Sonámbula

Obnoxious well-to-do businessman Richard (Nickolas Grace) and his wife Angela (Joanna David) are invited to dinner and to stay the night at the remote home of brother and sister Alex and Marion (Bill Douglas and Heather Page). When the storm raging overhead causes the meal to be ruined, the foursome go to a nearby inn, where personalities clash.

Arriving back at the hosts' home, Richard continues to be abrasive, and the evening comes to an abrupt end. During the night, one of the group turns to murder.

Someone at the British Film Institute deemed this obscure mid-'80s horror worthy of a DVD release, with all the bells and whistles. I don't understand it, myself: even though the film has a scant run-time of just over fifty minutes, I found the whole thing an insufferable bore, with loathesome characters, dull conversation, very little in the way of plot, and just one reasonable death scene (a meat cleaver in the chest).

I seem to be in the minority in disliking the film (IMDb currently has four positive reviews, although one appears to be written by the director), so it seems as though I may have missed something that others enjoyed. Or maybe I'm just being honest because I'm not connected with the making of the film or its release on DVD.

This short film, largely set in a marvellous, rambling, yet crumbling country cottage begins brilliantly. There are ominous shadows and attractive shafts of light only partially illuminating the interior before a storm thunders above creating havoc. The film also concludes in great style with much blood curdling action more reminiscent of an Italian gallo than an English old dark house tale. Unfortunately the two siblings are visited by their sister and her husband. He is played by Nickolas Grace and regrettably his over acting is evident from his first appearance in the car as the couple try to find the cottage. Because of storm damage the four go to a local inn for dinner and for some reason director Saxon Logan has the dialogue become something of a diatribe for and against Thatcherism and with Grace allowed full reign, this is a rather embarrassing episode. As I say, back at the cottage the sinister and brilliantly conceived horror develops. Just a shame about that dinner break.

Siblings Marion (Heather Page) and Alex (Comrades (1986) director Bill Douglas in a rare acting role) share a crumbling cottage in the countryside. With Alex seemingly under constant stress due to his writing job, their relationship is somewhat strained, and things get worse when they are visited out of the blue by city-dwelling husband and wife Richard (Nickolas Grace) and Angela (Joanna David). Richard in an appalling, outspoken yuppie with a fondness for homophobic slights, and tensions mount as they go out for a dinner and the alcohol starts to flow. Afterwards back at the house, things start to get weird when somebody starts to sleepwalk with murderous in mind.

Re-released recently as part of the BFI's 'Flipside' series, which celebrates anything British, obscure and bizarre, Sleepwalker is an extremely odd yet mostly absorbing experience. While the tone is certainly British, the style is distinctly Italian. The first two- thirds consists of amusing, well-scripted character building, as the foursome clash and size each other up, while the remaining portion set back at the house goes into full-blown horror mode, turning the relatively small house into a disorientating labyrinth. It's a giallo at heart, with the work of Dario Argento in particular no doubt an influence on director Saxon Logan (cool name). Running at just over 50 minutes, the movie passes by in a flash and will probably leave you scratching your head when the screen fades to black, but it's also a film that didn't leave my mind for days afterwards, and left me itching to experience it again.

Greetings And Salutations, and welcome to my review of Sleepwalker; here's the breakdown of my ratings:

Story: 1.50 Direction: 1.00 Pace: 1.25 Acting: 1.25 Enjoyment: 1.25

TOTAL: 6.25 out of 10.00

Sleepwalker being a British movie, I felt obliged to give it a look-see, being an Englishman and all. And though I wasn't overly impressed, I was cordially entertained.

