THE DARK SLEEP is a supposed adaptation of the classic H.P. Lovecraft story DREAMS IN THE WITCH-HOUSE, although it turns out to be your bog-standard indie horror flick little different from literally hundreds of others. A young woman moves into a home and starts to have weird dream sequences in which she's menaced by demonic creatures. Sadly, these skeletal winged demons may be stop motion but the CGI backdrops look ridiculous and the whole thing couldn't be more fake if it tried. The rest of the faults are compounded by the usual indie restrictions on acting, locations, and technical qualities.
4 Reviews
Lovecraft meets Harryhausen
rcappelletto28 April 2013
Warning: Spoilers
Dark Sleep is inspired by the short story "Dreams in the Witch House"; I stress the term "Inspired". Only a few of the elements of the original Lovecraft story are present in Piper's script. Not a problem for me, but a lot of Lovecraft fan boys tend to obsess on changes made to the original material. That said, all of the truly fun element of the original Lovecraft story remain: Brown Jenkin, Euclidian Geometry, and Surreal Dream Sequences.
Piper's film follows a young writer who is recently divorced from her husband and is struggling to put her life back together in a new house. And if her life wasn't bad enough, the house she has just moved into has Brown Jenkin living in the walls, and a dimensional portal in the basement.
If you are familiar with the films of Brett Piper you will already know of his use of Old School Stop-motion FXs, which is what really adds to the charm of this production. Sure the acting is forced and stilted; sure the scripting of some of the scenes are overly drawn out and in need of some editing; but in the end Piper delivers what we paid the price of admission for: dumb girls being chased around by claymation monster.
If you want ponderous melodrama then go see Spielberg's Lincoln; if you want to eat popcorn and shout at the screen then see Dark Sleep -- you won't be disappointed.
Piper's film follows a young writer who is recently divorced from her husband and is struggling to put her life back together in a new house. And if her life wasn't bad enough, the house she has just moved into has Brown Jenkin living in the walls, and a dimensional portal in the basement.
If you are familiar with the films of Brett Piper you will already know of his use of Old School Stop-motion FXs, which is what really adds to the charm of this production. Sure the acting is forced and stilted; sure the scripting of some of the scenes are overly drawn out and in need of some editing; but in the end Piper delivers what we paid the price of admission for: dumb girls being chased around by claymation monster.
If you want ponderous melodrama then go see Spielberg's Lincoln; if you want to eat popcorn and shout at the screen then see Dark Sleep -- you won't be disappointed.
Strong Lovecraftian Elements
ralphv120 January 2020
The filmmakers free on many elements that made Lovecraft's "Dreams in the Witch-House" such an effective story. High marks are given for the mostly excellent stop-motion photography and the visualization of the non-Euclidian dimensions of dream. Where the film falls short is in not establishing a haunting spirit of place and an enduring history behind the witch house. Still, for what it does and in the context of the protagonist's background, it is an effective, engrossing and entertaining film.
Seems like an over long version of a Tales From The Darkside episode
dogma-5366824 August 2020
Not exactly hey exact Lovecraft Tale but watch Worthy. Stop motion special effects. Still fun if you don't take it seriously. Hey what do you want we're in the middle of a pandemic? The acting and the quality of the film are actually really good. Nuff said.
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