Nightmare (1956): Cast & Plot
Nightmare is a 1956 crime film directed by Maxwell Shane, starring Kevin McCarthy as Stan Grayson, Edward G. Robinson and Connie Russell. It runs 1 hour 29 minutes.
- Released
- Runtime
- 1h 29m (89 min)
- Director
- Maxwell Shane
- Genre
- Crime
- Original language
-
English - Studio
- Pine-Thomas Productions
- After the credits
- No No extra scene
What Is Nightmare About?
The premise of Nightmare without spoilers. The whole story is in the plot summary further down.
A hypnotist’s warning haunts Clarinetist Stan when he awakens from a vivid nightmare in which he murders a man inside a mirrored room. The dream feels real when he discovers fresh blood on his hands and a mysterious key matching the one from the vision, leading him to believe the crime may have actually occurred.
Nightmare Themes & Keywords
· 50 tags- remake by original director
- lighting a cigarette for a woman
- nightmare
- new orleans louisiana
- psychotronic film
- husband wife relationship
- brother in law brother in law relationship
- vindication
- french quarter
- dysfunctional marriage
- unfaithful wife
- vengeance
+38 more Show fewer
- hotel room
- burned out lightbulb
- pregnant wife
- thunder and lightning
- storm
- sheriff
- seeking shelter from rain
- light switch
- mirrored room
- hidden safe
- criminal investigation
- wrongful accusation
- murder of a woman
- house
- man
- psychic
- recording studio
- thunderstorm
- windshield wiper malfunction
- astraphobia
- female singer
- extreme close up
- waking up from a nightmare
- sleeping on a sofa
- hidden key
- deception
- stopwatch
- playing clarinet
- welt
- driving in rain
- disembodied head
- caught in the rain
- playing trumpet
- confusion
- waking up in a cold sweat
- nightclub
- deja vu
- dream sequence
Nightmare Cast & Characters
Kevin McCarthy leads the cast as Stan Grayson, with Edward G. Robinson as Rene Bressard and Connie Russell as Gina. Directed by Maxwell Shane; 14 actors are credited in all.
- Director Maxwell Shane
-
Kevin McCarthy as Stan Grayson -
Edward G. Robinson as Rene Bressard - Connie Russell as Gina
- Marian Carr as Madge Novick
Also Starring in Nightmare
· 10 more- Rhys Williams Deputy Torrence
- Virginia Christine Sue Bressard
- Ralph Brooks Oscar (Uncredited)
- Cosmo Sardo Nightclub Patron (Uncredited)
- Jack Chefe Nightclub Waiter (Uncredited)
- Sol Gorss Bob Clune (Uncredited)
- John Mitchum Onlooker at Stan's Suicide Attempt (Uncredited)
- Barry Atwater Captain Warner
- Gage Clarke Belknap / Harry Britten
- Meade 'Lux' Lewis Meade
More from Maxwell Shane
More films directed by Maxwell Shane: The Naked Street, The Glass Wall, City Across the River and Fear in the Night.
Nightmare Plot Summary
What happens in Nightmare from start to finish, spoilers included, with a timeline of 12 key events. The opening is below; the full summary is a 1-minute read.
Spoilers ahead
Stan Grayson, a New Orleans big-band clarinetist, endures a haunting nightmare: a mirrored room where he seems to kill a man, underscored by a dirge-like soundtrack that lingers even as he wakes. He finds blood on his skin, bruises circling his neck, and a mysterious key from the dream still clenched in his hand. The image is hard to shake, casting a pall over his days and nights and coloring his sense of reality with doubt.
Full summary
The whole story of Nightmare, scene by scene
How Well Do You Know Nightmare?
10 questions about the story, each with a hint if you get stuck. Pick an answer to see whether you were right.
Question 1 of 10
- Question 1: not answered
- Question 2: not answered
- Question 3: not answered
- Question 4: not answered
- Question 5: not answered
- Question 6: not answered
- Question 7: not answered
- Question 8: not answered
- Question 9: not answered
- Question 10: not answered
What instrument does Stan Grayson play in the big band?
Cars in Nightmare
8 cars on screen, including the 1956 Dodge Custom Royal and the 1940 Chevrolet Special De Luxe.
-
1956 Dodge Custom Royal Important role -
1940 Chevrolet Special De Luxe Background role -
1954 Ford Crestline Victoria Background role -
1940 Hudson Eight Background role
Nightmare Also Known As
8 alternative titles, including “Giorni di dubbio” and “Noche de pesadilla”.
- Also known as
-
- Giorni di dubbio
- Noche de pesadilla
- Im Dunkel der Nacht
- Ночной кошмар
- Pesadelo
- El malson
- Le cauchemar
- 恐怖之夜
Seen Nightmare?
Movies Like Nightmare
Films with a similar story, tone or audience, including Nightmare, Fear in the Night and Nightmare Honeymoon.
Nightmare FAQ: Cast, Runtime & Release Date
Runtime, release date, director, cast and post-credit scenes of Nightmare, each answered in a sentence.
How long is Nightmare?
Nightmare runs 1 hour 29 minutes (89 minutes).
When was Nightmare released?
Nightmare was released on August 20, 1956.
Who directed Nightmare?
Nightmare was directed by Maxwell Shane.
More films by Maxwell Shane Who is in the cast of Nightmare?
Nightmare stars Kevin McCarthy as Stan Grayson, Edward G. Robinson as Rene Bressard and Connie Russell as Gina, among 14 credited actors.
Does Nightmare have a post-credit scene?
No. Nightmare has no extra scene during or after the credits.
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