Sleep paralysis films seem to be all the rage in horror right
now. From the fantastically creepy documentary, The Nightmare, to
the mediocre-at-best Dead Awake, the uptick in these films has also
inspired a lot more people to come forward with their nightmarish fears. But,
where the documentary succeeded, no fictional account of the disorder has quite
captured the uniquely horrifying experience. Looking to change that is Slumber.
Operating on a fresh perspective from a sleep doctor who
encounters a sinister force behind a family's sleep paralysis experience, Slumber
does little to hold interest. While its premise provides a new, more
medical angle the movie's conventions are all too known and done superiorly
better in other supernatural demon flicks. There's the typical empty dark space
scares and some odd placement for scoring, this along with contrived creepy
children and bland, one dimensional acting from supporting cast are all telling
signs of an inexperienced filmmaker's blunders.
Slumber is
directed by freshman Jonathan Hopkins and stars Maggie Q (Divergent)
as sleep doctor, Alice Arnolds. It also features Will Kemp (Reign) as
her husband, Kristen Bush (Liberal Arts) and Honor Kneafsley (Miss
You Already) as the two most resonating Morgan family members, Sylvester
McCoy (The Hobbit) as the token spiritualist, and William Hope (Aliens)
as a fellow sleep doctor. As noted the majority of them are mediocrely
elaborated on, brimming with flaky dialogue and uninteresting decisions. McCoy
makes the greatest offences playing a really obnoxious former sleep
paralysis victim and Hope is the only one who isn't a complete disaster in
a supporting role, but he's a much smaller part of the film.
For Maggie Q however, one of the only salvageable actors from
the mess that was the Divergent franchise, Slumber once again
finds her as a bright spot. She deserves better than this film as she did Divergent,
and it'd be a welcome opportunity for her to continue down the horror path.
Outside of the dialogue and character issues, there is still one
glaring missed opportunity and that's that Slumber itself just isn't
entertaining. It drags on with far too many recycled techniques. It's as if the
filmmakers sat down, watched a host of successful horror films and decided to
adapt their scenes into a poor medical drama. The tension is nonexistent and
the plot aimlessly stumbles along until it finally ends with little more than a
fizzle.
Slumber is
instantly forgettable. It’s not the type of movie worth watching and even if
people did, they'd be hard pressed to find others who remember it enough to
talk about it with. It’s got a lot of missed opportunities as it drags a great
premise through too many conventions. Even with Maggie Q's bright light, this
film feels dim. It’s a shame, too, because in a world where Dead Awake wasted
Jocelin Donohue's talents, it seems Slumber did once again with Maggie
Q's. 3 out 10.
Before services like Netflix and iTunes, it's imaginable that
it'd be hard to review indie movies and compare them alongside far
superior, more mainstream films. But, with so many horror films coming out on
various streaming and VOD efforts, the excuses one could make for
mediocrity grow thin. There are new horror movies out every week. There's big
ones and small ones and pretty much everything in between, and despite these
differences some excel in every category while others flounder. The Atoning does
the latter.
Written and directed by Michael Williams (OzLand), The
Atoning follows young parents, Vera and Ray, as they attempt to shield
their son, Ray, from ghoulish things in the night. Family secrets, slamming
doors and plenty of conflict keep are created to round out the film's haunted
house and with varying success; these things do make what could have been a
flat film into something maybe a little more bearable. The Atoning stars
Virginia Newcomb (Peacock) and Michael LaCour (Texas Heart) as
Vera and Ray, and Cannon Bosarge (Bonnie & Clyde) plays Sam.
In regards to the cast, there is something particularly grounded
and normal in each of the actor's performances. Newcomb is sympathetic as the
wife and mother who wants the best for her son and Bosarge certainly has at
least some career ahead of him. LaCour comes off as the slightly weaker part of
the trifecta, but he has moments of clarity. Williams also does a good job with
the resources he has. It's simply shot, but in an industry of obsessively odd
angles and insane camera shots, it’s almost relaxing to see something more
plain.
These technical aspects are about all The Atoning has
going for it. The scares are joltingly predictable. The dialogue is relatively
flat and the family's troubles are never all that engrossing. Sure each cast
and crew member probably is working their best, but it doesn't mean the
resulting film is even remotely interesting or even worse, scary. When the big
twist comes, it provides some new direction, but it’s done better before in
other movies. The modern perspective change - while welcome - isn't fulfilling.
It ends up being a melodramatic and rather odd turn that turns it away from the
film's horror aspects.
The Atoning is
a bland example of a film that is at its best, boring. Even with a creepy set
of ghouls in the end, there's far too much painstaking done to keep viewers
invested. If they make it to the end, they might be a little scared of the
creatures, but not enough to make up for the long and arduous uphill battle it
took to get there. 3 out 10.