The story, especially the characterisations, is the main driving force behind this short film. Even though the piccy is titled, Sleepwalker, the somnambulism isn't a primary factor, it's secondary, and because it rears its sleepy head at the climax of the narrative, it has the feeling of being bolted on to produce the desired ending. The individuals, their personas, their beliefs, and their relationships create interest and drama for the viewer. Differing viewpoints infuriate and ramp up the tension between them. The toxic relationship between Brother and Sister drives the couple to near violence. And the open flirtatiousness causes unease and insecurity. But these emotions and their deadly outcome are just an Allegory for Britain in the 80s. This comparison is particularly evident in the couples' surnames. Richard and Angela Paradise and Alex and Marion Britain. The Paradise's are the yuppie nouveau-riche, happy to make their money off the backs of others and then rub it in their faces. And because they've been lucky enough to make it, they believe those that don't are lazy and feeble-minded. Brother Britain believes differently. For him, everyone is equal and should have equal opportunities and benefits. They shouldn't be only for the privileged. Sister Britain isn't bothered as she's too absorbed in her loathing and dislikes for her brother. And Mrs Paradise is a conscientious observer. It's a clever little play packed with gripping dialogue and captivating situations. And in a lot of ways, it's a mirror of the population's thoughts at the time.

Saxon Logan is an above-average director. In the main, he lets the play unfold, allowing the narrative, dialogue, and the performers to do the bulk of the work. Logan composes the scenes ideally - Capturing the principal players of the segment perfectly in the frame. When the couples retire to their beds for the night, he adds a cold blue filter to show the bitter temperature of the season and within the house.

A great cast is essential for a production relying heavily on its character-driven story. Sadly, this is not a great cast.

: The performers are good and definitely above-average, but not great. As such, a little of the drive and motivation slip. The best segment is the restaurant. It's here when we get to know more about our quartet, especially Richard Paradise. And the actors and actresses come across okay, though Bill Douglas as Alex Britain is too angry too quickly. It would've been more realistic to have simmering displeasure before the all-out nuclear fury. Joanna David as Angela Paradise is too mousy, even when she has lines. It gives an illusory feel to her performance.

All in all, Sleepwalker is now an enjoyable reminisce of what we once were. As a story in its own right - forget the allegory stuff - it isn't too bad. The conflict is still constant today, even if some of our beliefs and rights have altered. I would happily recommend Sleepwalker to everyone because it's more of a dark drama than horror or thriller. And because it's short, should you dislike it, you'll have wasted only fifty minutes - It's a flick to ponder on while supping a cuppa tea or mugga coffee.

Now, WAKE UP and check my Dramatisation Of Life list to see where I ranked Sleepwalker.

Take Care & Stay Well.

It has to be said that this one definitely qualifies as something of an oddity. I really hadn't even heard of it but having now seen it I have a better understanding of just why it is so obscure. For one thing, it clocks in with the odd run-time of 50 minutes which sort of puts it in a kind of no man's land between being a short and feature-length, i.e. it's too short to be a main movie but too long to work as a support feature. So I guess this fact was working against it right from the get go. Whatever the case, this one was long thought to be lost, with many people even questioning if it had even been made at all. Which makes its recent re-emergence a very good thing and having now seen it myself I would have to classify this as a definite interesting oddity which is certainly a strange one. The story is revolves around an awkward social gathering. Alex and Marion, a middle-aged brother and sister who live together, are paid a visit at their cottage in the country by a city couple, Richard and Angela. They all go out for dinner and tensions rise between the socialist idealist Alex and the capitalist realist Richard. Once back at the house things turn sinister in the night.

This one is not only marked out by its unusual run-time but also by its odd combination of cynical social commentary with straight-ahead horror material. The former is covered with the clash between the two couples, one representing two sides of Britain – the old traditional slightly complacent side and the other the upwardly mobile new Thatcherite strain which was dominant in the 80's. So it is a clash between old and new, left against right. While it paints Richard as being pretty abhorrent, it's also true that he is also shown to be honest in his selfishness, whereas Alex is shown to be weak, out-of-touch and not as principled as he thinks he is. In other words it's quite a nuanced and complex portrayal of these characters that avoids being too obvious. So there is a reasonable amount going on before we even get to the horror bit which kicks in near the end, when the film enters more-or-less slasher territory. It's certainly an unusual combination which works well largely because it's kind of unpredictable. It has an interesting script, some good acting and some effective atmosphere. In other words, it's quite a fascinating oddball film. Because of the limited run-time, it perhaps doesn't make as much of its set-up as it could have but, at the same time, unlike a lot of movies it hardly overstays its welcome either. Overall, Sleepwalker proves to be a worthwhile movie for those seeking 80's horror films on the more unusual side of the spectrum.