Nightmare Code

2014 • 89 minutes

About this movie

Nightmare Code is an independent sci-fi thriller about behavior recognition technology, behavior modification, 24/7 surveillance and artificial intelligence.

Brett Desmond, brilliant young programmer with a troubled past, is brought to a tech start-up where the previous lead programmer went on a workplace murder/suicide rampage.

With just a month to finish ROPER, the highly advanced behavior recognition program, and only a small testing crew remaining, Brett works and sleeps in the semiabandoned office. But the deeper Brett delves into the code, the more his personality starts to warp like that of the dead programmer...and the more the code takes on a life of its own.

Utilizing surveillance cameras, PC cams, videochat and eyeglasscam, for more than half the movie the viewer watches four images on the screen at once, like a surveillance monitor but not always in sync, as if ROPER itself is telling us the story.

Ratings and reviews

Nightmare Code is a very interesting tale of man's attempt to predict the unpredictable nature of human beings. It's ambitious in its stylistic approach of using technology as a means to cross communicate with its characters. I'm a pretty big sucker for ensemble type stories. Something about watching all these pieces move around one another fascinates me. Maybe that's because how life works in general. The film has some cool scifi usage if that's your thing in particular. Give it a shot and see what you think. It's always nice to take a look at an independently made film for a change. They tend to have more passion behind them versus some of the copy and paste work we see out of hollywood. Happy viewing!

The way this movie is set up in four screens - it takes the concept of Mike Figgis' TIMECODE and makes it work. You're always looking between the screens to make sure you're always getting the full story - truly experimental filmmaking but the story never makes it feel that way. Definitely worth watching.

There were several elements about Nightmare Code that took me by surprise. To be honest, I was never a big fan of scary movies, or films of this genre, but my opinion has changed! Nightmare Code's "found footage" effect (the split screen, the feeling of being a voyeur to the unfolding story) was totally riveting. To say that I was on the edge of my seat is no understatement. The film moves at a strong pace, it has twists, turns and suspense. There were light and funny moments, as well. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. I'd watch it again. Highly recommend!