The relationship between sleep and horror is nothing new to us these days. Wes Craven carved out an iconic dream demon that sought to prove with 1984’s A Nightmare on Elm Street. With the launch of the smooth talking finger knife killer, a plethora of sequels, television shows, and merchandise followed suit. We had officially fallen in love with Robert Englund’s now alter-ego. Freddy remains a cornerstone horror villain and icon, even seeing a 2010 remake with Jackie Earle Haley taking over the glove. Freddy made sure that entire generations of children didn’t sleep a wink. Freddy is proof positive that we enjoy the nightmares and not sleeping. Practices like that have quite the effect on our mental health.

We see that prominently showcased in 2014’s The Babadook. Thirty years after Freddy made us lose sleep, Australian filmmaker, Jennifer Kent, brought a new vision of terror. The film brought the story of a grieving mother who slowly descends into madness because of sleep deprivation. Kent captured another side to sleep deprivation and its social, mental, and physical effects; Freddy had previously only demonstrated the campier side of the fear. More than fear, perhaps, the latter introduces the mental health aspect of what sleep deprivation can deliver. There are several scenes throughout the film where the mother, played by Essie Davis, begins to lose her grip on reality, through hallucinations and, of course, flying off the handle. As a single mother she is challenged with working full time and taking care of a hyperactive troublemaking son who means well. It can truly do a number on an individual’s mental health.

Challenging the near mastery of The Babadook and the iconic status of Freddy Krueger comes another horror film which explores the relationship between sleep and the genre, though it seems to have more in common with The Babadook than the overly campy nature of the dream demon. The movie in question is Sleepless Beauty. The movie chronicles the journey of a young woman, played by Polina Davydova (and Jennifer Roberts), as she undergoes a ten day social experiment to drive her to the point of madness after being kidnapped. If you’re wondering why I placed a second actress in parentheses I will explain that in just a few moments. To put it simply, Sleepless operates best as Untraceable meets Saw. A truly baffling match up that should work in theory. The only problem is: it’s just a theory.

Sleepless has to be one of the most baffling movies that 2020 has given us. First, I have to address the double billed cast for this movie. Sound design is a gigantic flaw this film carries. Personally speaking, I have come to a point in my film viewing experience where I want to watch the movie the way the filmmaker intended it to be seen. If that means, I’m watching a foreign film, then I’m watching a foreign film. Like Bong Joon-ho said, you miss so much great cinema by choosing not to read subtitles. I’m guessing in a former life Sleepless was native to Russia. I wish it wouldn’t have moved. The dubs on this film are atrocious. It’s incredibly hard to judge an actress’ performances based on only half their performance. Unfortunately, that’s what I feel like I’m left to do here. 

Davydova delivers the emotional reaction that this film needs. She is one of the only stand out qualities this film possesses. Adding in Roberts, and the rest of the American cast, feels pointless and seriously derails the movie. I felt like most of the time I’m watching this movie I was seeing cut scenes from PlayStation 2 games. The decision to dub the entirety of the movie sucks it void of absolutely any emotion. It’s a real shame because this film has such potential.

As the film catalogs the days of descent for Davydova, we come to find out the kidnappers are live streaming the entire ordeal. That brings a layer of true terror to the movie. Unfortunately, this element feels more like a gimmick than an actual device to terrorize, once again allowing Sleepless to waste its potential. When the days do build larger and larger we are left to see some truly unsettling imagery. Perhaps what makes it even more creepy is the style behind it; reflecting the late 90s children’s television show, Angela Anaconda. The filmmakers hold onto this element with incredible victory - using it several times throughout the film, creating an unsettling atmosphere and more effective horror film. The more that we spend time with this young woman and the more she descends into madness, the more it feels like you’re coming along for the ride. Sleepless can be effective - it just takes way too long to actually get there. By the time we arrive, we’ve spent time with characters you don’t care about. When you’re not with Davydova you’re with stock characters who just occupy space.

Overall, Sleepless Beauty is a beauty-less film. It’s a grotesque portrayal that fails to impress in a multitude of ways. Whether its poor dubbed sound design robbing you of the emotional connection, the stock characters who occupy the film or the bland approach to its narrative - Sleepless is 85 minutes of pure boredom. Of course there is the occasional unsettling imagery but even that isn’t enough to save this movie. Even if that sequence is one of my favorites of this year. Sleepless Beauty is sure to put you to sleep. 

RORSCHACH RATING:

If you or someone you know is reading this right now and you are struggling with suicide, depression, addiction, or self-harm - please reach out. Comment, message or tweet to us. Go to victimsandvillains.net/hope for more resources. Call the suicide lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. Text "HELP" to 741-741. There is hope & you DO have so much value and worth!

Victims and Villains is written Josh "Captain Nostalgia" Burkey (and produced by) and more. Music by Mallory Johnson and others. Sleepless Beauty is property of Epic Pictures. We do not own nor claim any rights. Sleepless Beauty is available on digital and VOD beginning on November 10th, 2020 & Blu-Ray beginning November 17th, 2020.

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