Because of the backlog I maintain on the site, you can't tell this, but I'm going through my October horror movie list right now. The strategy I'm trying this year is tracking down anything I can find from the people behind my three favorite horror movies (V/H/S, V/H/S 2, and Oculus). Thanks to the first two movies being anthologies, that's a lot of names and a lot of movies. Before I Wake comes from Oculus director Mike Flanagan though. Since Oculus, that guy has been busy. I've really enjoyed Hush and his Netflix series The Haunting of Hill House. I was a little cooler on last year's Gerald's Game. I keep missing my chance to see Ouija: Origin of Evil. Before I Wake is one I wasn't looking forward to all that much. I heard no buzz about it when it was released. It looked like one of those sanitized studio horror movies. The story sounded more overtly supernatural than I tend to care for.
It turns out, I
was mostly right about Before I Wake. It's a very safe PG-13. It wasn't as
clinical as Oculus. I never lost my footing while watching it. The movie was
more mysterious than scary. I don't really want my horror movies to have a
poin or a lessont. I don't really need character growth. I just need to know if they do or
don't get out of this scary situation. The dreams felt more like puzzles than
being out for scares. The story felt reverse-engineered from the end.
That's not to say it was all bad. Jacob Tremblay is unfairly good for his age. Kate Bosworth and Thomas Jane are fine as his foster parents. I like that the movie ends with the characters learning to control the problem, not fix it. It doesn't get too bogged down with explaining the boy's gift. Flanagan edits his own movies, which makes a lot of sense. He knows how to cut his shots for maximum effect.
Verdict (?): Weakly Don't Recommend
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