The Plot:
Divided up over four separate discs and deconstructed from actual episodes of the series (meaning we don't get complete unedited installments, just the interview segments presented separately), Dark Dreamers is really just 624 minute of people talking. Almost 11 HOURS. That's quite a lot. In fact, one could argue that a good half dozen of the sit downs here are highly unnecessary to anyone except cult horror completists and lovers of obscure genre literature. Even though his face is featured prominently in the credits, someone like Stephen King is nowhere to be found here (though he may appear in later volumes). Instead, unknown writers and off the radar composers step in for a lack of anything Romero or Raimi.

For what Wiater has to offer, however, this is a fun and frequently informative omnibus. Here is what you can expect on each DVD:

Disc 1 - Season 1
Clive Barker/Forrest J. Ackerman/Richard Matheson/Nancy Kilpatrick/Edo Van Belkom/John Saxon/Douglas Clegg/Jack Ketchum/Gahan Wilson

Disc 2 - Season 1
Peter Straub/Harlan Ellison/Richard Laymon/Bernie Wrightson/Peter Atkins/Tony Randel/George Clayton Johnson/William F. Nolan/Larry Cohen/Joseph Stefano

Disc 3 - Season 2
Bob Burns/Charles Band/Chas Balun/Del Howison/William Lustig/Julie Strain

Disc 4 - Season 2
Stan Winston/Richard Band/John Ottman/John Landis/Denice Duff/John Skipp/Sean S. Cunningham/Craig Spector/Richard Christian Matheson/KNB Effects Group

Time frame also needs mentioning here. These Dark Dreamer segments come from 2000-2001, and that means that many of the projects, positions, and personnel discussed are almost a decade in the past. Don't come here looking for up to date information about a writer or director's current career, and you'll be fine.

The DVD:
Poor Stanley Wiater. He so wants to be imposing and important. He wants his lazy monotone voice to resonate like one of the great horror hosts of our - or any - time. As he works his way through the journeymen text that makes up his introduction to the seminal Canadian Q&A Dark Dreamers, he's part Rod Serling, part bad community theater player, and part local oaf. It's not for a lack of trying. It's actually for a lack of true vocal character. Wiater - writer/journalist/editor/TV presenter - maybe the greatest guy this side of Geddy Lee or Steve "Lips" Kudlow, and he appears to know his macabre. But when it comes to engaging the audience with insights into the participants of this program, he's a fanboy who forgot his Guide to Psychotronic Films. It's not that he lacks knowledge - he lacks the presence to make us believe he's something other than a bland talking head. So as you enter this four disc DVD collection, be warned - there is much more Wiater here that the uninitiated can or should tolerate. He definitely leaves his mark on each and every interview - for good and sometimes for bad.

That being said, Dark Dreamers does indeed follow the old talk show maxim - that is, it's only as good as the subjects it offers. This means that for ever Clive Barker or Harlan Ellison, we have to wade through a cliché ridden Nancy Kirkpatrick (Anne Rice's vampire lover write-alike), wholly arrogant John Ottman (musician, writer, ummm...), or a bewilderingly weird George Clayton Johnson (who looks like a more laid back Lo-Pan from Big Trouble in Little China). There are a couple of entries that leave you scratching your head in relevancy disbelief. Someone like Ms. Duff may be a fine individual and loaded with the kind of creative panache that other actresses/photographers would kill for, but a running gig on The Young and the Restless and a recurring role in the Subspecies series is not enough to warrant her inclusion here. The same can be said for someone like Bob Burns who, while incredibly important to the growth of horror cinema in the United States and abroad, appears stuck in a singular, nostalgic mode. Of course, Wiater's desert dry approach doesn't help matters much.

Highlights here include Barker's discussion of the "numerous" animated projects he has in the works (where, oh where are they now, Clive?), Ackerman's wealth of old school scary movie knowledge, Matheson's lackadaisical look back over his entire writing career (including the occasional Western), and Wilson's wicked sense of grim imagination. Ellison is always a treat, and his 23 minutes of madman shtick is flawless (and full of brilliant critical commentary), and Straub seems content to be the guy who collaborates with King on the Talisman books. Atkins and Randal offer interesting takes on Barker's Hellraiser, and Cohen is so slick and professional you can practically see the Tinsel Town tread marks along his back. He is someone who's truly paid his dues in the business that is show. Elsewhere, Craven recalls his early days as a know nothing hippy, Lustig discusses working for Anchor Bay (clearly in preparation for his eventual jump to Blue Underground) and Strain explores the darker side of being a paid player in Hollywood's chauvinistic chick chum factory. Her interview is one of the most honest and enlightening here.

Toward the end, after Stan Winston discusses his full schedule and John Landis jokes at working with a certain gloved one, the material kind of peters out. Cunningham is cool, talking about the 'blink and you missed it' movie XCU: Extreme Close Up, and us gorehounds can't get enough of KNB's inventive take on grue. Yet with its start of the millennium make-up and true lack of current perspective, a lot of Dark Dreamers seems antiquated and old. A good comparison is Jonathan Ross's late '80s document The Incredibly Strange Film Show. Focusing on the purveyors of exploitation and schlock from the '50s, '60s, and '70s, the combination of information and personality is a perfect illustration of how to handle this kind of material. Instead of imposing a kind of creepshow theme on everything, making the subjects sit within the host's preconceived notion of what fans want, Ross simply let his subjects talk about their life, their career, and their ideals. It's an approach that would have made Dark Dreamers more than just a terror tell-all.

The Video:
Offered in a 1.33:1 full screen transfer and taken from what looks like the original source, Dark Dreamers doesn't look too bad for an eight year old example of pre-digital analog recording. There are none of the errors you expect from the format - flaring, bleeding, etc. - and the colors and details are sharp and well controlled. Even in unusual situations (a bookstore, a dimly lit set), and during the occasional movie poster/video cover montages, the visual element here is maintained in a polished and professional manner.

The Audio:
Once again, we are dealing with the very basics of TV technology. The Dolby Digital Stereo mix maintains an excellent balance between mood music and dialogue, and Wiater's subjects are always well recorded and easy to understand.

The Extras:
Sadly, DVD distributor Smash Vision offers no additional content here. What should have been mandatory is an episode guide as well as a small biography or bibliography of the individuals covered. Someone like Barker or Craven may not need an introduction, but there are many people here who are virtually unknown except to a small band of devoted fans. More information on them would help newcomers understand their place within the genre and this series.

Final Thoughts:
Dark Dreamers is definitely a mixed bag, especially for anyone with a working knowledge of someone like Sean S. Cunningham, John Landis, William Lustig, or Jack Ketchum. On the other hand, fresh faces to the fear factory may walk in expecting familiar fright icons and walk out wondering just who the heck half of these people are. While Wiater remains a disconcerting guide, his subjects, for the most part, live up to their legacies. Therefore, this set earns an easy Recommended rating. If all you want are your favorite authors and filmmakers waxing poetic and prosaic for 12 to 22 minutes per pitch, this collection will not disappoint. But if you are looking for a 'big picture' presentation, something that takes the macabre and makes a more universal or philosophical point out of it, this series comes up short. Clearly, Stanley Wiater knows his scare stuff. Too bad he's rather insular about getting his interest - and those of his guests - across to an audience.

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