Written by Zoe Crombie

It makes sense that sleep is mobilised in so many horror movies. It’s often the time when we feel most vulnerable even when otherwise calm and collected, and worrying that Freddy will get you in your dreams or that the Poltergeist clown will grab you from behind certainly doesn’t help. But those worries all stem from when you go to sleep – what do you do when the danger comes from those sleeping right next to you?

Enter the straightforwardly named Sleep, a South Korean black comedy horror movie from director Jason Yu in his feature debut. Following a young couple whose newlywedded bliss is disrupted by the husband’s sleepwalking habit, which seemingly comes with a dangerous personality change, Yu makes use of one of sleep’s oddest phenomena. Yu has stated that the film is inspired by sleep being ‘a state of complete surrender’, the film tapping effectively into anxieties around whether you truly know the people around you through this central conceit.

If you’ve ever dealt with a sleepwalking or talking family member with the capacity to give you the creeps, there’s a good chance that Sleep will hit close to home. With a balance of uncomfortable laughs and palpable dread, it’s no surprise that Parasite director Bong Joon-ho lauded the film as the smartest debut he’d seen in a decade.

Sleep runs from 2nd - 4th & 8th August 

Tickets and Show Times: https://dukeslancaster.org/whats-on/cinema/sleep-15