A young woman faces horrific night terrors in this moody supernatural thriller by writer and director James Ross II. Haunted by past tragedy, the subconsciously simmering trauma of Riley (Jasmine Matthews) bubbles to the surface when she sleeps, taking the form of a nightmarish masked figure lurking in the shadows of her mind.
When a close friend disappears, Riley becomes convinced that her night terrors have become a dangerous, tangible reality. Has her pet dream demon really breached through, or is the danger already here and present in the waking world? And what does the sinister Mama (Sally Stewart) have to do with all of this?
Parasomnia successfully harnesses that feeling of vulnerability and anxiety one often associates with teetering on the edge of sleep. The low budget and murky cinematography are effective in building an atmosphere of tension and dread, leaving the viewer as wrong-footed as Riley when it comes to what’s real and what’s not. Sure, it looks a little cheap, but the most effective nightmares are those grounded in reality.
It’s a startling feature debut from its director, who keeps a tight handle on tone and pace, while throwing in plenty of striking imagery. It’s hardly going to put Freddy Krueger out of business, but there are some interesting flavours of folk horror to the various nightmares at play here, utilising creepy masks and surprising jump scares.
PARASOMNIA premiered at UK FrightFest on August 22nd, 2025.
