What we have here is a made for TV horror movie from the eighties. There was some pretty good stuff made for the box during the 1970's, and it would seem that tradition was carried on, at least until the early part of the eighties, as Don't Go to Sleep is one of the best made for television horror films that I've seen. Naturally, given the fact that this film was made for television, it's not as graphic as most of the horror output in the eighties, and the obvious budget limitations mean that this can sometimes feel like a TV serial rather than a proper film, but still Richard Lang's film gets it's point across and manages to be entertaining for it's duration. The plot follows a family that move into a new home in the country after a terrible car accident that left one of the daughters dead. However, the remaining daughter soon begins hearing things at the new house, and it's not long before she's 'in league' with her dead sister and carrying out her revenge - by picking off members of her own family one by one!
The film's main influences would appear to be the classic films, The Bad Seed and Psycho. Both of these films are massive favourites of mine, and while this one is nowhere near as good as either, the way that the plot takes influence from both is good in that it uses the influence well to come up with a somewhat 'new' story. The characters aren't too badly drawn considering that this is a TV movie, and the director ensures that the family members do somewhat reflect real life, although it could be said that the characters are clichéd. The film features some decent performances from the central cast. Robin Ignico is the standout in her role as the demented daughter, and receives good support from Dennis Weaver in the role of her father; although for me, Ruth Gordon was ineffective as the mother. The film succeeds overall due to the fact that it's always a lot of fun to watch, and thankfully it all boils down to a satisfying conclusion that justifies watching the film. Overall, compared to other horror films; this one isn't brilliant, but it's a cut above a lot of direct to TV stuff.
The film's main influences would appear to be the classic films, The Bad Seed and Psycho. Both of these films are massive favourites of mine, and while this one is nowhere near as good as either, the way that the plot takes influence from both is good in that it uses the influence well to come up with a somewhat 'new' story. The characters aren't too badly drawn considering that this is a TV movie, and the director ensures that the family members do somewhat reflect real life, although it could be said that the characters are clichéd. The film features some decent performances from the central cast. Robin Ignico is the standout in her role as the demented daughter, and receives good support from Dennis Weaver in the role of her father; although for me, Ruth Gordon was ineffective as the mother. The film succeeds overall due to the fact that it's always a lot of fun to watch, and thankfully it all boils down to a satisfying conclusion that justifies watching the film. Overall, compared to other horror films; this one isn't brilliant, but it's a cut above a lot of direct to TV stuff.