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Don't Sleep is a 2017 horror film written, co-produced, and directed by Rick Bieber. The film follows young lovers Shawn and Zach as they move into a cottage together and confront the horrors of Zach's forgotten childhood. As Zach begins to experience nightmares of his past, he questions his sanity and is forced to face the reality that the problem is not psychological but demonic. Despite its interesting premise, the film received mixed reviews, with some critics finding it underwhelming and others praising its plot, acting, and special effects.

Don't Sleep's plot

"Don't Sleep" is a 2017 paranormal horror film written, co-produced, and directed by Rick Bieber. The plot centres around two young lovers, Shawn (Charlbi Dean Kriek) and Zach (Dominic Sherwood), who move into a cottage together. Shawn is an art teacher, and Zach is a law student. Their landlords are the friendly couple, Mr. and Mrs. Marino.

At the beginning of the film, Zach experiences a nightmare featuring macabre figures in a graveyard. He visits a psychotherapist, Dr. Richard Sommers (Cary Elwes), who dismisses the dream as a bad dream. However, Zach's past is not so easily forgotten. He starts to have violent episodes and slowly remembers a forgotten time in his childhood that may have been the result of demonic possession.

As Zach struggles with his psychosis, strange and deadly things start happening in the house. Shawn is the first to catch on, declaring that a "curse has come into [their] home." The threats become increasingly dangerous, and Zach must face the possibility that he is dealing with something beyond his psychology.

The film explores the impact of Zach's actions on those around him and the community's role in creating and engaging with his demons. It also touches on the idea of taking responsibility for one's actions, even when they are too dark for others to face.

"Don't Sleep" ultimately leads to a twist ending that suggests Zach is not solely responsible for his actions and that his problems are universal and relatable.

Characters

The 2017 horror film Don't Sleep features a range of characters, including:

Zach (played by Dominic Sherwood), one of the two main protagonists and a law student. He moves into a cottage with his girlfriend Shawn and starts experiencing violent episodes and nightmares of a forgotten time in his childhood, which may be linked to demonic possession.

Shawn (played by Charlbi Dean Kriek), Zach's girlfriend and an art teacher. She is initially sceptical of Zach's claims but later becomes concerned as strange events unfold.

Dr. Richard Sommers / Dr. Feelgood (played by Cary Elwes), a psychotherapist who diagnoses Zach's nightmares as bad dreams and reassures him that there is nothing to be scared of.

Timmy / Timmy Mickelsen (played by Andrew Caldwell), Zach's childhood friend who makes jokes about wanting to be with Shawn.

Jo Marino (played by Drea de Matteo), Shawn and Zach's neighbour and landlord, along with her husband, Vincent. She is the first to realise that something supernatural is happening in the house.

Vincent Marino (played by Alex Carter), Jo's husband and Shawn and Zach's landlord and neighbour.

Mr. Marino (played by Alex Rocco), Vincent's father, who commits suicide early in the film.

Cindy Bradford (played by Jill Hennessy), Zach's mother.

Other characters include Sandy Sommers (Marem Hassler), Dr. Sommers' wife; Grandma Bernice (Ruth Gordon); Kevin (Oliver Robins), Mary's brother; and Mary (Robin Ignico), who is haunted by the ghost of her late sister, Jennifer (Kristin Cumming).

Critical reception

The 2017 horror film Don't Sleep received mixed reviews from critics. While some praised the movie for its decent plot, good acting, impressive effects, and for tackling profound and formative trauma, others criticised it for being unoriginal, confusing, and poorly executed.

Roger Moore of Movie Nation called the film "heartless, fright-free and, yes — sleep-inducing". Moore criticised the film's pacing, acting, and formulaic plot, arguing that it lacked depth and was "working by formula, attempting straight exploitation". Similarly, G.J. Sokolsky of Punch Drunk Critics described the film as a "jumbled mess", with a convoluted concept that was never made clear. Sokolsky also noted that the ending was a disappointment, falling flat after the build-up throughout the movie.

Other critics, such as Simon Abrams of RogerEbert.com, acknowledged that while the film had an interesting premise, it failed to execute it effectively. According to Abrams, the film's treatment of heavy subjects felt forced and unconvincing. He also noted that the characters' concerns were overstated without sufficient elaboration, and the generic antagonists failed to convincingly portray traumas. Noel Murray of the Los Angeles Times shared similar sentiments, stating that the film felt like a "disconnected compendium of time-tested shock tactics" rather than the deeper character study suggested by its opening epigraph from Nietzsche.

However, some reviewers found positive elements in the film. A reviewer for The Hollywood Reporter noted that while the film might not scare viewers, it offered a decent plot, good acting, and impressive effects. Dennis Schwartz, in a separate review, praised the film for its plot, giving it four out of five stars.

Overall, Don't Sleep received mixed reviews, with some critics finding it underwhelming and others identifying redeeming qualities in its plot, acting, and effects.

Themes

The horror film "Don't Sleep" (2017) explores the profound, formative trauma of realising one's capacity to hurt loved ones. The film's writer and director, Rick Bieber, addresses the burden of identifying with one's darker aspects, drawing on a Nietzsche quote to emphasise this theme.

The film opens with a low-quality dream sequence featuring Zach, a young boy, wandering through a foggy marsh. Zach encounters a bald crone, a little girl with rotting teeth wearing a sack-cloth mask, and is assaulted by a sickly-looking evil twin. Upon waking, Zach is reassured by a therapist, Dr. Summers, that these are merely bad dreams. However, as the film progresses, Zach continues to experience haunting images and sees his childhood double, indicating that his past is not as benign as he has been led to believe.

The exploration of trauma and its impact on the present is a central theme. Zach's story is convoluted, fast-forwarding to his adult life, where he appears to have a successful marriage, good grades in law school, and a positive relationship with his neighbours. However, the suicide of his neighbour, Vincent's father, triggers a series of disturbing events. The film delves into the idea that a person's dark past can be compartmentalised to the point where it is only processed through the lens of horror movie tropes.

Interestingly, "Don't Sleep" also touches on the impact of living with an unreflective "nice guy" and the terror it can bring. The film hints at the subtext of a "nice guy" type, someone whose capacity for hurting others goes unacknowledged or unaddressed. This is reflected in the character of Vincent, who hears an urban legend about a Crusades-era warrior whose wife is raped during his absence, becoming a monster as a result.

The film concludes with a twist ending that suggests Zach's lack of sole responsibility for his actions and the universality of his problems, positioning them as human and relatable.

Filmmaking and crew

'Don't Sleep' is a 2017 American fantasy horror film written and directed by Rick Bieber. The film stars Dominic Sherwood, Charlbi Dean, Jill Hennessy, Drea de Matteo, Alex Rocco, and Cary Elwes.

The film's crew included:

• Salina Barron and Whitney Lepon as contact lens technicians
• Sonia Reshetinkova as the makeup and hair assistant
• Bob Smithson as a contact lens technician
• Edward Licht as the first assistant director
• Ricardo Perez and Eric Puhm as boom operators
• Simon Abrams of RogerEbert.com as a reviewer
• Jeffrey M. Anderson of Common Sense Media as a reviewer

The film was released on September 29, 2017, in the United States and was the final film appearance of Alex Rocco before his death in 2015.

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