Sleepwalking Slaughter: The Terrifying New Horror Movie That Turns Nightmares into Reality
Korean Horror Gets a Playful Makeover in "Sleep"
Korean horror movies have a reputation for being intense and often sprawling, teetering on the edge of thriller. Films like Train to Busan, The Wailing, A Tale of Two Sisters, and I Saw the Devil have crossed over and popped in the States, leaving a lasting impression on audiences. But Sleep, now in U.S. theaters, is a surprise by being a Korean horror movie with a playful rhythm.
A New Take on a Classic Theme
Directed by Jason Yu, whose previous credits include working as Bong Joon-ho’s assistant director on Okja, Sleep chronicles what happens to a newlywed couple when one partner’s sleep disorder takes the shape of a violent ghostly possession – and it may actually be one. As Yu explores the fallout of the situation, Sleep careens from domestic drama into the bizarre, often in funny ways.
Meet the Couple
Soo-jin (Jung Yu-mi of Train to Busan) is a business executive and the breadwinner for her growing family. Her husband Hyun-su (Lee Sun-kyun of Parasite) is a struggling actor, nervous about the shaky ground under his professional feet as he prepares to become a father. But Soo-jin believes in him, and wants to support him, even amid the physical challenge of pregnancy. She always goes back to the mantra that hangs on a wooden sign in their apartment: "Together we can overcome anything."
The Horror Unfolds
With warm yellows and tender staging, Yu’s style amplifies the loving safeguard around the couple, which is then immediately shattered by the worst case of sleepwalking you could possibly imagine. Soo-jin wakes one morning to find Hyun-su with a nasty scratch across his face. The next night, she catches him wandering the house, devouring raw meat and eggs. Doctors diagnose him with a severe parasomnia, but one that can be cured through safety measures and drugs.
But What’s Really Going On?
But like a horror version of Mike Birbiglia’s Sleepwalk with Me, Hyun-su can’t be contained and inches closer to deadly self-harm with each passing night. Soo-jin loses sleep agonizing over her husband, and then the baby is born, adding to sleepless nights and the potential targets for the "monster" living in their home. Sleep imagines what it would be like if you went to bed knowing every night Michael Myers could wake up next to you.
A Thrilling Ride
Yu finds the room to plunge into Soo-jin’s psychological situation, that of a supportive wife during the day and a protector at night, never sleeping, slowly unraveling. Jung Yu-mi masters the red-stained eye flicker that made Essie Davis’ performance in The Babadook so primal, and the friction sparking between the couple – even while one half is asleep – becomes utterly tragic. Then Yu swerves.
A Major Debut
Sleep feels like a major debut by a filmmaker who is ready to defy conventions and entertain audiences. It belongs alongside those great Korean horror films, even while standing apart.
