Parasomnia

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?

I was privileged last night to attend a screening of a new film entitled PARASOMNIA written and directed by WILLIAM MALONE (House on Haunted Hill-1999, FeardotCom-2002, Masters of Horror-"Fair Haired Child). PARASOMNIA is part of Screamfest 2008, the annual horror film festival, but this film spans more than just the horror genre. It is somewhat outside the horror box in that it is more of a dark, twisted, nightmare of a fairy tale almost creating its own visually exciting genre.

The story tells of DANNY (DYLAN PURCELL) a young man who becomes fascinated with a modern Sleeping Beauty in LAURA BAXTER (portrayed by the delightful and charming newcomer CHERLIN Wilson) who suffers from Parasomnia or the Sleeping Beauty syndrome, which causes her to sleep more often than wake. He comes across her in the psyche ward of a hospital while visiting his artist friend BILLY (DOV TIEFENBACH) incarcerated there on a court forced rehab.

Like any good ghost or horror story Billy tells Danny about the girl and the insane serial killer held in the padded cell next to her, one BYRON VOLPE (wonderfully played by veteran bad guy PATRICK KILPATRICK). Volpe, a rare book dealer and mesmerist, used his unnerving mental powers to control his victims, especially his ex-wife (a much too brief cameo by SEAN YOUNG) to commit suicide or murder.

Somehow Volpe has the ability to enter Laura's dreams, tormenting her in a bizarre dream world (A place worthy of Guillermo Del Toro) he controls. Danny realizes he met Laura when they were both children and his fascination with her turns to love. Upon learning she is going to be transferred to the custody of DR. EGON BHYLE (LOUIS GRAHAM) and his questionable sleep disorder clinic for experiments, Danny plots to rescue Laura from her lab-rat fate.

Not realizing Volpe considers the helpless girl his possession, Danny successfully absconds with Laura, taking her to his artist's apartment. Along the way, the girl awakes in Danny's car and unaccustomed to finding herself outside the hospital, freaks out a little. When Danny pulls over to calm her, Laura is out of the car diving head long into the moist grass. Wilson pulls this scene off with an innocent charm without it descending into camp as she falls back asleep, face in the grass.

Once at Danny's apartment, he cleans her up in a scene that in another's hands could have come off as salacious with it's partial nudity. To Malone's and his actor's credit, this scene plays with an innocent tenderness and charm. In an ensuing sequence Danny takes Laura out to an ice cream parlor which turns into a comic exploration of strawberry ice cream, again charmingly played by Wilson.

Then things get dark as Volpe's power over Laura invades her dreams. Danny awakes to find Laura, clad in a cheerleader's outfit stolen from his neighbor, covered in blood and wielding a butcher knife under Vople's mental control as she tries to kill Danny. He manages to ward off her attack, only to discover his neighbor's mutilated body.

Enter the police: DET. GARRETT (Cult fan favorite JEFFERY COMBS) and his partner DET. CONROY (veteran character actor JEFF DOUCETTE) who have already been to the hospital investigating Laura's abduction and getting the low down on Volpe. As Danny frantically tries to hide Laura from Doucette, she; again under Volpe's control; frees herself from Danny's restraints and disembowels Doucette in a very graphic scene that will keep the slasher fans more than happy.

Since I won't give away the ending, I will say that Volpe escapes the hospital in another graphic blood bath to track down Laura and Danny. The film culminates with one of the most inventive, innovative, and visually intriguing sequences involving clockwork automatons; the art work of Danny's friend Billy: and the best use of Serge Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet Ballet Overture.

Wonderfully shot by Christian SEABADLT and ENZO GIOBBE and lit in an almost noir style there is enough gore for today's modern, hardcore horror fans, yet PARASOMNIA is so much more. Malone's script is intelligent and he understands all too well that Cinema is a visual medium. In an era where most film and television scripts are still written like radio scripts where the actors describe the action you are seeing on the screen. Malone lets the image tell the story. The characters speak like real people speak. It is economic in its dialog.

And in creating Byron Vople, Malone and Kilpatrick have presented one of the most literate and intelligent villains since Hannibal Lector, a refreshing twist after a dearth of mindless blood thirsty slasher villains.

PARASOMNIA succeeds on many levels: cinematically; mood; characterization; and visual style. The dreamscapes are stunningly beautiful and jarring at the same time. The subliminal cuts are spooky. The over all creepiness of the film is balanced with the innocence of Dylan Purcell and Cherilan Wilson's portrayals. And Wilson is quite a find. She shines in the scenes of Laura rediscovering the world, then seamlessly transitions into a vicious killer under Volpe's control and back to the somnambulistic Laura. Also look for an amusing cameo by director JOHN LANDIS.

PARASOMNIA is such an unusual and entertaining film, it stands on its own. Whether it gets a theatrical release or goes straight to DVD, don't miss this one.

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..

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.

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.