PopHorror Let's Get Scared
Mister Sleep is a new horror film coming soon to streaming platforms from Gravitas Ventures, Beyond Casual Media, and director Robert Hollocks (Applewood). The folks behind the film are marketing it as the first installment in a new slasher franchise. That’s always music to my ears, because let’s face it, you can never have enough iconic slashers. And the ones we grew up with are getting a little long in the tooth, wouldn’t you agree?
So how did Mister Sleep fare on this front? Is there a new slasher icon in town? Let’s examine…
Mister Sleep Synopsis
The story follows a deranged killer who survives prison execution and is reborn as a terrifying and unstoppable force of nature who unleashes savage and bloody revenge on a group of insomnia patients participating in a new drug trial, who he believes have stolen his memories.
Robert Hollocks directed the film from a screenplay co-written by Amy Rhinehart Bailey. It stars Kate Dailey, Bronsonn Taylor, Ashley Terpstra, Robert Hollocks, Olaundra Grace, and Alec James.
Here’s a look at the trailer!
Enter Sandman
“Mister Sleep” is the nickname the media has given to a notorious serial killer who has claimed upwards of 65 victims. As the film opens, said murderer is awaiting execution in a maximum security prison. But no slasher worth his salt would ever let a little thing like being executed keep him down. It’s only a matter of time before the killer escapes from the prison morgue and is once again on the loose, gearing up, and looking to pump those rookie numbers up.
As our newly escaped killer limbers up and fleshes out his wardrobe, we are introduced to a group of (mostly) young people in a virtual therapy group who are all looking for a cure for their insomnia. The group is led by Dr. Victoria Chalis (Kate Dailey), a psychologist undoubtedly named after Halloween III‘s Dan Chalis (Tom Atkins), who also happens to have history with another patient of the psycho killer persuasion (Mister Sleep, duh).
Among the patients in the insmnia group is Felicia Payne (Claire Marie Lubeck), whose father (Austin Rhodes) is the judge who sentenced the killer to execution. It’s a tangled web that slowly unravels for the audience with a little romance, a little mystery, and a stack of bodies. Oh, and the promise of a sequel!
What Works
If you’re a filmmaker setting out to make a slasher movie, there’s a near 100% chance that you’re a massive fan of the genre. That definitely seems to be the case here as the passion for the material is evident. The folks behind Mister Sleep have peppered the film with references from other classic slashers, cribbing names, locations, and situations from some of the genre’s best entries. It’s all done with love and with tongue firmly in cheek.
The lead actors are likable and do a decent job of selling the story and their relationships. The killer himself is pretty cool. Dark. Creepy. He has a fun signature look that reminds me of the slayers from KRULL (read our retro review here). He’s got a cool backstory and exhibits suitable levels of menace and malice throughout. There’s a bit of a Freddy Krueger vibe with all the sleep and dream references, but this is, by no means, a Nightmare ripoff.
The film features some impressive audio cues and inspired music. There are a few chills and a jump scare or two and the music and audio all ties it together beautifully. Did I detect a bit of Harry Manfredini influence in there? I think I did. I dig it.
What Doesn’t Work
If you’re looking for Terrifier levels of blood and gore, you will not find it here. The kills are fairly subdued, but to their credit, they didn’t cop out with cheesy, computer generated blood. If you’re looking for skin, you will also be disappointed, but flashing flesh has always been the lowest common denominator in the slasher genre. Mister Sleep doesn’t go there.
The story is a little clunky. There are some twists and turns that don’t really unfold organically, but again, it’s hard to fault the filmmakers for striving to do more. Slashers can be dirt simple and often don’t bother to explain who the killer is, what they’re doing, or why. They just show up and kill. In the case of Mister Sleep, the killer has a fairly complicated backstory and is driven with motivation that ties in with the majority of the film’s characters. It’s not just some rando killing randos. It’s cool what they tried to do, but some of it feels a little unnatural from a storytelling perspective.
Mister Sleep – Final Thoughts
If you enjoy slasher films and are always on the lookout for new ones, Mister Sleep is 90 minutes well spent. The film’s broad stroke ideas are frankly much cooler than their execution, but they get an A for effort and there are enough cool concepts here to make it a journey worth taking. I also see a lot of potential for a sequel and I am excited to see what the filmmakers come up with if they decide to follow through on that promise. They’ve got a cool villain and some fun concepts to work with, so there are many miles to go before this franchise, uh, sleeps. Don’t forget to watch through the credits for some bonus Zzzzz’s.
Mister Sleep hits streaming platforms worldwide on April 2, 2024. Pre orders are available on iTunes/AppleTV as of March 5, 2024. Check it out!
