My Review of Before I Wake (2016)

 

Written by Mike Flanagan And Jeff Howard

Directed by Mike Flanagan 

Jessie: "No one ever really goes away. Not completely. Because they live in our minds, and in our hearts."

Okay, it's a little crazy to think that in 2016, Mike Flanagan released three movies within the horror genre. I've already reviewed both Ouija: Origin Of Evil and Hush, so I just had this one to watch and review.

Focusing on a grieving married couple - Jessie (Kate Bosworth) and Mark Hobson (Thomas Jane), this movie had something to say about how not letting go of your grief can nearly destroy you. Jessie and Mark lost their son, Sean (Antonio Evan Romero) in a tragic accident. It's deeply affected them ever since.

To cope with their loss, they've decided to foster a boy named Cody Morgan (Jacob Tremblay), signed off by Natalie Friedman (Annabeth Gish). So far it seemed that taking Cody in was a way to help both Cody and the Hobsons cone to terms with their grief. On paper it looked like a potential good thing.

Then it transpired that Cody had a rather unique ability. His dreams could come to life and that came with mixed results. He could dream of butterflies but he could also dream of scary monsters. He could also dream of the dead and that's where Jessie's morality became rather compromised. 

Jessie seemed to have no problem with manipulating Cody into dreaming about Sean and even resorting to drugging him when he couldn't sleep. The consequences resulting in Mark's death, Jessie looking bad and Cody being taken by social services. 

The last act of the movie did introduce a former foster parent, Whelan Young (Dash Mihok) and had Jessie in a compromising position. Would she really kill Cody in order to stop the Canker Man (Topher Bousquet) or would she unlock memories of Cody's mother to save the day? Take a wild guess here.

- The only Flanagan released movie in 2016 not to feature Kate Siegel at all.

- The original title for the movie was supposed to be Somnia. I would've preferred that title.

- Jessie and Mark are seen watching House On Haunted Hill (1959) at one point in the movie.

- Chronology: Present day America. It was filmed in late 2013, Fair hope, Alabama.

Out of the 2016 movies that Mike Flanagan had, I might go against the grain and say that I found Before I Wake the weakest of the bunch. Saying that, it's still a pretty solid movie with a nice story and some good jump scares.

Rating: 7 out of 10