Parasomnia

I thought that Parasomnia was a great film to watch In "Parasomnia," a directed by William Malone ("House on Haunted Hill," "Masters of Horror,") Laura Baxter is a young woman, a "sleeping beauty," who suffers from a medical condition called "parasomnia." A childhood accident victim, she is almost sleeping her life away, becoming awake at times. While visiting his friend Billy in the rehabilitation centre of a psychiatric hospital, an art student Danny Sloan falls in love with her, unaware that her hospital neighbour,is a mass murderer called Byron Volpe. Sloan helps Laura escape from her hospital only to discover that Volpe is about to enter into her dreams. Byron, a deranged hypnotizer, used his ability to control his victims. Danny decides to abduct Laura and bring her to his apartment. However, Byron also loves Laura and controls her nightmares. This was a very good film.

I just saw this at Screamfest LA at the Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. I wasn't sure if this was going to be good or not from what I'd heard. I just went in and let the film wash over me. Three days later, I still can't shake it. This may be one of the best film experiences I've had in years. Yes, it's got the usual things that you'd expect out of a horror movie... gruesome murders, naked chicks, insane maniacs... but it also has a great plot, twitchy characters and the weirdest bunch of robots or clockwork men or whatever the hell they are, I've ever seen. The cast was uniformly good. Standout performances by Timothy Bottoms and Jefrrey Combs. The two leads were excellent. My friend thought the movie took a while to get going (though I liked it as is). We both felt the same about the ending. I'm not going to tell you too much about it except to say the last 30 minutes or so of this film left me stunned. Awesome ending!!! Not that this is a perfect film.... it's not, but it's damn close. I have to see this again. Did I dream this movie?

OK, I'm now convinced that, not only is Hollywood illiterate but now they don't even know how to watch movies. Why doesn't his movie have a big release in this country? While visiting with a friend in L. A., I saw this at a special screening in Hollywood at the Egyptian Theater. The director said they were still looking for a distributor. A fact I find unbelievable. I had never heard of this film yet what I saw lit up in the dark was one of the best... I was going to say horror movies... but JUST PLAIN MOVIES that I've seen. Instead Hollywood gives us over-blown remakes of remakes. This is one of the most original, fun, and entertaining films I've ever watched. Are these guys asleep at the switch?

This movie is really interesting because it starts out slowly and then begins turning the thumb screws down until you're about to yell. We see this kid (Danny) through a series of very bad decisions... get himself deeper and deeper into a hole until you wonder how he's ever going to be able to get out of it. What's cool is his actions are completely understandable because of his obsession with this sleeping girl..(The chick who plays her is VERY HOT!!!! BTW). This movie does something that you just don't see in movies now. The build to the end gets more and more intense and reveals more layers and convolutions than a Nixon investigation. I'm not going to say more than that, 'cause I don't want to give anything away but the last half of this movie is just plain great. This has one of the best endings in a film ever. Judging from the films I've seen in the last few years this must be hard to do. The look and mood of the film is unique. The movie is lush and creepy like a dream that you don't want to wake up from. You just want to go back there and revisit those places and live in that world with those people.

OK, I'm gong to be kind and imagine that Warner Bros, Sony, MGM, 20th Century Fox and all those guys have never heard of this film either... Yeah.. That's it.

While visiting his friend Billy (Dov Tiefenbach) in the rehabilitation of a local psychiatric hospital, the arts student Danny Sloan (Dylan Purcell) decides to see the serial killer Byron Volpe (Patrick Kilpatrick), who is a deranged hypnotizer that used his ability to control his victims and keeps saying "tick tick" that is arrested wearing a hood to cover his eyes, in a cell in the end of the corridor. When he passes by the room of Laura Baxter (Cherilyn Wilson), he becomes fascinated with her angelical beauty and discovers that she has Parasomnia or the Sleeping Beauty syndrome, sleeping most of the time and awaking briefly on a few moments only. Billy visits the girl in other occasions falling in love with her; when he finds that she will be transferred to serve as experiment in a clinic with bad reputation, he decides to abduct Laura and bring her to his apartment. However, Byron also loves Laura and controls her nightmares, and uses his power to bring her back to him in a trail of blood.

First of all, the weird "Parasomnia" definitely has potential of cult-movie. The absurd and odd story begins like a romantic tale (I believed it would be an update of Sleeping Beauty), introducing the gorgeous and lovely Cherilyn Wilson (her breasts are perfect); shifts to horror, supported by a magnificently bizarre cinematography that recalls in some moments Guillermo Del Toro's "El Laberinto del Fauno"; a cameo of Sean Young and John Landis; the cult Jeffrey Combs in the role of Detective Garrett; and a creepy and evil villain, performed by Patrick Kilpatrick. The overture of "Romeo and Juliet" is used in one of the most bizarre, disturbing and imaginative scenes I have ever seen in a horror movie. Last but not the least, there are lots of gore to satisfy the fans. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Sonâmbulos" ("Sleepwalkers")

Wow, I will not give anything away, but what a surprise this one was I attended the Screamfest Showing last night and expected another blood and guts fun house boo show.. what I got was a rare thing a film that defies genre.Atistic images, intelligent villain even a love story..this film is best described as Erie...images that are both haunting and beautiful the " Victims" are not just props waiting on a gruesome ending .. the killer is not a mindless beast, and the cast was well chosen no cheesy acting, William Malone directed this one as if he loved it and you can feel that particularly in the final scene..Horror fans hunt this one down take your girlfriend or wife ..this one you both will love..