How many of you have suffered from sleep paralysis one night? I have, at least twice, and it’s absolutely terrifying. This real life phenomenon occurs during an awkward stage of awakening when your body stays asleep but your mind is active and functioning. What’s even more terrifying are the symptoms that follow and the hallucinations; oftentimes including being choked or suffocated by a malevolent force. Obviously, sleep paralysis paves the way for a killer horror movie plot and that’s what you find in Phillip Guzman’s Dead Awake. Guzman is most known for his multi-award winning 2009 drama Desdemona: A Love Story. Dead Awake was directed by Guzman based on the screenplay by Jeffrey Reddick, who we all recognize for kickstarting the popular Final Destination franchise. The combined talent between these two gentlemen is astounding, but did those talents transfer over to the screen in a cohesive way? Read my review of Dead Awake to find out.
The first thing I wanted to say about Dead Awake is that I wish it received a wider release, especially to theaters, because I feel like it has the potential to succeed there. I think audiences sometimes relate straight-to-DVD with being low budget, but that’s certainly not the case here. Dead Awake has expert cinematography, flawless editing, a fun story that’s a mash-up of A Nightmare on Elm Street, The Grudge and Lights Out, and it has an impeccable cast. It’s got drama, heart breaking moments, and truly suspenseful scenes that’ll make you feel like you’re paralyzed, too. To me, all of these pluses are going to waste on a title that’s going right to retailers. This is definitely a title you don’t want to sleep on (see what I did there) and you should buy it on DVD when it hits UK retailers on May 15th.
Going back to the cast, everyone was kind of a chameleon and Dead Awake became a who’s who of talent. First of all, I’ve never seen “Orange is the New Black,” so I’ve been unaware of the talents of Lori Petty, who plays a doctor in this movie. But, wait! Petty played Kit in A League of Their Own and that movie – I won’t apologize for this, either – is one of the best classics of all time. So glad to see here again. Then we have Jesse Bradford, who I last saw in The Echo, and he plays the first victim’s boyfriend here. Bradford starred in horror-drama Swimfan, a film I still make reference to, and it was great to see him pop up here as a stoner painter with a beard and man-bun. Machete‘s Billy Blair has a small role in Dead Awake, but I think it’s noteworthy because it’s the first time I’ve ever seen him play a character that’s fragile and scared. Those three were my favorite cast members in the movie, but Halloween II‘s Brea Grant, The House of the Devil’s Jocelin Donahue and Fame‘s Jesse Borrego were all fantastic as well.
When you’re examining a movie about an age old predator that stalks its victims while they’re asleep, it’s hard to amass a large body count and any type of nudity. Again, think of Dead Awake as slumber time Grudge. Luckily, what this movie has in place of the usual horror shock and awe is your typical plot progression that’s turned on its head several times by unforeseen twists and brain busting mystery and suspense. There’s a huge switch-up in leads that I don’t think a lot of people will see coming, a death that I don’t think viewers will see coming, and brave means of exploration that typically aren’t encouraged by potential victims. Dead Awake subconsciously builds its own survival girl, which is great considering movies of this subgenre usually don’t get one of those, but there-in lies my only complaint. The final battle in Dead Awake is lackluster and left me wanting more.
If that’s my only complaint, then you know this was better than I expected it to be. Final Score: 7.5 out of 10.
