The Sleeper

Director - Justin Russell (Death Stop Holocaust)
Starring - Brittany Belland (The Many Monsters of Sadness), Tiffany Arnold (Frat House Massacre), and Riana Ballo
Release Date - 2012
Genre - Horror
Tagline - "If I die before I wake..."
Format - DVD (Personal Collection)

Rating (out of 5):

     Sometime last year (2012) I came across this movie on amazon.com and loved the artwork.  I threw it on my wishlist and completely forgot about it.  Lately I have been on a bit of a slasher kick and started going through my wishlist and ordering them.  After re-discovering this flick, and Russell's Death Stop Holocaust, I decided to go ahead and order it.  I heard a lot of good things about both films and was a bit excited to see it.  I knew nothing about the film except it is a homage to 80's slasher flicks.

     The film takes place in 1981 and a sorority house is throwing a party for all the new pledges.  However, the sorority sisters have an uninvited guest.  There is a psycho stalking the Greek sisters with intentions of helping them "sleep."  As each sorority sister goes missing one by one, good girl Amy (Belland) has to survive her sandman attacks as the police scramble to find the killer.
   

     This movie is a great throwback to 80's slashers.  The film has that dark and brooding atmosphere that made the classic slashers so appealing.  I like the techniques the director used to give the film that "retro" look and feel.  This movie does succeed as being a homage to the classic films, where as of late a lot of films have failed at trying to recreate that same vibe.  The acting is not the best but it does not take away from the overall look and feel of the movie.  Some of the cast does a decent job, however, others are just painful to watch.  The special effects are not the greatest either but Russell knew that and added great camera work and lighting to make them more effective and gruesome.  Finally, the story is your typical slasher story and in many aspects remind me of the original Black Christmas.  Though the story is not that original and was played out in the 80's it is something not been seen since making it feel almost new.  I thoughly enjoy this new phase of making throwback films.  Overall, this is a great tribute to 80's slashers and I highly recommend it.