Beyond the Wall of Sleep

In a normal movie, if your cinematography, lighting, acting, editing, script, sound mix and everything are abysmal, you try to fix them. But in a low budget horror movie, you can claim that's part of the TERRIFYING HORROR. This was badly shot in kind of a faux-Blair Witch style, with ugly high contrast lighting, sub-high school drama acting, jumpy headache-enducing editing, awful dialogue (not even good in that verbose Lovecraft way) and...I don't particularly remember the sound, but I'm sure it was bad. If your movie's mise-en-scene is "shittiness", you're not scary. You're just shitty.

Every time I go to a screening of student films, I wonder about the people who's movies are incompetent even after years of schooling. "Do these people really think they can work in the industry?" I wonder.

Apparently, the answer is yes.

They grow up to be Barrett J. Leigh and Thom Maurer.

Boooo Hissss..... I want the last 2 hours of my life back. I think a majority of the budget went to the cover and the 10 second CGI. The acting was over the top, so melodramatic....I kept waiting and waiting and waiting....and waiting and waiting some more.....ehhhh....not even good enough to be creepy. I felt like had this movie the budget and the time, it could have been a lot better. Of course, that is true of almost any movie, but the story in this one wasn't the biggest of the problems. The acting seriously was like watching an uncomfortable Shakespeare play done by the local playhouse. Actually, that was a huge rip on local playhouse actors. The best part was William Sanderson, who does his best to rescue a sinking boat.

Everything about this movie sucked. How can someone even think this was good? The acting made my eyes bleed, the plot was just retarded, and the characters were just so stupid, I wanted them all to just die right then and there. This movie was suppose to be a horror flick, but it ended out being a comedy for me. Me and my friends just laughed at how terrible this movie was. The visual effects were the worst i've ever seen in a movie. Even if the budget wasn't that high, they still could of made it better. I mean come on, honestly, why did they waste movie and time making such a bad movie? I feel bad for everyone who lost an hour and 25 minutes of their life like I did. I want it back!

If this is what the makers of this film take from Lovecraft, I pity them. Lovecraft gives you the skeleton of something horrible and lets your imagination flesh in the rest. That's what makes him so fun to read. You come away from the story IMAGINING other worlds and endless possibilities. This movie leaves absolutely nothing to the imagination. In fact it takes particular delight in showing you every gory detail. This should have "Fangoria" on the top of the box not "H.P. Lovecraft's". If you are a fan of Lovecraft and want to see a good tale about Elder gods, don't rent this one. I know it's hard not to grab anything with "Lovecraft" at the top but don't fall for it. The makers of this film stuck his name on their product to get more viewers. You will waste your time and fall for their ploy if you rent this because you like Lovecraft. Don't say I didn't warn you.

I've seen hundreds of B-horror movies and direct-to-DVD schlock, but this film has managed to take the trophy prize for worst ever. Trust me when I say that is NOT an easy prize to win. I've seen movies that I thought would make me tear the eyes out of my head...but, somehow, none can compare to "Beyond the Wall of Sleep."

When trying to make a list of all of the things wrong with this movie, the task becomes so overwhelming that it's easier to say that nothing is right with it. From the bad wigs to the 2nd-grade-school-play acting, it's just one abomination after the next until the credits roll. Parts of the film are actually unbearable to look at because the editing is so intentionally spastic and flickering, it feels like you're going to have a seizure. Other parts are so slow and unedited, you feel like you're going to hang yourself if they don't end. Suffice it to say that none of the movie manages to be in between those two extremes. Truly a terrible attempt at...whatever it was they were attempting.

Best line: "My brains!!!!"