Nightmare Code (2014)

This was surprisingly good for the budget. The actors were well chosen, and played their parts convincingly. A man who was a whistle-blower in a government tech job, and who subsequently ended up in legal trouble (though what he did to end up that way is never explained) winds up in another tech job, trying to work out the bugs on a software development project that the previous senior developer went postal on, killing his entire team and himself. Through all kinds of snafus, and ups and downs, he struggles to make the program work, ironing out the bugs. However, for some unforeseen (to them)circumstances, the bugs keep reappearing and replicating. Eventually, we learn that the previous senior programmer, whose name was Cotton, had worked the program in a way that he could upload himself into the program, thereby becoming immortal. It's Cotton that is changing r.o.p.e.r. into something other than a recognition software. As expected, it doesn't end well for the human race.This was a good little film, full of suspense and taking its jabs at 'big brother'. The characters were very well fleshed out, and you sympathized with every one of them. There were a couple of douchy minor characters, but every good movie needs at least one. Someone you root for to bite the big one. You felt the paranoia as the computer systems began to actually act on their own. This went far beyond AI and into realms of 'ghost in the machine'. 'Transcendence', another film along these lines and boasting both big budget and big stars, is a good movie to compare this one to. Both were effective in the messages they were trying to send, and both are incredibly good watches.

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!

Nightmare Code (2014) Review Nightmare Code begins with a nightmare scenario, practically a whole team of people are shot dead with the shooter then taking his own life. The shooter was programmer Foster Cotton (Googy Gress). Cotton was working on a top secret surveillance program, along with his team, that can determine an individual's next course of action. The selling point for such coding is that the program would help cut down on criminal activity by sussing out when an individual is about to perpetrate a crime before they've actually committed it (very much like Minority Report then).Keen to finish Cotton's work the company bring in Brett Desmond (Andrew J. West), a notorious code wizard, to investigate what went wrong prior to the massacre, sort out the code and thus deliver a final workable product. Desmond starts by watching clips left by the previous programmer, the shooter Foster Cotton. It appears that the code is rewriting itself and has more secrets than it is willing to give up and reveal. Will Desmond end up going 'Columbine', like his predecessor, or will Nightmare Code surprise us all and finish on a happy note? Here's a clue. There are no surprises in Nightmare Code but that doesn't prevent it from being entertaining if a little familiar.Computer paranoia seems old hat now with everyone a willing slave to technology. Back when the likes of Demon Seed (1977) and The Lawnmower Man (1992) were released there was scope to chill an audience with the potential dangers of giving technology free reign and taking over. Fortunately the film is saved by some strong writing at the start, a rarity in low budget horror, where the techno babble is digestible and the set-up initially intriguing. Otherwise there's little new on offer that hasn't been touched upon in some shape or form before with the plot also unfolds pretty much as you would expect it to right up to an unnecessary 'one more shock' ending.Speaking about technology having a mind of its own the press link to view the film was via Vimeo. Unlike other screeners I have received, that were viewed on the same format, the playing of the film kept stalling. It took an age to play, and therefore watch the film, so what should have been ninety minute's viewing pleasure took three hours instead killing the film's momentum. It seemed paradoxical that I was watching a film about dangers with modern technology when the technology itself seemed unable to play a flick about it properly.Check out more of my reviews at www.mybloodyreviews.com

The story that Mark Netter brings to life in this virtual point of view nightmare is clever, elevated, and thrilling. Honestly the tech theories and philosophical theoretical surrounding this degree of artificial intelligence is so over my head that natural a story such as "Nightmare Code" is going to both fascinate and terrify me. I can't honestly praise or debunk the actual material used in the film concerning the code writing, or programmers because that is tech geek stuff, and I still call anime "cartoons". See what I am saying. But I can say that the creative, and brilliant way that Netter tells this story, one does not have to be a tech geek to really get into the movie. It pulls you in, you wanna watch, you feel the horror coming, and you wanna see it happen. "Nightmare Code" isn't all sterile, emotionless A.I gimmick stuff either, the characters are as developed, and personable as any third person psycho-thriller, or traditional tech horror-"Brainscan" and "Lawnmower" man come to mind. Anyway, everything about this film is captivating, intense, and thrilling. Things you don't always get from found footage concepts- all though it isn't really fair to just call this found footage. It is something more. And it all really does come from the POV of A.I , all that data and application stuff that lives inside our devices staring back at us, and in this case- learning and adapting and coming to get us! The special effects in "Nightmare Code" may be the first time I was thrilled, chilled, and entertained by CGI effects. The scenes are blunt, visceral, and affecting. You feel like you watched these deaths really happen, and the blood splatter was awesome. Not a lot of gore, but then I don't think-well I hope-that A.I will never get that into the gory side of killing and death to wanna really revel in it! Fingers crossed and the gods appeased! Overall "Nightmare Code" is a definite watch horror film for all, even the ones who normally flee from found footage concepts should check "Nightmare Code" out. The ending does fall a bit short with the thrilling, horror nature that from the beginning of the film is a steady, haunting build up to the nightmarish climax. It ins't really that much but it is the one noticeable flaw in an excellent flick. And that last sequence before credits is kind of cliché and hokey but unless you end the film a scene earlier it is really the only closing that ties up the plot.