Directed by Robert Harmon. Written by Brendan Hood. Starring Laura Regan, Marc Blucas, Ethan Embry, Jon Abrahams, Jonathan Cherry, Dagmara Dominczyk, Jay Brazeau and Jodelle Ferland.
Plot: several young adults that had night terrors as children are now being hunted by strange creatures that come for them in the dark.
College student, Julia Lund (Regan), had horrific night terrors as a child. She seems to have gotten past it though. That is until an old friend, Billy (Abrahams), comes to see her. He informs her that the mosters of their night terrors are real, that they will hurt her if they can and to steer clear of the dark. Then he kills himself in front of her. Clearly shaken, she goes to her boyfriend, Paul (Blucas), but he is no help whatsoever. And when she has her first night terror in his apartment, he gets even less likeable. No points for him as he’s not understanding at all.
At Billy’s funeral, Julia meets Terry (Dominczyk) and Sam (Embry), two people who also had/have night terrors. They believe Billy’s claims and attempt to be smart about the whole thing. Honestly, although a little brash at first, Sam is the only solidly likeable character. He makes intelligent choices and he really tries to save everyone. He can’t, but he tries.
The high point in this movie are the actors. Everyone is really good and really believable. And the story is a good one, it’s just not the best. So much more could have been done with this plot. There was terrible Freddy Claws (mostly because of the jackass boyfriend). There was also no explanation for the creatures living in the dark. Where did they come from? Why are they in the dark? Why are they only coming after these people? So many unanswered questions.
Also, and this takes away almost all the realism points – the mental hospital in the movie is completely unrealistic. If a patient was really going off, they’d be strapped down and sedated so they wouldn’t hurt themselves. There would never be actual glass used in the mirrors and there would never be wire hangers either. It is apparent that the director has never actually visited such an establishment and the lack of realism there is actually distracting. And don’t get me started on the end. It just sucks so hardcore. Like, god damn, why is it so fucking tragic?
I wanted to like this, but I did not. DJ liked it even less. Give it a go if you want to. It’s not unwatchable, it just isn’t for us.
I suppose I could list my favorite movies here, but instead I'll give you a strange glimpse into what makes me TaraRomero.
1. I met George Romero. He was the kindest and sweetest man. He talked to me for longer than he should have with the line getting longer. He also held my hand. And when he noticed the ladybug I have tattooed on my wrist, he said he liked it and asked me it's name. Till then, it had not had a name. Now, I call him George.
2. I love stickers. All stickers. I just adore them. I even ask for stickers for Christmas! As a matter of fact, the birthday that just past, every member of my immediate family gave me sticker packs as gifts. Affordable and extremely appreciated.
3. I have never put much stock in astrology or horoscopes, but I LOVE the magic of the MBTI. Omg. I am an INFP and it actually sounds just like me. Introverted mostly. Creative always. Heart before head and not the most logical. Totally me! For better or worse.
4. It's no surprise I count horror so high up on the list of things that make me, me. However, it's so within my soul that I was part of the Horror Club in college. Interesting bunch. And even took a Horror Lit class as an elective. I got an A.
5. Coffee always makes me happy. Always. I'm particularly fond of caramel macchiatos. But I'll drink black coffee if it's the only thing available.
6. I hate shock for the sake of shock and endings that depress me. I always mention the movies Within (2016) and the Eli Roth produced, written and starred in, Aftershock (2012), as proof of this distate I have. I abhor the idea that just because I like horror, some people think I'd actually praise a movie that lets you think the "Final Girl" just made it through the night, only to slap her in the face with a tsunami.
7. We are big time animal people. I mean, if I could, I'd have an elephant, a bear, a zebra, a penguin, an otter and a meerkat, living with me. Seriously though. We have 2 dogs right now and 2 cats. Both cats we picked up when they each came to our front door hungry. And both dogs we got from 2 different sets of neighbors. Both who, unfortunately, don't know how to care for pets long-term. But they're happy and healthy now!!
8. Revisiting my love of horror, one of the above cats, my cat, is a little black guy named Church. Because Pet Sematary. His middle name is even Pascow. To give credit where credit's due, the name was DJ's idea. But he loves horror too!
9. I'm big into art. Along with movie posters and an Anne Frank quote, I have some actual paintings on my wall. I really think Dali paints beautifully when he wants to. And if I don't get to see Michaelangelo's Pieta in person some day, I will be very disappointed.
10. Lastly, I find Emily Dickinson's poetry intriguing. I took an elective course about her as well. But do you know I injected horror even there? I was given a poem to dissect and I picked one on death, of course. Then, I researched old "Death Photos" and even printed out copies for everyone in the class. They were so interested in looking at them that it stopped them from all looking at me, and I was able to deal quite well with my stage fright. Haha
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