Nightmares & Dreamscapes (DVD)

…And why shouldn't he? The man is as talented as he is prolific. This DVD set has all eight episodes from the TNT limited anthology series (which aired over the summer of this year) based on Stephen King's short stories, primarily from the Nightmares and Dreamscapes book series.

Here's a quick rundown of the stories:

"Battleground" follows a quiet hitman becoming a target for violent revenge when he finds a mysterious package on his doorstep;

A young woman and her attorney husband getting lost in a notoriously evil London neighborhood named "Crouch End";

"Umney's Last Case" is a 1930's era detective who realizes he's the main character in a novel, and he's being written out;

A successful filmmaker films himself in "The End of the Whole Mess", recalling his genius brother's life and the scientific plan he applied to end world violence with unanticipated results;

"The Road Virus Heads North" drives into gear as a celebrated writer realizes the demonic figure in the painting he's just acquired, is changing to show that it's onto the same stretch of road he's on;

"The Fifth Quarter" has an ex-convict who goes to dastardly means to find treasure that puts his family's life at risk;

"Autopsy Room Four" is the occupancy of a man whose about to witness his own autopsy and he's speechless to stop it;

A husband and wife on a spontaneous road trip, whose stopover in a town inhabited by late music legends, might not be temporary when they're told "You Know They Got a Hell of a Band".

If you do a search, you can see our in-depth reviews of each story from the time it aired, but in a nutshell Nightmares & Dreamscapes is a very mixed bag. With a few exceptions, the stories are more drama-centric than horror or suspense, and they're directed in a predictable weekly-television style. The epic look and feel of the series, and the caliber of acting, bring the collection up and make it worth a look for King fans. (Rental prices will vary, but if you buy it, it's under 30 bucks; not bad for over eight hours of entertainment.)

The "extras" are very standard EPK stuff, but they run short (each one is about 2 – 4 minutes long) and they fill the bill well enough in being both cursorily informative and reasonably engaging.

Disc One:

Episodes —
Battleground, starring William Hurt
Crouch End, starring Claire Forlani
Umney's Last Case (extended episode), starring William H. Macy

Special Features —
Inside Look: Battleground, and Crouch End
Battleground: Special Effects
Interviews: William Hurt, Eion Bailey, William H. Macy

Disc Two:

Episodes —
The End of the Whole Mess, starring Henry Thomas
The Road Virus Heads North, starring Tom Berenger
The Fifth Quarter, starring Jeremy Sisto

Special Features —
From the Mind of Stephen King (sorry, no Stevo here… just people praising him)
Inside Look: Road Virus, and Fifth Quarter, Umney's Last Case, End of the Whole Mess
Interviews: Tom Berenger, Jeremy Sisto, Ron Livingston

Disc Three:

Episodes —
Autopsy Room Four, starring Richard Thomas
You Know They Got A Hell Of A Band, starring Steven Weber

Special Features —
Page to Picture (interesting look at the artwork and storyboards)
Inside Look: Autopsy Room Four, and You Know They Got A Hell Of A Band
Interviews: Richard Thomas, Steven Weber