I'm beginning to think that the fondness I have for Mike Flanagan, the person, sometimes overshadows what I think about Mike Flanagan, the filmmaker. He seems like a really nice guy who loves horror movies, loves to share his faves with his family and friends, and has a cast and crew that seem to also like him enough to work with him over and over again. I've never sat down to watch a movie of his with any reluctance.
I love that he clearly loves to make horror movies. But I'm coming to terms with the fact that I don't always love the horror movies he makes.
Before I Wake is one of those. Like many of his films, it centers on a family dealing with trauma, in this case parents (Kate Bosworth and Thomas Jane) who are ready to welcome a new child into their lives after the tragic death of their son a few years earlier. Enter foster kid Cody (Jacob Tremblay, fresh off his role in the movie Room), who hasn't had a successful placement after multiple tries.
The parents soon learn about Cody's fear of sleeping, and begin to see weird things happening in their home when he does sleep, like beautiful butterflies filling their living room, and...the return of their dead son.
And then the real reason Cody is afraid of sleep makes itself known...
Before I Wake is in not a bad movie, but it is a familiar one, especially for those who have seen Mike Flanagan's other work. He is very good at creating creepy set-ups, and well-earned jump scares. He always gets great performances out of his cast (though Thomas Jane's haircut is a choice). But I think a lot of the time his endings make or break his movies and shows for me. And that holds true for this one.
Before I Wake is streaming on Netflix.
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