Directors: Steve Craig, and Brian Farmer
Cast: Diane Franklin, David Naughton, Jamison Newlander, Shelley Regner, Yan Birch, Brian Tyler Cohen, Stephen Wu, Every Heart, and Ryan Bonnick
Runtime: 1 hour 13 minutes
What it’s about: A young girl is plagued by nightmares and sleepwalking after the tragic suicide of her best friend. Upon returning home for recovery, the nightmare’s have only gotten worse and there are whole periods of time Jordan cannot remember. When bodies start stacking up around the neighborhood she becomes a primary suspect. Jordan’s life continues to fracture all around her as her family tries to help her keep it together.
What Corey thought: This was a really fun little indie horror flick! It was on the shorter side but never felt like anything was missing. It’s a tightly woven story with mostly practical and timely effects that doesn’t stick around longer than it should. That all worked beautifully for me! It’s gorgeously filmed, the acting feels natural and it has a creepy and atmospheric soundtrack to boot!
Being someone who has struggled with a sleep disorder, the horrors of this film were all too real. The directors shot this film in a way that gives everyone who hasn’t experienced nightmares, insomnia or sleep walking, a taste of what it’s like. The hazy near dusk or evening aesthetic that seemed to carry throughout the movie. Never allowing a bright sun to energize the screen. The hallucinogenic and trippy animations that play like a game in your head and add to the anxiety of the film. The late night sounds of a tv chirping in the background as you try to sleep. The overtired zombie-like walk and gait of someone who hasn’t spent much of the night sleeping. They really nail all these sleepy vibes! When you couple all of that with the murderous rampage carried out by the central character, a whole new layer is added to the madness of the film. Imagine your brain, already fragile, already starving for sleep, commanding and willing you to murder and not remembering any of it!
The movie is at once a creative infomercial about mental health and sleep disorders that slowly morphs into a twisted take on a slasher film. Oh, and they didn’t forget about a twist! Just when you think you can’t handle any more the directors throw a little curve ball into the film to really set the hook! If you are looking for a movie to help you sleep. This isn’t it! You might just find yourself in the middle of your own waking nightmare…..
Corey’s rating: 9/10 Great!!
A Waking Nightmare will be released on VOD on August 18th.
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