Doctor Sleep

A fairly intriguing horror-thriller which plays like a hybrid of Jonathan Demme's The Silence Of The Lambs and Gregory Hoblit's Fallen, Doctor Sleep (aka "Close Your Eyes") has a fair few effective moments. Some reviewers here on the IMDb have complained that the film is poorly directed, but I don't see where they're coming from. The film is unfussily directed, but to use the word "poor" is somewhat harsh. The plot - while fundamentally rather silly and hard-to-swallow - is at least quite unusual, and helps the film to come across as a reasonably original and unpredictable piece of hokum.

A psychiatrist with unusual telepathic powers, Dr Michael Strother (Goran Visnjic), moves from Seattle to London after his treatment results in the death of a patient and a subsequent witch-hunt by the American media. Once in London, he inadvertently gets drawn into the plight of a young girl, Heather (Sophie Stuckey - an excellent child actress), who recently escaped from the clutches of a wanted serial killer known to police as the Tattoo Murderer. Since her ordeal, Heather hasn't spoken a word, but ambitious policewoman Janet Losey (Shirley Henderson) hopes that Michael can find a way to get her to open up.... and maybe reveal a clue as to the killer's whereabouts. An internet geek with interests in occult history, Elliot Spruggs (Paddy Considine), is called upon to help and he gradually figures out that the killer seems to be following the methods of a 500 year old cult, the fundamental belief of which is that life can be prolonged and transferred from body to body, via a gruesome ritual involving blood transfusions (it is for these transfusions that the children have been taken by the Tattoo Murderer).

Doctor Sleep has some very creepy moments in spite of its unlikely premise. Visnjic plays the doctor quite well (he has a great, soothing voice which makes his psychiatric scenes particularly believable), though Shirley Henderson as the police lady doesn't register too strongly. The shocks are simple but effective, and the film generates an eerie atmosphere without resorting to full-on gore, nor falling back on the slasher movie mentality that seems to permeate too many recent horror flicks. There is a very chilling twist ending (which has been called confusing in several reviews and message board postings on this site - though in actual fact it is rather clever, not to mention disturbing, if you've paid close attention during the film). On the whole, Doctor Sleep is a solid, workmanlike chiller which achieves its modest aims with a degree of success.

Close Your Eyes (aka Doctor Sleep) has all the makings of a horror sleeper. I hadn't heard anything about it, and thought the DVD box looked interesting, so I picked it up. I'm used to renting bad movies that have great packaging, so I didn't hold out any great hopes for this one.

Surprisingly, this movie has some taut moments and manages to sustain a fairly creepy vibe throughout. There are some logic gaps in the story, and most of them have to do with police procedure, but even with those problems the movie ends up being very watchable. I was left a little unfulfilled by the ending, but overall it's a better than average thriller. Should have been a sleeper hit.

Hypnotherapist Michael Strother experiences a psychic flash while trying to help policewoman Janet quit smoking. He mentions his vision of a young girl floating just beneath the surface of a stream to Janet, who tells him that the girl is Heather. Heather has recently escaped from the Tattoo Killer and has not spoken a word since. Michael very reluctantly agrees to help Janet in her search for the killer. Traumatized Heather reveals a few clues under hypnosis and geeky researcher Elliot provides still more with his research into the occult. Michael however has reason to worry. His insomnia is back, his guilty memories have been stirred up again, his heavily pregnant wife does not approve of what he's doing, and the killer pays a visit to his house in the dead of night, leaving behind an ominous warning. When Elliot turns up dead and Heather is kidnapped for a second time, Michael and Janet have little time left to discover the whereabouts of an ancient church...one of ten whose locations form a perfect pentagram on the map.

