Watch Dead Awake

Dead Awake, directed by Phillip Guzman, is a horror movie that was released in 2016. It features Jocelin Donahue, Jesse Bradford, and Jesse Borrego in lead roles. The film revolves around a young woman, Kate Bowman (Jocelin Donahue), who after her twin sister's death, discovers a horrifying phenomenon taking place while people sleep called sleep paralysis.

The movie starts with Kate's therapist, Dr. Sykes (Lori Petty), expressing her worries that Kate is not coming to terms with her sister Beth's death. Kate is a bank employee who is still coming to grips with the sudden loss of her sister to untimely cardiac arrest, even though she was healthy otherwise. As she tries to put her life back together, she starts experiencing terrifying sleep paralysis episodes during the night, which causes her to feel as if someone is holding her down, making it impossible for her to move or scream.

As she becomes increasingly desperate to understand what's happening to her, she discovers that her sister had experienced the same episodes before her death. Kate begins to investigate Beth's death and finds out that her sister was obsessed with researching sleep paralysis and had become convinced that something dark and dangerous was responsible for her condition.

Donahue's portrayal of Kate's trauma, confusion, and growing desperation is palpable and engaging. The film also excels in exploring the psychological impact of sleep paralysis and the fears associated with it. Guzman takes time to build the atmosphere and creates a sense of dread that consistently elevates the tension.

The movie unfolds like a whodunit mystery, but with an added supernatural twist. Kate sets out to find answers, only to realize that her search is leading her down a dark and dangerous path filled with demonic spirits that feed on human emotions. As she continues to dig deeper, she discovers that sleep paralysis is not only a medical condition but also a gateway into a spiritual realm that is beyond human comprehension.

Jesse Bradford plays the love interest of Kate, Evan, who is a man with a dark past and is also suffering from sleep paralysis. His involvement with the mysterious occurrences surrounding Kate and her dead twin sister creates an intense dynamic between the two characters. Jesse Borrego plays Detective Foster, who becomes an essential part of the investigation into Beth's death.

The effects of sleep paralysis are unsettlingly realistic, and the pace of the film keeps up with the growing sense of danger and terror. The haunting score also adds to the film's overall atmosphere and keeps the tension high.

As the movie moves towards its climax, the story takes an unexpected turn, and viewers are left questioning what is real and what is not. The movie also brings in several moral questions, exploring the consequences of dabbling with the supernatural and how far one would go to save someone they love.

Dead Awake excels in the horror department, creating a captivating and unpredictable story that manages to maintain its balance between the supernatural and psychological elements. The movie is a refreshing take on the horror genre that is quickly becoming a cult classic.

In conclusion, Dead Awake is a well-crafted horror thriller that delivers on both the scares and the storyline. It offers a unique premise that stands out from the usual horror movie tropes, and the cast's performances elevate it above the standard fare. It's a terrifying exploration of the unknown that will leave you pondering its questions and implications long after the credits roll.

Dead Awake is a 2017 horror movie with a runtime of 1 hour and 39 minutes. It has received mostly poor reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 4.6.