TV SHOW REVIEW: STORIES TO KEEP YOU AWAKE (2021)
by Beatriz Ayllón (*)
HISTORIAS PARA NO DORMIR was a Spanish production between 1966 and 1982 made of independent thriller and horror stories directed by Narciso Ibañez Serrador, one of the most recognized and award-winning directors. In 2021, four creators paid tribute to the series by remaking some chapters: LA BROMA, FREDDY, EL ASFALTO, and EL DOBLE. All of them are distributed by Prime Video and produced by VIS, Isa Audiovisual, and Prointel, Spain’s first independent production company and created in 1970 by Narciso Ibáñez Serrador. In addition to HISTORIAS PARA NO DORMIR, Prointel produced the two award-winning feature films THE HOUSE THAT SCREAMED (1969) and WHO CAN KILL A CHILD? (1976) and programs such as UN, DOS, TRES, voted as the best quiz show in the history of television in Spain and the third most influential in the world, which was on screen for almost thirty years.
Although these are remakes sometimes based on the work of other authors too, in this review I’m not going to compare these chapters with the original ones because I want to consider them as independent pieces, without giving my opinion of the oldest. I’m presenting the reviews in the order in which they appear.
LA BROMA, the first chapter written and directed by Rodrigo Cortés known for BURIED (2010), RED LIGHTS (2012), and BLACKWOOD (2018). Here is the plot:
A businessman is in the habit of insulting his employees with jokes that are funny only to him. At home, his wife awaits him. He treats her with a more subtle but similar contempt to the people he works with, although he seems submissive to her character -and her money -. The husband gives the woman a piece of information that puts her on alert because it involves a third party who turns out to be her lover.
This is the best chapter of the four available. It has a good narrative rhythm and the construction of both the plot and the characters is very well done. It keeps you in tension not only because you want to know what’s going on, which of the characters is in charge at any given moment, but also because of the way it’s set up.
In almost all the episodes, the actors (Eduard Fernández as Alberto, Nathalie Poza as Elena, and Raúl Arévalo in the role of Javier) stand out, but in this one, in particular, they are above average.
The story is good, not particularly new, but that doesn’t detract from its merit. Above all, it manages an idea underlying the final discovery which, as I say, is not surprising on a narrative level, but it is interesting on a reflective level. More than terror, it generates tension and nervousness, and this is helped by the setting and acting work.
FREDDY, written by Paco Plaza and Alberto Marini and written by Paco Plaza, known for the REC saga (2007, 2009, and 2012), VERÓNICA (2017), and THE GRANDMOTHER (2021) among others, is the story of a bad ventriloquist actor who is given a doll by the director of a TV show he works for to help him lose his insecurities and improve his acting skills. Just after having received the gift, strange things start to happen on the set of the program.
Paco Plaza’s directing is almost flawless. However, the acting is not that good, especially that of Miki Esparbé in the role of André, the ventriloquist, nor the pace of the narrative. As for the tension in the story, it starts well but loses steam as the chapter progresses.
There are several things I liked: the music and the eighties atmosphere it achieves in just a few touches, discreetly showing and not yelling that the action takes place at that time; also, the work of the actor who plays Chicho Ibáñez Serrador himself, Carlos Santos, in a rather interesting meta wink. I’d say that the highlight has been the catchy and dirty atmosphere, although it’s, unfortunately, not exploited well enough.
EL ASFALTO is the third episode and is written by Carlos Buiza, Rodrigo Cortés y Manuel Jabois. The director is Paula Ortiz, known for the beautiful THE BRIDE (2015).
EL ASFALTO takes place during a workday on a driver’s day who must, at the end of the day, attend to the gynecologist where his wife will be waiting for him. On the way from one house to another, the wheel of his motorbike gets stuck in the asphalt. As soon as he gets off the bike, he starts to sink slowly for several hours. In the meantime, nobody seems to care about him. Some even tell him to move over and make room. He desperately calls for help only to find that no one is listening to him or making any effort to find a way to free him.
Dani Rovira, as Baldo, carries the weight of the narrative and he does it well. He is credible, both in the saddest and most distressing moments and in the lighter and even funniest ones. Because there is humor in EL ASFALTO, the kind of humor based on absurd situations bordering on the grotesque.
The theme of this episode has potential because in addition to its surrealistic component it brings social issues to light that are typical of our times: excessive individualism, mistrust of others, and working exploitation.
And as far as the horror genre is concerned, the fact of being trapped on the pavement is something that I think terrifies everyone. I’m not saying that there aren’t moments of tension and anguish, but they’re not exploited enough. Perhaps the length is a factor, it’s the shortest of the four, but after such a good introduction of characters and such a promising starting point, I’m sad to see it fizzle out.
The fourth and last episode, EL DOBLE, was written by Rodrigo Sorogoyen and Daniel Remón, and directed by Rodrigo Sorogoyen, known for THE CANDIDATE (2018), MOTHER (2019), and the TV series RIOT POLICE (2020). Set in a not-so-distant dystopian future, EL DOBLE takes place in a society in which artificial intelligence is part of every citizen’s life, to the point that it is considered almost normal to have a double. The main couple, played by David Verdaguer in the role of Dani and Vicky Luengo as Eva, are going through a marital crisis they try to solve with the help of this technology. What can go wrong?
The longest of the four episodes is also the most interesting one because you are constantly waiting to understand what’s going on. In that sense, while watching this episode I felt like a cat chasing a mouse which, in turn, is a cat chasing a mouse. I don’t think that’s a bad thing, as long as, someone is leading the chase with a clear goal. The problem is that in The Double it’s easy to get lost. It’s based on a short story by Ray Bradbury, MARIONETTES, INC. (1949) which I recommend reading.
On a visual level, it is impeccable, with beautiful cinematography. The performances are the driving force of the development thanks to the spontaneity and involvement of the actors. You can see that there is a lot of love in the making. That’s why it’s hard for me to say that it’s a bad episode because it’s not, I just feel that it leaves you at the doorstep of something bigger.
HISTORIAS PARA NO DORMIR was released in November 2021.
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Beatriz Ayllón lives in Madrid. She has a degree in English language and literature. She is a teacher and web developer. She loves horror and sci-fi movies and books and researching narrative techniques. She contributes to a Spanish cinema website writing reviews and has collaborated on some streaming programs talking about true crimes. Currently, she is working on a short story collection.
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