Director – Jonathan Hopkins
Screenplay – Richard Hobley, Jonathan Hopkins
Cast - Maggie Q, Kristen Bush, Sam Troughton, Will Kemp, William Hope and Sylvester McCoy
Plot – After a tragic death in the family, the Morgan’s are plagued by severe sleep walking and paralysis every night. They eventually turn to sleep specialist Alice (Q) who discovers their son may be targeted by a demonic presence which feeds on sleeping children.
Jonathan Hopkins’ Slumber is by no means an original horror flick, with its main conceit borrowing slightly from the Nightmare on Elm Street films (and Buffy fans will possibly notice similarities to Season 2 episode Killed By Death) but fused with a tone more similar to the psychological thriller The Babadook.
Hopkin’s mostly sidelines jump-scares for a consistently unsettling vibe as the characters struggle with sleep deprivation and when they do kip the tension ratchets effectively. Maggie Q delivers an engaging performance as the doctor trying to rationalise the family’s bizarre behaviour (the young girl sleep walking while cutting up toys, the mother creepily playing with a blender) and the build to the climactic reveal is suitably tense. Although a late appearance from a cartoonish McCoy feels out of sync with the rest of the film’s solemn tone.
Overall, Hopkins delivers satisfying dread over a nicely brisk run time as Slumber, although not entirely inventive or ground-breaking, is a decent horror which may even keep you awake for some time after credits roll.