PopHorror Let's Get Scared
Let me start by saying that Mother Noose Presents: Once Upon A Nightmare is in no way connected to the alleged plagiarist and disgraced Michael Darkone’s project of very similar title, which was recently the cause of so much industry angst. Now that I’ve got that off my chest…
Richard Tanner (Room For Rent 2016 – read our review here) wrote and directed the overall movie, as well as segments “The Little Red Hood,” “Mother Noose andHer Assistant,” “Breadcrumbs,” “Sinderella,” and “The Big Bad,” while Erick E Poe (McGillicutty: Wyatt Earp Shoots First 2019) wrote and directed “Through the Woods,” and Dan Beck (30 Second Movies TV series 2015) directed “The Real Boy.”
I want to champion and encourage indie horror creators, and as an artist, it’s difficult for me to be critical of something that took someone time, money, and effort to create… even if it is, in my opinion, not so great. However, as a reviewer, it’s my responsibility to offer a candid and truthful perspective. In the case of Mother Noose Presents: Once Upon a Nightmare (2020), there is scarcely a molecule of redemption within its arduous run time of one hour 45 minutes. It does not function ironically or otherwise and misses its objective remarkably.
I am acutely aware that money is a constant issue with indie films, especially in horror. Having said that, perhaps a less ambitious, shorter movie would have made better use of this small budget.
The audio is my biggest gripe, with static feedback that zaps right into your headphones, actors that trail off into silence in mid-sentence, non-existent sound effects, and mismatched audio that is fairly embarrassing.
The practical effects try, but fail, to land in that elusive campy, corny, yet funny category. It seems the people involved were under the misconception that erect werewolf dicks, ejaculating tennis racket handle dicks, and strap-on dicks would distract from the absurdity of it all. Nevertheless, I’m certain there is a demographic out there that will have to see these things for themselves, so Mother Noose has that going for her.
The lighting needs work, the cinematography is amateurish, the characters are one-dimensional, the stories lack creativity, and the sets, usually someone’s living room, are excruciating.
Several segments star Jon Devlin (FrankenThug 2018), while Erin Brown (Midnight Massacre 2020) played Jane Wolfe in “The Big Bad,” and Cassidy Rose (Arte Factum: Legends 2018) is Anna in the “Sinderella” segment. The acting is… not good. Even the shameless parade of Rubenesque beauties who aren’t afraid of a little titty love do nothing to move Mother Noose along.
Look, I can appreciate what these filmmakers were trying to accomplish—cult status among the fans of dreadful and outlandish movies—but they presumed a lot, even from that fan base. This movie has some pluck, so I hope it finds its people.
