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What's After the Movie?
Horror thriller

Nightmare (1964): Cast & Plot

Nightmare (1964) movie poster

Nightmare is a 1964 horror thriller directed by Freddie Francis, starring Jennie Linden as Janet Freeman, Brenda Bruce and David Knight. It runs 1 hour 23 minutes.

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Nightmare (1964) movie poster
Released
Runtime
1h 23m (83 min)
Director
Freddie Francis
Genres
Thriller , Horror , Mystery
Original language
English
After the credits
No No extra scene
The story

What Is Nightmare About?

The premise of Nightmare without spoilers. The whole story is in the plot summary further down.

A young student is tormented by vivid, recurring dreams in which her mother murders her father. When three shocking murders mirror the pattern of her nightmares, she becomes desperate to convince friends and family that the horrors are real and not delusions, fearing she is losing her sanity.

Nightmare Themes & Keywords

· 50 tags
  • traumatic experience
  • fear of madness
  • psychotronic film
  • nightmare
  • young female student
  • private school female student
  • plagued by nightmares
  • insane mother
  • insane asylum
  • expelled
  • female protagonist
  • recurring nightmare
+38 more
  • fear
  • teacher
  • lie
  • stabbing
  • friendship
  • lawyer
  • insanity
  • girls' boarding school
  • woman wears a nightgown
  • doll
  • adult actress plays a teenage girl
  • birthday cake
  • cutting oneself with a shard of glass
  • bentley s1
  • mysterious woman
  • fear of insanity
  • woman slaps a woman
  • doctor makes a house call
  • nightmare sequence
  • companion
  • escaped psychiatric patient
  • woman smoking
  • metal door
  • 17 year old girl
  • hearing voices
  • 11 year old girl
  • teacher student relationship
  • woman stabbed
  • gaslighting
  • facial scar
  • camera shot of a woman's bare feet
  • transistor radio
  • door closes by itself
  • birthday
  • mistaking dream for reality
  • scene during opening credits
  • close up of eyes
  • private room
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Cast & crew

Nightmare Cast & Characters

Jennie Linden leads the cast as Janet Freeman, with Brenda Bruce as Mary Lewis and David Knight as Henry Baxter. Directed by Freddie Francis; 12 actors are credited in all.

Also Starring in Nightmare

· 8 more
From the director

More from Freddie Francis

More films directed by Freddie Francis: Dark Tower, The Doctor and the Devils, The Ghoul and Craze.

Full filmography
Plot

Nightmare Plot Summary

What happens in Nightmare from start to finish, spoilers included, with a timeline of 11 key events. The opening is below; the full summary is a 2-minute read.

Spoilers ahead

Six years after Janet Freeman witnessed her mother stab her father to death, she is plagued by nightmares that blur the line between sleep and waking. A poised finishing-school girl, Janet is brought home by Miss Mary Lewis to recover, while her guardian Henry Baxter is away. Upon arrival, they are greeted by John, the cheery chauffeur, Mrs. Gibbs, the housekeeper, and Grace Maddox, a poised nurse-companion Henry has hired to help. Miss Lewis leaves Janet in the care of Grace, setting in motion a tense dance of trust, secrecy, and fragile sanity.

Full summary

The whole story of Nightmare, scene by scene

Read the full summary
Videos

Nightmare Trailers & Videos

The trailer of Nightmare.

NIGHTMARE 1964
Quiz

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

  1. Question 1: not answered
  2. Question 2: not answered
  3. Question 3: not answered
  4. Question 4: not answered
  5. Question 5: not answered
  6. Question 6: not answered
  7. Question 7: not answered
  8. Question 8: not answered
  9. Question 9: not answered
  10. Question 10: not answered

What traumatic event did Janet Freeman witness six years before the story begins?

Cars

Cars in Nightmare

1 car on screen: the Bentley S1.

  • Bentley S1 in Nightmare Bentley S1 Important role
Details

Nightmare Also Known As

11 alternative titles, including “Here's the Knife” and “Dear: Now Use It”.

Also known as
  • Here's the Knife
  • Dear: Now Use It
  • L'incubo di Janet Lind
  • El abismo del miedo
  • Pesadilla
  • Der Satan mit den langen Wimpern
  • Meurtre par procuration
  • 악몽
  • Cilada Diabólica
  • 恶梦
  • Ночной кошмар

Seen Nightmare?

FAQ

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 23 minutes (83 minutes).

When was Nightmare released?

Nightmare was released on February 28, 1964.

Who directed Nightmare?

Nightmare was directed by Freddie Francis.

More films by Freddie Francis

Who is in the cast of Nightmare?

Nightmare stars Jennie Linden as Janet Freeman, Brenda Bruce as Mary Lewis and David Knight as Henry Baxter, among 12 credited actors.

Does Nightmare have a post-credit scene?

No. Nightmare has no extra scene during or after the credits.

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