The Dead Sleep (2010) User Reviews

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[nogodnomasters · 4/10 · 29 September 2019]

Paul Wells (Chris Armstrong) is a contract accountant who has a recurring dream that doesn't end well. About halfway through we find out the reason why (see title). He is dead and living in the world of the living. He is attempting to get a message to himself and his loved ones.

The characters were on the lame side. I watched this as part of a four-pack of DVDs called "Dark Forces."

Direct To DVD "ghost movie" is a lot of fun!

[fhop32 · 24 June 2012]

OK, I got this movie in a box set containing 5 or so other direct-to-DVD movies and one theatrical film--it was under $6. The Dead Sleep is one of the last ones I'm viewing and it was definitely a cinematic treat for intellectual horror buffs (there's very little violence in the film) and fans of "The 6th Sense" and other such movies which rely far more on clever plotting and skilled ensemble acting to make their points than on standard horror movie plotting. The leads, especially the bored, somewhat selfish and introspective husband all do top-notch thesping and the 2nd Time Around-style plot is played out in straight-faced compelling style. Photography and editing all above-par for a non-theatrical. Check it out.

Man steals, man gets caught, man is killed and he tries in death to protect his family and avenge his death.

[niece68 · 1/10 · 5 July 2011]

If I could give this movie a -10 stars I would. Absolutely painful to watch and horrible acting. Not one actor stood out in this incoherent snooze fest called a thriller. Please don't waste your time and should you choose to ignore this review and watch anyway, don't say you weren't warned. I'd list all the things that I didn't like about he story and plot but that would take another 90 minutes and i've already wasted 90 minutes watching this film. You may stop reading at this point because I do not wish to waste your time but unfortunately IMDb requires that you leave at least 10 lines of text before a review will be posted so I am forced to continue writing. Perhaps this concept worked better on paper but the adaptation of this story into a movie was an epic fail. Please do yourself a favor and avoid this movie. The story was not captivating enough to hold your interest and it only raised questions throughout the movie. The characters are boring without substance and completely forgettable. I kept watching in the hopes that some of my questions would be answered. Unfortunately they were answered. I use the word unfortunately because somehow the writer believed that a flashback to each scene which raised questions, would be answered with a solution in which clues are left by the deceased spirit to himself in the day before his death. Please Please do not watch this movie. I

Feels like one of those scripts written by an A.I.

[foreverlurking · 1/10 · 12 April 2021]

The Dead Sleep is one of the most bizarrely made movies I have ever bothered to sit through. The acting, writing, pacing, and general plot will surely leave you scratching your head if you don't turn it off after the first five minutes. Between the almost thirty year old actress playing a sixteen year old character as if she is five, the wooden dialouge, the overall randomness of most scenes, and the meandering plot, I barely managed to finish it. Without spoiling too much, if you've seen Jacob's Ladder, the Forgotten, or the Sixth Sense, then you have seen this story done so much better! If not, why aren't you watching those movies?

An odd and interesting supernatural thriller

[Woodyanders · 8/10 · 17 October 2011]

Accountant Paul Well (a fine and credible performance by Chris Armstrong) gets killed by his smug jerk corporate bigwig boss Tim (a pleasingly slimy portrayal by Joshua Close) after he embezzles over a million dollars from him. However, Paul's unrestful spirit is forced to rewatch all the mistakes he made in his life and their effects on his family. Paul also tries to stop any further harm from happening to his family. Director Vicki de May, working from a thoughtful and absorbing scripting by James McLean, relates the compellingly offbeat story at a deliberate pace, creates and sustains a nicely spooky atmosphere that becomes more increasingly eerie, unnerving, and mysterious as the story unfolds, and presents a bunch of well-drawn characters who come across as real and believable. Moreover, the plot itself is genuinely unpredictable as the narrative twists and turns towards a truly surprising and satisfying ending. The poignant and provocative central message about the need for closure gives this picture extra substance. Armstrong's sturdy acting holds everything together; he receives sound support from Sarah Foret as Paul's sweet daughter Melanie, Robertt Fente as loyal friend Del Craine, Tatiana Armstrong as Paul's worn-out wife Claire, and Jacintha Charles as an enigmatic one-eyed woman on a buss. Ryan Leach's moody score and Ian S. Takahashi's fairly polished cinematography are both up to speed. Worth a watch.