“A Gotham Nightmare” by Jendo Shabo
In the dead of night, a criminal spirals into terror when an unseen predator hunts his gang from the shadows. They become the first to carry a chilling message through Gotham’s underworld: he exists.
FROM THE DIRECTOR
“A Gotham Nightmare is a crime film presented as a monster movie, told from the perspective of Batman’s prey.
Instead of focusing on heroes or villains, the film follows Mick, a street-level nobody caught between two forces that weaponize fear in very different ways. He’s not a mastermind or a monster. He’s just a man who once considered becoming a cop, but gave into fear and sided with the most dangerous crew he could find. Fear shapes his choices, and fear is what continues to trap him.
The story is structured as a mirror. The film opens and closes with Mick on his knees, terrified, in front of two opposing figures: Scarecrow and Batman. One rules through chemical terror, the other through myth and precision. They are reflections of each other, two extremes of Gotham’s nightmarish reality.
But Batman is not the villain here. He is the embodiment of escalation. He is a hero who understands that justice has to be as impactful as the crime itself. Batman has always had a strong influence on me as a filmmaker, and I’ve always felt compelled to depict him as a shadow creature. Everything about him is deliberate: which lights he steps into, the tone of his voice, the exact second he reveals himself. To criminals, Batman must feel inhuman or he doesn’t work.
That belief shaped the film’s entire design. The Batsuit was never built to impress under bright light, but to disappear into the darkness. Monsters are most effective when you never get a full look at them, and Batman always controls how he is seen. Just long enough for our imagination to take over.
Working on a micro-budget demanded ruthless discipline. Every frame had to serve one principle: if it didn’t reinforce the theme of fear, it didn’t belong. Every sound, camera angle, and line was chosen to immerse the viewer in Mick’s panic. To feel what it’s like to live at the bottom of Gotham’s food chain.
This story’s purpose is simple: to truly show what Batman feels like to the people who fear him, and why that fear is necessary to heal a city as corrupt as Gotham.”
CREDITS
Dedicated to the definitive Batman now and forever, Kevin Conroy
Director// Jendo Shabo/ @jendoshabo
Composer// Daniel Ciurlizza/ @danielciurlizza
Writers// Michael J. Krym/ @michaeljkrym & Jendo Shabo/ @jendoshabo
CGI Artists// Devin Koczwara/ @devinkoz11 and Pesvel/ @pesvel24
Make-up// Mitchell Branget/ @mitchell_branget
Editors// Jendo Shabo/ @jendoshabo & Stiven Agoubi/ @stivenagoubi
Re-recording Mixer// Carlo Scrignaro/ @cscrigz
Sound Editor// Michael Legedza
Poster Artist// Mauricio Abril/ @mauartist
CAST
Marcello Morle as Mick/ @marcello.morle
Jason Marnocha as Scarecrow (voice)/ @jmarnocha
Stiven Agoubi as Scarecrow (body) @stivenagoubi
Daniel Bosco as Batman (body)
Jendo Shabo as Batman (voice)/ @jendoshabo
Joe Rabie as Twitch/ @rabidjoerabie
Michael J. Krym as Manbun/ @michaeljkrym
Jendo Shabo as Driver/ @jendoshabo
Grip// Anthony Greco/ @agrecs98
Production Assistant// Ian Fergus Cambell/ @ianferguscampbell Anthony Morle/ @anthonymorle
1st Assistant Camera// Elliot Hale/ @ehfilmandvideo Nick Brokalakis/ @nickb_rock David DeRose/ @davidderose98 Kyle Archibald, Mike Barlas
2nd Assistant Camera// Natalie Dupuis, Matthew Sabelli/ @mattsabelli
Additional Music// Nestor Estrada/ @nestor.estrada101 Marcello Morle/ @marcello.morle
Cellist and Score Consultant// Joni Fuller/ @jonifullermusic
Sample Development// Moonrunner83/ @moonrunner83 Ryan Spratt/ @ryanspratt Brandon Lau/ @brandonlaumusic
Special Thanks
Kamal Shabo, Marvin M. Cubero, Luis Alejandro ChÁvez, Holly Regnier, Robert DeRose, Josh Hensman, Riley Murphy, Jordan Girard, Matthew Berry, Bradley Marentette, Milosz Walczak, David Duke, Peter Sawicki, Robert Pawlowicz. Frank Culmone, Feras Shabo
“Batman” created by Bob Kane with Bill Finger
A Film by Jendo
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