The Sleeper is another entry in the “play homage to old school horror” subgenre. We’ve seen a lot of films fail at this style of filmmaking, but some have done really well and impressed us. The House of The Devil comes to mind first, followed by the beginning half of Babysitter Wanted. So, how does The Sleeper stack up to the competition? Well, in my opinion, The Sleeper is one of the best 80s styled horror films to come along in a few years.
The plot of The Sleeper is a cool mix of Black Christmas and When A Stranger Calls. In this film, a lunatic calls a local sorority house during their rush season. The calls range from talking, to whispering, to laughing, to crying – and the calls usually mention one of the girls. When the girls start going missing, their boyfriends and house-mother can’t help but be worried, much to the dismay of a local cop. Maybe Alpha Gamma Theta should postpone their activities until next semester…if they even survive to see it!
The Sleeper is written and directed by Justin Russell. The film stars Brittany Brelland, Tiffany Arnold, Riana Ballo, E. Ray Goodwin, Beverly Kristy, Paul Moon, and Jessica Cameron.
This film was styled after 80s horror that was converted to VHS. I know that this film had a limited release exclusively on VHS, which I must say is pretty cool. Sadly, what goes along with this style is audio problems. The volume levels go up and down on several occasions. While I’m at it now, I’ll just go over the points I had gripes with. The script was kind of amateur and contained far too many “Is that you? Stop it. I’m serious. Hello?” The acting performances vary from actress to actress; some were pretty good, some were…not. The special FX are just ok or really cheesy. But these two “problems” could just be chopped up to the style of filmmaking where actresses weren’t over-achievers and the special FX were just coming into creation in horror film. (remember, this was done almost exactly like a low-budget 80s slasher.)
Now for the good… First and foremost, I was really excited to see Jessica Cameron/”Cindy” in a role. To date this is my first chance seeing her act a full role instead of clips or previews. So, as a fan, this was one of the highlights of the film for me. The Sleeper really tries to achieve an 80s feel, but it also plays up some of the classics from the 70s like Black Christmas and Halloween. A scene involving a beheading is in great comparison to the “beach-lake” showdown in Friday The 13th in terms of styling and editing. The Sleeper just really impressed me. I was expecting something completely different from what I actually saw and I was very surprised. This film will fit in perfectly with a retro viewing night alongside Sleepaway Camp and When A Stranger Calls. The Sleeper may not be the next cult classic, but I definitely appreciate the effort that Justin Russell put into production. If not for a couple of parts during a long chase scene, I would be convinced this was a lost 80s slasher flick then a 2012 horror film modeled after an 80s slasher flick.
The Sleeper is available on Amazon.com for only $14.99. I would recommend this to all horror fans who enjoy the golden age of horror. And if that doesn’t sell you, buy it for the cheesy yet infectious dance scene in the middle…
