Before I Wake (2016)

I'll admit the trailer didn't grip me, I watched it and thought I wouldn't enjoy it, big mistake, this is such an imaginative horror, which defies all the usual horror cliches, the usual proceedings are turned on their head, the child, Cody, is a really nice kid, not the usual Damianesque monster you are normally guaranteed. The parents are not sadistic or twisted, they're just trying to do their best and get by.

The film is a visual treat, when it's intended to look good it's beautiful, the butterflies look stunning, so bright, and on the flipside the moths and Canker Man look menacing and dark.

The scares are good, plenty of things going on, but you need to keep watching and concentrating. I wouldn't say it has much in store for those that love gore and twisted horror, it would be tame for those, but for the casual horror viewer, this is a smashing movie.

The ending was the only part I felt was a little bit of a let down, such a good film deserved a better conclusion.

Well worth seeing, 8/10

Fmovies: Before I Wake tells the story of Cody(Jacob Tremblay). Cody has been moving from place to place because, different foster parents have been adopting him from time to time. Now, he is in the care of, Jessie(Kate Bosworth) & Mark(Thomas Jane). Jessie & Mark soon realize, that Cody's dreams physically appear before them, as he sleeps. The deadly fact is, the same thing happens during his nightmares.

Before I Wake is an impressive film. However, it is not that scary. The jump scares are minimal. The suspense is superbly maintained throughout the movie, by director Mike Flanagan. However, the ending of the film, is disappointing & frankly, slightly silly. The biggest flaw with this movie is that it is not properly categorized. It is supposed to be a horror movie but, it feels more like a fantasy thriller. The script by Mike Flanagan & Jeff Howard is original & unique. However, I liked Flanagan & Howard's previous collaboration, Oculus(2013) better. Jacob Tremblay's performance as Cody, is the highlight of the film. Tremblay continues to impress us with his supreme acting ability, after being lauded for his performance in Room(2015). Kate Bosworth is great as Jessie. Thomas Jane is effective as Mark. Annabeth Gish is good as Natalie. Dash Mihok is awesome as Whelan. Antonio Evan Romero, Kyla Deaver & Hunter Wenzel are amazing as Sean, Annie & Tate, respectively. Before I Wake is not a must watch. Still, it is worth a watch if you have some time to spare.

I've enjoyed Mr. Flannegan's movies before this one. But right from the start Before I Wake got on my nerves. You've got the perfect couple living in an amazing house without any visible means of support. What do they do for work? The kid is ridiculously adorable mini-Bieber with a cutie-pie pout and way of speaking. Perfect perfect perfect. It's pure Hollywood fantasy.

Then there's the usual holes in the think-through of the basic concept. Like, how did the people at the orphanage (or wherever the kid was staying between foster parents) not know about his weird powers? How come no one ever thought to take him to some doctors/scientists to figure out what was going on? (The Exorcist got this part right and was all the scarier for it) How come 'let them go' results in just one release? (though we see multiples coming loose from the roots). How come the wife seems oh so fine with the situation as it stands at the end of the movie?

I get that this is a fantasy movie... but if EVERYTHING is unbelievable/implausible then the fantasy elements are lessened and just more of the same nonsense.

Yes, the movie is well made, the acting is fine. My gripe, as usual, is with the writing... with the way the characters don't behave like real people. Except for a bit of spooky stuff this could have been kids movie about a magical boy living in a magical land full of magic. So my end opinion is, 'Ick!'

Before I Wake fmovies. I only gave it a 9 because I don't believe in perfect scores... There's so much that I love about this movie! and I think the thing that helped is that I knew nothing about it going into it. In these days trailers will often spoil things and change your expectations going into it. If the trailer is cut properly it will really raise your expectations and you could be in for a disappointment.. in my situation I never saw a trailer and only knew the title.

Suffice to say I was VERY engaged in the movie because I had no idea what to expect.. there were many amazing elements, I've always loved the implementation of dreams into horror movies because I myself have nightmares often.. it resonates with me.. this movie pulls that off so perfectly in my mind. I also love the amazing performance the kid who plays Cody gave.

I encourage you to give this one a chance, and try to avoid ANY kind of spoilers you can avoid.. don't watch the trailer, just check it out.

Decent movie, it has a couple flaws in the script (which I can't really point out without spoiling stuff so I won't bother doing that) but the resolution was brilliant and Kate Bosworth pulled one of her better performances as of late so it's well worth seeing.

If you are looking for a horror movie to have you by the edge of the seat the whole time, this is probably the wrong movie to pick but if you want to see something original (as far as horror's goes at least) then this is not that bad of a pick.

So yeah a solid effort with an emotional punch and it also looks very neat visually.

If you liked HALF LIGHT (2006) with Demi Moore and DRAGON FLY (2002) with Kevin Costner then I think this should be right up your alley.

I scored this a 10. Let me tell you why:

Rarely does a film surprise me at all but this film certainly did. Mike Flannigan created an enigmatic speculative on childhood love, loss, fear and death that is both uniquely interpretive and otherworldly fantastical. For those who go into this film anticipating a run-of-the-mill horror film with gruesome effects and bloody deaths, you will be exceedingly disappointed. This film is provocative in that it makes you think and feel throughout. It is at times vastly uncomfortable, but magnificently redemptive. What it achieves is a rare feat- one I would classify more in the realm of Pan's Labyrinth than something like The Ring. What it suffers from is completely misdirected and misleading marketing which has done this gem a huge disservice.

I'd watch it again. I'd recommend it to friends. Refrain from judging it based on the posters or the trailer. It's far greater than it's packaging and will probably be better received by audiences who expect more substance.