Oh, Mass Grave Pictures. Where did you go? Please promise to never leave us again.
Having previously created Blood Slaughter Massacre, which is being distributed by Wild Eye Releasing, and web-series “Attack of the Brain People,” which is currently available for steaming on Vimeo; the production company that is Mass Grave Pictures is hard at work on its next feature film, Theta States. Part of the post-production and editing process includes making cuts for a variety of reasons in hopes of bettering the quality of your picture. This, from what I was told, is how the short film Sleepless was… awoken? Rumor has it Sleepless was originally the first few minutes of Theta States and it was left on the editing room floor due to total run time; though it stands on its own merit to go forth as a short film. So, instead of letting it fade away for eternity, Mass Grave Pictures will be releasing it as a stand-alone short film and as part of their upcoming anthology series, “Dark Tales from Channel X.” Cool, huh?
Sleepless is written and directed by Manny Serrano with producer Lindsay Serrano. It stars Mike Roche as Allen Zovnig and was infamously edited by Eddie Jessup. The plot surrounds a man who is tormented in his sleep until he wakes up in the dead of night. When he regains his senses, he realizes an evil presence he is somewhat familiar with is lurking in the shadows of his bedroom… and not even holy scriptures can protect him from its claws of death. A dream within a dream, Sleepless is a little bit Inception and a little old school creature feature mixed with expert independent filmmaking.
The feeling of being attacked in your sleep or the fear of what lurks in the dark are relate-able themes that that anyone can grasp, whether you’re a fan of the horror genre or not. I would almost compare the events of Sleepless to sleep paralysis, but the man (played by Mike Roche) is able to move around freely in his waking nightmare. The feeling of hopelessness and being abandoned by your own faith are easily identifiable themes, too, and they could have a much deeper meaning when looking at what’s to come in Theta States. Sleepless induces a stressful, claustrophobic sense of awareness, especially when considering the character on screen is being attacked in their own bedroom; the place where you’re supposed to feel the most at ease. It’s an attack on the body, the mind and all the chakras and that’s what makes Sleepless a little deeper than the average horror flick.
The creature that attacks Mike Roche’s character looks to be created with practical effects and costuming, something that I absolutely love and will always give credit for. Too often this monster making effect is lost in hopes of creating something more flashy with CGI. The creepiest thing about the monster, in my opinion, is its vocalizations. I actually have written down in my notes that the creature’s growls are what I imagine a horse going through the glue factory to sound like. It’s scary on screen, but even worse when you put yourself in Mike Roche’s spot and imagine waking up to that in the middle of the night! Being that no promotional stills or behind-the-scenes photos have displayed the creature, I’m not going to go into full details, but I will say – the creature is kind of cute… I see him as an evil Jawa from Star Wars who is out to collect more than the droids you may be looking for. His motives are left open for interpretation and that is perhaps the best thing about him.
Finally, I have to give credit when it is due and I need to say that the cinematography looks better here than in previous Mass Grave Pictures projects. One of the many joys of filmmaking is perfecting your craft as you grow and evolve and I’m glad to see that Mass Grave Pictures and its crew members are continuing their journey with independent productions. Their audio sounds sleeker, camera work is better, and the editing is a little sharper. I’ve never had an issue with their work in the past; it just seems like it’s getting better to me now. I can see why Sleepless was taken out of Theta States, though, especially when I was told it was meant as the opening “draw you in scene.” Sleepless is good, but I don’t think it would be enough to draw audiences in for an entire feature. Still, it’s a thought provoking independent short film that’s well acted and fun. More importantly it shows that Manny, Lindsay and Co are still some of the hardest working filmmakers in the indie business. Go team! Final Score: 7 out of 10.
