Director – Daniel J. Phillips (Release, The Martyr)
Starring – Erik Thomson (Hercules: The Legendary Journey, Xena: Warrior Princess), Sara West (Ash vs. Evil Dead, Don’t Tell), and Benson Jack Anthony (Legend of the Seeker, 100% Wolf)
Release Date – 2019
Rating – 2.5/5
Several weeks ago Umbrella Entertainment caught me off guard with their March release announcement. Bad Boy Bubby had caught my eye but there was a pair of horror releases on DVD that really pulled me in. Sator was the one that I was really looking forward to. Several of my horror friends had talked about this particular film in the past which really made me want to see it even more. Sadly, it was not as fun as I had hoped.
The second film is one I had never heard of before but I can’t turn down a horror movie to watch. That brings me to 2019’s Awoken starring Erik Thomason who some of you may recognize as Hades from Hercules and Xena. I want to thank Umbrella for sending this one my way.
**Spoiler Alert** The film follows a young med student who has a brother who suffers from a severe form of insomnia. As his health deteriorates she moves him out of the hospital into a secret basement facility to help him and others like him. However, the worse he gets the more strange occurances happen until she discovers the real reason behind his sickness. **Spoiler Alert**
I didn’t know what to expect from Awoken when I tossed it in. The artwork looked kind of cool and I wasn’t sure where the story would take me. I liked the premise but the predictability and unlikable characters made for a tough one to sit through.
The acting in this one is not bad. The cast is fully dedicated to their roles but the characters are written in a way that you have a hard time liking them. The female lead has her heart in the right place but she’s so fucking whiny. Her former love interest is extremely emotional and his indecisiveness makes some of the scenes extremely awkward to watch. Hell, the film’s antagonist is the only character that I enjoyed which is saying a lot about the movie when you sympathize with the villain.
The story for this one is very interesting and has a lot of promise but it’s very predictable and the ending is very drab. Having sleep deprivation tie in to demonic possession is not a new idea having been explored in other films but having an insomniac be a vessel for an ancient demon is pretty fun. Sadly, this is never fully explored and when the film gets into the thick of it all we slip and slide through it without getting to the good stuff. The movie could have been so much more.
Finally, the film has a few deaths. We get some pretty nice looking make-up effects but the kills we get are done either quickly or off camera so those of us with a taste for blood will be very disappointed. Overall, Awoken is another missed opportunity. It could have been something memorable for the genre but at the end of the day it’s forgettable and tough to finish. Skip it.
