A couple adopt an orphaned child whose dreams - and nightmares - manifest physically as he sleeps.
Review
For the first two acts Before I Wake is a well performed supernatural drama before dragging out some decent horror in the final act. Director Mike Flanagan (Hush) pulls out another example of his tension filled catalog, from a competent story penned by himself and long time collaborator Jeff Howard (Oculus).Beautifully shot, with some better-than-expected CG, newly adopted Cody - Jacob Tremblay (The Predator) with perhaps his strongest performance to date - has his dreams become reality while he sleeps. Soon, his adoptive parents find themselves with ghosts from the past, as well as monsters in
their house.
The lead performances come from parents, Mark and Jessie, played by Thomas Jane (The Mist) and Kate Bosworth (Straw Dogs). Jane gives a heart wrenching, strong, performance as a man struggling to deal with loss, and Bosworth lays down one of the best performances of her career.
The film has plenty of twists and certainly some surprises, and enough horror to sate most fans of the genre, and the performances are great across the board. It's not a gore-fest by any means, neither is it intellectually challenging. The further the film strays from the drama of the early acts, the scarier it becomes. It is what it is: a well made supernatural horror film.
A must see.
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