source: Nightmare Radio: The Night Stalker

I have a soft spot for horror anthology films. Even though I saw this had a terrible rating going in. I expected it to at least somewhat be above what is claimed. After all, many of the films I've liked had not so good ratings. Not to many as low as this one though. This movie takes place from the perspective of a radio station host having callers tell scary stories. I've even watched movies before with the exact same concept and they were okay. This one? Horrible. The stories are laughable and hardly make any sense. They come across more like concept playing or brainstorming than something that was intended for an actual movie. The acting is so bad too. Just wow. I've been watching nearly a movie a night in 2023 and here in September this title has without question been the worst film yet.

Nightmare Radio: The Night Stalker (2023) is a movie that I recently watched on Prime. The storyline follows a horror radio-show host that has callers dial-in and tells her true horror stories they have experienced. When one of the stories involve her, she's sucked into the tale whether she wants to be or not... This movie is codirected by six different directors who create different segments and stars Agustin Olcese (What the Water Left Behind: Scars), Paula Brasca (Focus), Pooya Mohseni (Remote), Michael Lorz (Gotham) and Nancy Nagrant (Delivery Man). This was actually a pretty good concept for a horror anthology and the premise is set up pretty well. Like most horror anthologies some episodes are better than others. There's good background music to create intensity. The first and last segments were the best to me. I enjoyed the fox storyline and the ultimate radio show host plot. Unfortunately, the hospital CGI used in that segment was disappointing and "The Shining" moment with the ax was a bit cliche. There's some thing in here to like and some sequences that fall flat. Overall, this is an uneven horror anthology with some worthwhile elements and its fair share of misses. I would score this a 5/10 and only recommend it to diehard horror fans.

Nightmare Radio: The Night Stalker is an anthology film, with an overarching narrative about a female dj, who hosts a late night radio program about real life horror stories. Each installation of the anthology is presented as a recreation of a story put forward by one of her listeners. With the running narrative revolving around a repeated caller...who has been overcome by obsession- in stalker like fashion- because she ditched him at a bar once, after he had boughten her a drink. The first short is about a woman who turns into a kitsune, while living in a loveless marriage, in an abandoned subdivision. The second short is about a director getting a tour of a haunted sanitarium in West Virginia. The third short is about a woman who chases down a man she thinks has kidnapped her sister. While the last short is about a family of murderous vintners. The best part about this film is definitely the shorts. With the last short being the most interesting. The main bit is honestly kind of stupid. And almost unnecessary. I think I would have liked it more if she was fashioned more like a cryptkeeper type narrator. But, with it's short runtime around 80 minutes, it's not a bad little film. Despite the mediocre CGI it entails. While certainly watchable...I definitely wouldn't go out of my way to see it if I were you. 3 out of 10.

Horrible. Quite simply, horrible. Whomever directed this trash should be run out of the studio, never to return and never work again. The movie is interminably slow. Think molasses in the projector slowing the action down to a crawl. The "director" is clueless on how to direct a movie. And I mean clueless. It's almost as if they gave a monkey a camera and turned him loose with the actors -- who by the way are pretty bad themselves. Then there's the writing. What writing? There is no story. Even the title makes no real sense. This movie should be set aside and every copy destroyed. It's THAT bad. Trust me.

These compilation type movies are nothing new. Think of the Twilight Zone movie that has an overarching story with little episodes dotted inside. The individual stories vary in quality but are generally well put together and will hold your attention. The main story isn't particularly original but it's the quality of everyone involved that make it a decent attempt at the genre. I will admit that the production does show its limitations on occasion but these are mainly due to budget. This is not a polished Hollywood blockbuster but does maintain a creepy and eerie feel throughout its runtime. Definitely worth a look.