Nerds That Geek Movie Review: ‘A Nightmare Wakes’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for the motion picture, ‘A Nightmare Wakes’.
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The creation of a story, any story really, is often times as fascinating as the finished product itself. Simply because people are genuinely intruiged by the creative process and how exactly a writer comes up with the wild ideas that an audience enjoys upon the silver screen or within the pages of the book and that’s precisely why there are stories out there that examine this process to a tee. All so that people everywhere can come to understand the struggle and strife that goes into creating a wonderful work of art since it is in fact, no simple act. For it requires sacrifice and effort and there are times where it simply does not come easy for the writer.
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But what most documentaries and chronicles tend to gloss over, is the delicate balancing act that writers have to go through when they’re creating their masterpiece. Because it is incredibly easy for a writer to lose themselves within the framework of a particular story they are working on and allow for the concepts and the characters to consume them when what they’re creating is supremely strong. But once in a while, you encounter a motion picture that is eager to genuinely examine this tough side to the creative process and recently, this reviewer had the opportunity to watch a Shudder Original that offers up a fascinating exploration of the dark side to creativity in A Nightmare Wakes.

Now this particular film, more or less takes the time to chronicle the creation of the iconic Science Fiction/Horror story Frankenstein, by allowing for us to spend time with Mary Shelley herself and while that immediately makes it seem as though this story will be innocuous in nature, since the writing of a horror story, in a time that was far simpler, should be devoid of unsettling moments… it doesn’t take long for this film to show the audience otherwise. Because health care in any form was a bit of a joke back in Shelley’s day and that, combined with the fact that this era didn’t bother to process trauma, motivates Shelley to escape into the world of writing.

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Which is what brings forth the grand exploration of creativity in general. Since Shelley uses the harsh reality of her world and the loss of her own child to create the world of Victor Frankenstein, and she more or less uses her masterpiece to outright heal the trauma surging through her soul. Which was a fascinating twist to inject into this tale, since it speaks volumes to the old adage of ‘write what you know’ and watching her use her dreams of death and resurrection absolutely engages the viewer since there really aren’t that many stories out there that explore Mary and her creative process. But while it was nice to watch Mary grow as a writer and grapple with how her husband could not reconcile her talent, there was mention of the fact that an exploration of the dark side of writing was present and well, this segment of the story is what leads into that.

Because the longer she works on the book, and the harder her life becomes, the faster she loses herself within the world of Victor Frankenstein. To the point where she’s living out moments of the novel whilst the world whips around her and this hammers home the fact that a story can indeed take control of a writer's life. Which may not sound like that something all that dangerous. But as evidenced in this tale, getting lost in that manner can cause all kinds of trouble since those a creative mind holds near and dear are neglected emotionally and that always sparks friction and of course, there are everyday responsibilities we have to handle and letting those slide can cause a negative impact as well. But more important of all, the writer’s mental health suffers greatly when they let a tale take hold in this manner, since the line between what’s real and what’s fantasy is blurred. 

But while that is fascinating and unsettling in its own right, to some that may not still evoke images of terror, the kind that keep us up at night and have us checking on that shadow in the closet. But they are there, and they exist within the framework of Mary’s downward mental spiral and they will indeed leave you squirming in your seat. If anything, they’re not top of mind, simply because writer/director Nora Unkel does a wonderful job of creating a seamless experience for the viewer, one that genuinely moves you and engrosses you as you watch Mary Shelley grow and create a story that would influence creative minds and audiences for generations to come. And all of these elements, make this movie a fulfilling watch for certain, one that does a phenomenal job of reminding us that, as Stephen King once put it: ‘Life isn’t a support system for art. It’s the other way around.’ 

‘A Nightmare Wakes’ is now available to stream on Shudder.

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