If you're looking for a fast paced splatter fest, filled with gore and excitement and gunfire, skip this film. If you can appreciate a slow, moody, thoughtful psycho- drama with a low budget and lots of good performances, this film is for you. There's plenty of violence, don't get me wrong. A hideous evisceration and a hungry rat make their appearance, but the camera mercifully looks away. For people with morbid imaginations, it is still a difficult scene to watch, as is the squirm-inducing lobotomy scene which fans of the film Session 9 will find familiar. The performances are great, particularly by Goran Visnij as the insomniac Michael who rarely smiles and always looks slightly haunted. He nevertheless seems to be a good husband to Miranda Otto (Eowyn from LOTR) as his heavily pregnant and hormonally irritable wife Clara. Miranda's American accent is flawless and she looks great. Her performance is totally believable. Shirley Henderson (Moaning Myrtle from the Harry Potter films) as Janet and Fiona Shaw (Petunia Dursley, also from HP) as the creepy Catherine Lebourg are both almost unrecognizable, turning in stoic, tight-lipped performances which are perfect.

Despite a somewhat predictable and downer ending, this film at least tries to be original and intelligent. The special effects used during the hypnosis scenes are clever and colorful and the mood throughout is heavy with dread. This is a good little film with strong performances, but it's not for everyone. Fans of mainstream horror may be bored silly, but fans of films such as the aforementioned Session 9 and the Chinese ghost story The Eye may enjoy this one as well.

In London, Michael Strother (Goran Vismjic) is a specialist in treatment for quitting smoking through hypnosis. His patient, the detective Janet Losey (Shirley Henderson), decides to use Michael's skills with the little girl Heather, who was kidnapped by a sick serial killer and escaped, but was speechless in shock. Michael gets involved with the investigation of Janet, threatening the safety of his own family. Along the story, weird mysteries are disclosed, having a hook in its open end for a possible sequel.

"Doctor Sleep" is an unknown great thriller. I saw this DVD on sale, and I decided to buy it just because it was very cheap. The introduction of the story is so good that I have decided to pay attention on the plot. What a surprise: it is indeed a spooky story, full of mystery, which makes the viewer tense, guessing whether it is a thriller or a horror movie. The direction is precise, using special effects only to create an atmosphere and cast has a good performance. This little gem deserves to be discovered by fans of thrillers full of suspense. Unfortunately, the DVD does not present any extra. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): 'Hipnose' ('Hypnosis')

Note: On 04 October 2021, I saw this film again.

"Close Your Eyes" is an unusual thriller. The story and characters are not present in your typical entries into this or any genre. And although on that level I recommend the film, it falls way short of greatness due to its pedestrian direction.

A serial killer has been kidnapping and killing young girls around London. One girl named Heather has survived, but she isn't talking. After hypnotherapist Michael Strother cures Detective Janet Losey (Shirley Henderson) of her smoking addiction, he reveals something that she saw under hypnosis: an image of Heather floating underwater. She thinks that Strother can help her with her case, but he refuses. Eventually he relents, and gets pulled into a disturbing mystery involving some creepy science and mysticism.

Thrillers, especially those of this ilk, demand a strong sense of atmosphere. A story can be chilling in its own right, but it's up to the director to put us at an sense of unease so we can get sucked into the story. But although director Nick Willing can boast a few inventive visuals, he can't establish a sense of atmosphere where this unease can build. Films like "The Descent" built up the tension long before the monsters ever showed up, which made the second half downright terrifying; Willing isn't able to accomplish this; in fact, he doesn't seem to be able to try. Worse, he cannot establish a narrative flow. The film is poorly paced, and as a result it seems to start and stop at random moments.

This is especially unfortunate because the film boasts some impressive performances. Goran Visnjic uses his soothing voice effectively (even I was almost hypnotized by his voice), and the celebrated Croatian actor makes for a sympathetic protagonist. Shirley Henderson is rather stiff as the policewoman who believes that he can help (actually, she's the only one who believes this). Miranda Otto is underused as Michael's long-suffering American wife. However, Fiona Shaw and John Rogan are creepy in small but important parts.

This is an okay choice for those who are tired of the usual schtick from "thrillers," but it could have been a lot better.