Nightmare Detective

Nightmare on Elm Street + One Missed Call + Inception. An atmospheric horror story that for Western audiences can be strange, both in the behaviour of the characters and in the way it blends imagination and reality. (2014-07-02)

My first encounter with Tsukamoto and straight away such an almost flawless movie experience. Without the occasional phases where it rather drags, there isn’t much to fault here. An interesting topic, molded into an original movie by means of very powerful visuals and marvelous sound effects, all with a great atmosphere. Instead of A Nightmare on Elm Street, I think a better comparison is with a detective style Suicide Club. (2007-07-23)

A Freddy Krueger premise, an oppressive and disturbing atmosphere similar to Shutter and awesome gore. I really enjoyed this cocktail and there were moments when I was scared for the first time in a long time. I definitely recommend it. 75%. (2014-06-16)

Nightmare Detective is a precise fusion of genre and creative approach, and not only because Tsukamoto’s formalistic style is absolutely ideal for horror. The film ignores the formulas of Asian horror movies and, thanks to the director’s distinctive grasp of the genre’s general principles (e.g. rationality and irrationality are joined through the investigation in dreams, whereas other horror movies stand in opposition to such approaches), a film has been made that is both an extraordinary contribution to its category and an integral part of Tsukamoto’s filmography. (2013-03-16)