really loves his craft! It's like watching "best of" moments from various Making Of docs (lots of great Walking Dead behind the scenes!!) infused with Nicotero's story of his personal fight to accomplish his dreams of being an FX artist!