Before I Wake

I'll admit the trailer didn't grip me, I watched it and thought I wouldn't enjoy it, big mistake, this is such an imaginative horror, which defies all the usual horror cliches, the usual proceedings are turned on their head, the child, Cody, is a really nice kid, not the usual Damianesque monster you are normally guaranteed. The parents are not sadistic or twisted, they're just trying to do their best and get by.

The film is a visual treat, when it's intended to look good it's beautiful, the butterflies look stunning, so bright, and on the flipside the moths and Canker Man look menacing and dark.

The scares are good, plenty of things going on, but you need to keep watching and concentrating. I wouldn't say it has much in store for those that love gore and twisted horror, it would be tame for those, but for the casual horror viewer, this is a smashing movie.

The ending was the only part I felt was a little bit of a let down, such a good film deserved a better conclusion.

Well worth seeing, 8/10

Before I Wake tells the story of Cody(Jacob Tremblay). Cody has been moving from place to place because, different foster parents have been adopting him from time to time. Now, he is in the care of, Jessie(Kate Bosworth) & Mark(Thomas Jane). Jessie & Mark soon realize, that Cody's dreams physically appear before them, as he sleeps. The deadly fact is, the same thing happens during his nightmares.

Before I Wake is an impressive film. However, it is not that scary. The jump scares are minimal. The suspense is superbly maintained throughout the movie, by director Mike Flanagan. However, the ending of the film, is disappointing & frankly, slightly silly. The biggest flaw with this movie is that it is not properly categorized. It is supposed to be a horror movie but, it feels more like a fantasy thriller. The script by Mike Flanagan & Jeff Howard is original & unique. However, I liked Flanagan & Howard's previous collaboration, Oculus(2013) better. Jacob Tremblay's performance as Cody, is the highlight of the film. Tremblay continues to impress us with his supreme acting ability, after being lauded for his performance in Room(2015). Kate Bosworth is great as Jessie. Thomas Jane is effective as Mark. Annabeth Gish is good as Natalie. Dash Mihok is awesome as Whelan. Antonio Evan Romero, Kyla Deaver & Hunter Wenzel are amazing as Sean, Annie & Tate, respectively. Before I Wake is not a must watch. Still, it is worth a watch if you have some time to spare.

This is a very "nice" suspense/horror movie - with a satisfyingly good ending that explains and ties things together neatly. As with most horror movies - i went in without too great an expectation and was pleasantly surprised that i really liked it.

This movie may be a little bit too soppy or "nice" to be classified a real horror movie.

It does not rely much on jump scares. Actually it uses scares only sparsely - and instead goes with story and mystery. The roles of the foster parents are actually nicely done and acted. They are a lot less clichéd than countless other "typical foster parents in suspense/horror movies".

Special effects were alright but not too great - i would have loved to see more practical effects, because the CGI kind of made it look like a rather cheap computer cut-scene sometimes.

All in all - recommended - but not if you are looking for a real scare. Personally i d rather classify that movie as a fantasy story with scare elements.

I just saw it at the cinema and I really loved it. It's an amazingly beautiful horror film! Something type like "A Nightmare on Elm Street", "The Amityville Horror", "Mama" and "The Possession"..

The story was really interesting! The kid Cody (Jacob Tremblay) has unusual nightmares, but he can't live without nightmares until he finds one thing to realize something..

The acting were good, but Jacob Tremblay (the kid who played in "Room") was absolutely a fantastic and very cute kid in it.

Don't expect a scary movie that is actually scary, but it has some scary parts and good jump scares. The special makeup is amazing! The ending was beautiful and just sad, but also happy!

I gave "Before I Wake" a 9.5 out of 10. I recommend this movie if you want to watch it, it will give you an enjoyable time!

This movie somewhat reminded me of "A.I. Artificial Intelligence", a movie that started out like a drama and in the end felt like a fairy tale story. "Before I Wake" has the feel of a horror movie at times, but turns into, albeit a scary one, a fairy tale. The good: The actors did a fine job, especially the two leads. A well written story and the fantasy effects looks good. The bad: The monster did not look very scary, but I guess there is a reason for that in the story. The movie is promoted as a horror, I guess that will leave some viewers disappointed. This is not The Conjuring or Saw. This is a fantasy with some scary elements.