In 1989 Greg Nicotero quit medical school and headed for Hollywood to pursue a dream of making monsters. Together with splatter maestros Howard Berger and Robert Kurtzman, Nicotero created the KNB EFX Group. Nightmare Factory is the story of KNB and in particular Greg Nicotero – from humble beginnings, to the rockstar excesses of their fame in the 80s, to today where they known and respected as one of the most prolific make-up effects studios in the world.
From the humourous, yet affectionate, look at Troll 2 with Best Worst Movie, to the decade spanning, in-depth story of the Nightmare on Elm Street series with Never Sleep Again, the horror documentary, a small but growing sub-genre that is steadily becoming one of the most interesting aspects of both the documentary and horror genres. Nightmare Factory is the latest to come along, detailing the story of Greg Nicotero and KNB EFX, from the early days of films such as Intruder and Evil Dead 2 to today, where they provide body after body for AMC’s The Walking Dead – and everything (dodgy mullets included) in between.
Primarily a set of talking head pieces with some of the genres biggest, and most respected names – including George A Romero, Quentin Tarantino, Frank Darabont and Robert Rodriguez – Nightmare Factory is a fascinating look at not only KNB, but also at the ever-changing world of special effects – from early prosthetics and model work, to the CGI-laden FX of today. It also goes into great detail about how KNB’s remit has changed. No longer are they just the go-to guys for gore-strewn horror movies, they now provide make-up effects for some of Hollywood’s biggest blockbusters.
Despite offering an insight into the SFX process and the creation of KNB, you can’t help thinking that Nightmare Factory is little more than a promotional puff-piece, a show-reel for those not aware of KNB rather than a detailed look at one of the most respected effects companies in the world… Still it’s a welcome addition to the genre and is a great watch for fans (myself included) of monster and gore effects.
This was a review by Phil of Blogomatic 3000
Rating:N/C
UK Release Date: 25th August 2012 (Frightfest)
Directed By: Donna Davies
Cast: Gabriel Bartalos, Howard Berger , Steve Biodrowski, Frank Darabont, John Carpenter