The story of Frankenstein and his monster is not new to most people. We’ve all seen and read some variation of it. What some of us may not know is how Mary Shelley wrote her novel. This is where Shudder’s A Nightmare Wakes steps in. Directed by Nora Unkel, A Nightmare Wakes explores Shelley’s relationship with Poet Percy Shelly and the twisted creation of her influential literary masterpiece, Frankenstein.
I had the absolute pleasure of watching A Nightmare Wakes and today I’m here to talk about it. When I first saw the trailer for this film I knew it was one that I had to watch. A lot of the time we focus our attention on the actual piece of fiction that is created. To focus on the creator’s story, which actually mirrors the story of Frankenstein in a way, is incredibly interesting. I think many people will be surprised by the mental strain that plagued Mary while writing her novel and it’s illustrated in A Nightmare Wakes in such unique way.
If you’re unfamiliar with A Nightmare Wakes, here is the official synopsis:
While composing her famous novel Frankenstein, Mary Shelley descends into an opium-fueled fever dream while carrying on a torrid love affair with Percy Shelley. As she writes, the characters of her novel come to life and begin to plague her relationship with Percy. Before long, she must choose between true love and her literary masterpiece.
Whenever someone tells me about a horror film, I am automatically suspicious. Horror has never been a genre I’ve fully explored or particularly enjoyed. I’m easily scared and I’m not very good at hiding it. What I really enjoyed about A Nightmare Wakes is that it proves that horror can exist outside of the grotesque and outside of physical hauntings.
Mary Shelley goes through her own internal horror by which her ideas begin to animate and the world around her begins to crumble thus giving her creations more life and control. It acts more as a psychological thriller that dabbles in a classic horror story. The way in which this is visualized is very intriguing. We’re introduced to a dream state where Mary can visit her creation and see it take shape. It’s incredibly eerie in its aesthetic but what works really well is when that dream state begins to invade reality. The two worlds become blurred.
Witness the birth of Frankenstein and his Monster…
This does a number of things. It makes Mary’s life a lot more complicated and it puts the audiences in a constant state of unease. There are moments where you can gradually see her creations seep through the gaps. Some are even “blink-and-you’ll-miss-it” moments. But as the film progresses, the invaders become a lot more obvious and invasive. There’s this brilliant escalation. It creates a very interesting dynamic between Mary and her partner, Percy. What it also does is highlight the ways in which Mary’s own life influenced her work and that is incredibly interesting to watch. Not only did Mary suffer a lot in life, but her drug-induced dedication to her work heightened that suffering. Seeing how those tragedies influence her work and seeing how her work influences her life becomes a pivotal centerpiece in this film. It truly is brutal and quite poignant.
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I found it really hard to look away. It just looks fantastic. What really helps elevate the story is how it is all framed. The cinematography and overall visuals are stunning. The characters are always at the centre of attention. But what’s fascinating is seeing how Mary’s ideas invade the frame or materialize. Sometimes it’s obscure and sometimes the intrusion is obvious. This is definitely a very character driven story but it is also surprisingly visual. The creative decisions implemented that visually capture Mary’s descent, such as using ink rather than blood, are genius. In a way, they almost act as visual motifs indicating when reality is distorted. Additionally, what makes this film quite sad is the fact that visually we can tell what is real and what isn’t. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for Mary despite the visual clues being there.
What’s also nice to point out, in relation to the film’s visual approach is that it had an opportunity to dive into the grotesque with the introduction of Frankenstein’s monster. But I love the fact that they didn’t. They do something very interesting with the concept of “Frankestein’s Monster” and it’s something that I’ve never seen before. We all have a visual image of what the monster looks like, I’m betting that they’re all very similar. I also bet that a lot of us still call the monster Frankenstein. What A Nightmare Wakes does is spin that concept on its head. The idea of the monster becomes a very internal thought influenced by trauma. In that regard, it takes a form that is much more terrifying and unique.
Don’t forget the trailer!
Of course, we cannot forget the cast. It’s a relatively small cast but that’s something that works in its favor. Our attention is always on these main characters, mostly Mary (Alix Wilton Regan), Percy (Guillian Yao Gioiello), Lord Byron (Phillippe Bowgen), and Claire Clairmont (Claire Glassford). We focus primarily on the one location so these characters are always with us. what’s fantastic to witness is how their lives begin to spiral. Mary’s relationship with Percy begins to fall apart as her obsession consumes her, Percy becomes very tired and bitter, Claire attempts to maintain order, while Byron, in a way, acts as a devils advocate attempting to hinder the relationship between Mary and Percy.
One of the main driving points of this film is the relationships surrounding Mary. Mary must choose between her work and Percy. Seeing how that ultimatum manifest and begins to effect how she visually interprets her work really adds another layer to the film. Her problems with her relationships and within herself begin to feed and fuel her ideas. As the relationships begin to worsen, her creation becomes stronger. In a way, it almost becomes cyclical. As Mary’s state of mind deteriorates, it effects the people around her which then causes more problems which, in turn, forces Mary to resume her work and thus the cycle begins again.
A Nightmare Wakes is available from February 4th
As the pinnacle character of this narrative, Mary Shelley really needed to shine in this. It’s safe to say that Alix Wilton Regan (who has voiced some of my favourite video game characters,might I add) knocked it out of the park. Her performance as Mary is haunting. Mary’s story in this is very tragic and Regan’s performance makes you feel for her… and fear her. As Mary’s addiction to dive into her fictional reality deepens, her inability to distinguish what is real and what isn’t progressively worsens and that results in a really chilling performance from Regan.
Mary seeks comfort and has a desire to escape. The fact that she willingly ventures into her work in order to obtain those things really illustrates just how much she wants them. What’s so chilling and frankly quite scary is that she is continuously punished. Whether it’s blood, ink, or even tears, Mary’s obsessive journey always results in some sort of mental trauma. Yet, this doesn’t sway her from resting or bidding farewell to Frankenstein. Quite the opposite. It’a like a drug. Regan really owns this role. She’s able to masterfully convey a multitude of thoughts and emotions without even saying a word. Fear, lust, madness, sadness, anger, and depression plague Mary throughout the entire film and watching Regan tackle each one elevates the film. It becomes a captivating and visceral performance.
Alix Wilton Regan is Mary Shelley
A Nightmare Wakes exists outside of traditional Frankenstein adaptations because the focus isn’t on the monster and that’s something we rarely see. Frankenstein has a weight attached to it. It’s known around the world and it’s synonymous with the horror genre. The decision to interpret Frankenstein and his monster in a psychological way rather than a physical way, makes A Nightmare Wakes stand out. Nora Unkel presents us with a very brutal and poignant interpretation that brilliantly unravels and is supported by an outstanding cast dedicated to highlighting the troubled and problematic life of Mary Shelley. Frankenstein and his monster may continue to exist and bounce from medium to medium, but we can’t afford to forget the story behind the author.
While I’m sure certain liberties were taken in terms of accurately depicting Shelley’s life, there’s no doubting that A Nightmare Wakes will illuminate Shelley’s quality of life, the struggles she faces, and the lengths she went to bring her creation to life. Seems rather poetic, doesn’t it?
The film will arrive on Shudder on February 4th, 2021. Just days after the 170th anniversary of Mary Shelley’s dearth on February 1st, 1851. Please enjoy the trailer for this sweeping psychological thriller which will show the esteemed writer in a whole new light.
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