Wiegenlied des Grauens

It's very interesting to watch a movie you saw as a pre-teen through adult eyes.

It's paced for the two hour time slot a made for TV movie must have, but it's still pretty solid.

It's one of the best TV movies in this genre. It holds up, still scary. So scary, in fact, it's a little hard to believe it IS a network movie.

Phillip and Laura (Dennis Weaver and Valerie Harper) and the kids, Kevin and Mary (Oliver Robins and Robin Ignico) are moving in to their new house. Surprise! Laura's peevish mother, Bernice (Ruth Gordon) has beat them there, and is already moving her belongings in, much to Phillip's exasperation!

Bernice brings more than just inconvenience along with her. She puts up pictures of Jennifer (Kristin Cumming), her older granddaughter who was lost in an accident. In no time, Mary is visited by a mysterious presence, while woo-woo music plays. Then, a near tragic "accident" occurs. This is only the beginning.

Has Jennifer returned from the grave?

If this apparent specter is to be believed, then Jennifer was one wicked child! Can death be far off? Nope. In this movie's case, it's true that no one is safe!

DON'T GO TO SLEEP is a spook-tacular, made-for-TV movie full of possible possession, ghostly goings on, and insanity. Beneath the supernatural trappings, it's also a story of guilt, remorse, and haunting memories. How does anyone move on from a tragic loss, while believing they're somehow responsible for it?

For a TV movie, this is very grim stuff! Weaver and Harper play the shattered parents well, and Ms. Gordon adds her signature gusto -with extra vinegar!- to her character. Robin Ignico is believable, and Oliver Robins pretty much reprises his POLTERGEIST role.

EXTRA CREDIT FOR: The "watermelon" and "Bathtub-blackout / pizza cutter" scenes. P.S.- Do not miss the epilogue!...

I've seen this eerie film back in 1986 at my aunt's house. It was unexpected at the time, I was looking for a family movie, and it turned out to be a spooky shocker. It took place in December of 1982 where a girl named Mary survived an auto accident along with her family...her sister Jennifer did not make it. Jump a year later which was initiated from the opening, poor Mary seems to be having nitemares of her deceased sister Jennifer. She even hears Jennifer calling her name through the dark. Soon enough, the late Jennifer appears under Mary's bed. The dead sister makes nocturnal visits and Mary is astounded. Later, weird sudden deaths occur in the family(I will not say the specifics). Mary may be responsible...but is Jennifer making her do it? The movie takes a number of turns toward the climax and closing credits. For years I was appalled by this movie, merely because I did not understand it. I last saw this film in 1998 on the late night movie and appreciated it even better for the slick direction and execution of the actors. It holds an intense atmosphere, because of its disguise as wonderland with Alice(Jennifer) lurking around in it. This is a well-done TV movie and should be watched if possible. Home video rental is nearly hopeless, with this film being out of production for more than a decade. Good luck.

I've rated this movie higher than I would if it were theatrically released. One of the biggest problems with nearly every TV movie is pacing. Arranging the story so there is enough suspense to keep an audience through commercials tends to create awkward pacing, and this movie is no exception. But the movie has enough of a story to keep things moving forward. Direction is largely competent, except for a very poor opening credits sequence. Script is also acceptable. Characters are not especially likable, but in a story like this, that doesn't matter much.

There are two scenes that especially stuck in my memory as a child; the first being the frisbee scene. The second was the pizza cutter. Given the lack of real menace in the movie, the direction was surprisingly effective in making things creepy.

I only wish that made-for-TV productions kept this sort of sensibility.

Entirely worth tracking down for aficionados of early 80s horror.

I saw this movie as a kid and was NEVER able to get it out of my mind. A dead girl, Jennifer, comes back to haunt her younger sister, Mary, and the two wreak havoc (in the form of accidents) on the rest of their family. Everyone still blames themselves for Jennifer's death while Mary seems to think that she was the only one who TRULY cared for her. The big shocker occurs as a flashback scene towards the end of the movie where we see who is really responsible for Jennifer's death. This movie makes "Made-For-TV" look extremely good! Poor Oliver Robins from "Poltergeist" fame plays yet ANOTHER brother stuck in the middle of a very unlucky family. So far, I've only seen this movie in one rental store so it IS out there somewhere.