Sleepwalkers (1992)

A mother-and-son team of strange supernatural creatures move to a small town to seek out a young virgin to feed on.

Director:

Mick Garris

Writer:

Stephen King

Stars:

Brian Krause, Mädchen Amick, Alice Krige

5 wins.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Brian Krause	...	Charles Brady
Mädchen Amick	...	Tanya Robertson
Alice Krige	...	Mary Brady
Jim Haynie	...	Sheriff Ira
Cindy Pickett	...	Mrs. Robertson
Ron Perlman	...	Captain Soames
Lyman Ward	...	Mr. Robertson
Dan Martin	...	Andy Simpson
Glenn Shadix	...	Mr. Fallows
Cynthia Garris	...	Laurie
Monty Bane	...	Horace
John Landis	...	Lab Technician
Joe Dante	...	Lab Assistant
Stephen King	...	Cemetery Caretaker
Clive Barker	...	Forensic Tech

Storyline

Charles Brady and his mother Mary move to a small Indiana town, having recently fled Bodega Bay, California after draining and killed a young girl there. They are sleepwalkers - they can change their appearance and they need the lifeforce from young women. Charles has picked out young Tanya Robertson, whom he meets at a local high school, as his next victim. He asks her out for a date and invites her home... however, she did not suspect his real interest in her. On their first date, a picnic at a nearby cemetery, Charles attempts to drain the lifeforce from Tanya for himself and his mother.

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Plot Keywords:

mother son incest | incestuous sex | attempted rape | cameo | lifting a female into the air | 

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Taglines:

They feast on your fear - and it's dinner time.

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Genres:

Horror

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong violence and sensuality, and for language.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 April 1992 (USA)

Also Known As:

Stephen King's Sleepwalkers

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$15,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$30,524,763

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures, Victor & Grais Productions, Ion Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Clive Barker: Forensic technician.

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Goofs

When the Sheriff and Soames go upstairs to look around, Soames takes the 45 of the song "Sleepwalk" off the turntable and throws it on the bed. Later, when Charles's mother makes Tanya dance with him, she makes the record start to play even though it shouldn't be there.

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Quotes

Captain Soames: Look, you got one hysterical girl with a very vivid imagination and all that girl needs is a good smack on the butt and her mommy and daddy won't do it, I'll be happy to volunteer.

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Crazy Credits

Cat's claws slash through the screen after the credits, exposing a green glow beyond.

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Alternate Versions

To obtain a more commercially viable M rating for its theatrical release in Australia, a majority of the film's violence and gorier moments were cut by Columbia TriStar Films. These cuts were later restored for an uncut R rated home video release.

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Connections

Featured in Nightmares in Red, White and Blue: The Evolution of the American Horror Film (2009)

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Soundtracks

Sleep Walk
Written by Johnny Farina, Santo Farina and Ann Farina
Performed by Santo & Johnny
By Arrangement with Celebrity Licensing Inc.

User Reviews

When felines attack… in human form.

There's something about the b-grade sleeper "Sleepwalkers" that keeps me from liking it, but not enough to entirely hate it either. It kept me entertained, but I wasn't all that satisfied. Director Mick Garris' handling might come off stagy (which took any sense of atmosphere) with an almost TV-like feel, but remains crisp and well paced in its actions. Some imagery shows moments of creativity with the illustrative camera-work with its scopes and tilts. I just wished it had been much more darker in its visual styling. Stephen King would adapt his own book, where the premise creates a wickedly novel concept that would turn upon its sly tone with nonsensical and over-the-top dramatic lashings. This goes for its outrageous, if clumsy climax. While the jolts are grisly, they do come off quite risible with it being punctuated by sadistic heavy-handedness. The eccentric make-up FX is decently pulled off, even with some cheesy and blotchy trimmings. The script is rather ill-defined, but still has a neat touch of morbid humour and a sexual charge thanks to the seductively deranged performances by Alice Krige and Brian Krause in their mother and son relationship. Mädchen Amick is suitably appealing in the victim role. Ron Perlman makes a short, but commanding turn. Also keep a look out for some amusingly interesting cameos by Stephen King, Tobe Hooper, John Dante, John Landis, Clive Baker and Mark Hamill.