There are many films within films. Peeping Tom, Ring, Videodrome and Truman Show to name a few. What fascinates me are those films which are self-aware of an earlier version, a form of nested cinema.
An example is Tron Legacy. In the opening scenes in Sam Flynn's bedroom we see his [truly awful] CGI Dad talking to him in a room 'aware' of the earlier movie Tron. Posters and action figures relating to the original can be seen decorating the room. Not just a sequel, I would argue that this self-reference adds an even deeper layer to the story.
A variation on self-awareness in film is seen in Shadow of a Vampire. Willem Dafoe plays a character hired by a film crew to shoot the classic silent movie Nosferatu. Little do they know but Dafoe's character is actually a real vampire, who plays a fictitious vampire on the film set.
The most nested film within a film has to be the Scream series. In these the film franchise itself appears as STAB with actors straying in and out of the sets of both STAB and Scream, from whichever film number they were at. Piling parody upon parody, it could be said that the Scream series really does go up its own backside.
What do you think readers?
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