Starring - Robin Akimbo, Jay Drakulic, and Brittany Drumm
Release Date - 2025
Genre - Horror
Tagline - "It won't let you sleep"
Format - Streaming (Online Screener)
Rating (out of 5):
I'm pretty opened minded when it comes to horror. I can venture into any of the sub-genres and find something I like. While I do like some sub-genres more than the others, there is a few of them that I rarely find something fun when I dip my toes into the water so to speak. One of the sub-genres that I tend stay away from is found footage. There has been a few found footage flicks that I've liked over the years but not enough to say I'm a fan of the sub-genre. While I know that I don't really care about them, I still cross paths with some that peak my interest. A few days back I received a press release for the new found footage flick Dream Eater. It looked interesting enough and decided to check it out when I was asked to review it.
The film follows a couple who rent a home deep in the woods for a little getaway. The young man struggles with sleepwalking that seems to be progressing. His girlfriend hopes this trip, along with some virtual counseling, will help treat his past trauma and move them closer to treatment. However, the further she probes into his childhood the more she learns about his life before he was adopted and the cult his mother was apart of. Is the sleepwalking from his traumatic upbringing or is something supernatural going on?
I went into Dream Eater knowing very little about it and was a bit disappointed to find that it was like every found footage film that I had seen. I know there is a growing number of genre fans that love found footage. Hell, I wish I was one of them but I'm not. I understand the aesthetic of the found footage film but they bore the hell out of me. Sadly, Dream Eater was no different. I really liked the idea behind it but the actual film was a tough one to finish. The acting in this one is exactly what you would expect from a found footage flick. The cast does have what I would consider a natural conversation. One of my biggest complaints about found footage is the pointless dialogue and the forced conversations that they have. However, this one does feature more realistic conversations that are easy to sit through. The story for this is what I would consider to be a brilliant foundation for a found footage film that falls apart due to it being a found footage film. I absolutely love movies centered around cults. Honestly, we don't get enough indie horror features focused on the topic and I was really fucking excited when the film mentioned this. However, the film doesn't really explore the lore as much as I would have loved. We get a few little nods here or there to explain what is happening in the film but that is about it. If the film gains traction, I would love to see a prequel with more focus on the cult because I was bored to tears the way it is. Finally, the film is not a bloody flick. The movie focuses on jump scares and intense sense of tension and atmosphere but that is about it. Those of you looking for unforgettable gore and a body count will be very disappointed. Overall, Dream Eater is a standard found footage film that doesn't redefine the genre but does contribute to it. It is dark and tense at times but it wasn't for me. I wish I could have liked it but this is one sub-genre that I struggle to enjoy. Fans of found footage will enjoy it but if you are like me then you may want to skip it.
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