Before I Wake

PG-13

2016

1 hr. 37 min.

Horror

Mystery & Thriller

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List

67%

36 Reviews

Tomatometer

48%

10,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

Foster parents Mark and Jessie welcome 8-year-old Cody into their home. The boy tells Jessie that he's terrified to fall asleep, but she assumes it's just a natural fear for any young child. The couple become startled when their dead biological son suddenly appears in their living room. To their surprise, Cody's dreams can magically become real but so can his nightmares. Mark and Jessie must now uncover the truth behind Cody's mysterious ability before his imagination harms them all.

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Critics Consensus

Beware this waking nightmare: Before I Wake isn't always lucid enough to escape its wobbly story, but crafts a neat horror landscape of grief.

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Maureen M

This movie was ridiculous, incredibly boring and drawn out. Save your time. Horrible

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

04/20/24

Full Review

Raincloud M

I have been searching sense the age of 10 for a horror movie that can actually scare me. Before I wake does not only this, but adds a truly beautiful and unique aspect to something I never even thought of as life threatening. Beautiful animation, thoughtful and accurate acting, and scenes that made a desensitized horror fan like me want to run when they did! This is easily one of my favorite movies of all time, and tells a touching story of broken hearts, love, and the effects of perseverance vs. running from your problems. All in one fell swoop, I wished I had this in my life and revered it all in the same. The canker man is genius. Such an exquisite way to put an actual child's perception and twist of the young imagination into a genuinely terrifying monster, all while keeping it just vague enough that I was truly surprised by the reality of the story, as well as touched. This may not be your cup of tea if you believe gore, screaming, and severely underdeveloped characters means horror. But to true horror fans like me, this is a masterpiece and I'd watch it a thousand times before I ever watched another slasher. Thank you writers, animators, editors, and actors! I felt this movie lacked in none of these areas

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/08/24

Full Review

Alec B

The movie nearly collapses beneath the weight of its heavy handed metaphors, that said I do like how what could easily be a conventional horror narrative is undermined in some interesting ways.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/05/24

Full Review

Elvis D

Esta película de fantasía es una peculiaridad con una historia que combina el drama con el terror y el suspenso, dando como resultado algo que parece haber sido creado por Stephen King o Guillermo Del Toro. Al principio se trata de una película orientada a lo fantástico que luego se va tornando sombría. El enfoque de esta película es el pequeño Cody que por razones desconocidas nació con el poder de hacer que sus sueños se materialicen en la vida real. Algo que parece digno de un cuento de hadas, pero cambia cuando la pesadilla de Cody cobra vida. Lo que la película plantea es el concepto de los sueños, desde su lado más dulce hasta el más oscuro. Hay varios factores presentes en esta película y el principal suele ser que los sueños pueden ser una proyección de un recuerdo, ya sea presente o pasado. La espantosa criatura que aparece cuando Cody duerme, se puede interpretar como la manifestación de un trauma después de entender quién es esa criatura. En términos psicológicos, los monstruos que son creados por la mente de un niño suelen ser representaciones de una experiencia traumática de distintas clases. Lo que la película hace es presentar los sueños de Cody como manifestaciones de su psicología. Se podría decir que el terror de esta película es más bien un terror según la mentalidad de un niño. Es un concepto fascinante lo que la película presenta, aunque la idea del monstruo que es manifestado por el sueño de alguien es algo que se ha visto en un episodio de Shaolin Showdown. Plasma la idea de una manera bastante impecable y liviana, manteniendo algunos sustos y momentos de tensión. El pequeño Cody es una de las mejores cosas de la película por su interpretación y ser el centro más importante de la trama. Los efectos digitales brindas alucinantes secuencias de los sueños con momentos coloridos y momentos oscuros. La banda sonora compuesta por The Newton Brothers también merece crédito y más aún por contar con la participación de Danny Elfman. Before I Wake es una película de fantasía oscura que brinda una atractiva fábula de sueños bellos y pesadillas tenebrosas según la psicología infantil. Mi calificación final para esta película es un 8/10.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

12/14/23

Full Review

R Z

The movie's description makes it sound like it's gonna be about a kid's nightmares. Stuff like the boogeyman, clowns, creepy stuffed animals, IDK. But actually it's a bland drama about the parents using the kid's dream powers to try and resurrect their dead son. Also there's butterflies for some reason.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

12/07/23

Full Review

jeanieforever

Like his stuff to follow, Mike Flanagan has good stuff he's working through but seems unsure which path to take and then rushes to a too simple finish he pulls out of his butt.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

12/07/23

Full Review

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Mike Flanagan

Director

Kate Bosworth

Jessie

Thomas Jane

Mark

Annabeth Gish

Natalie

Dash Mihok

Whelan

Jacob Tremblay

Cody

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Before I Wake: Trailer 2

1:26

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Ignatiy Vishnevetsky

AV Club

Horror movies that exploit broad childhood phobias about bedtime lights-outs and basement chores are a dime a dozen, but it's really refreshing to find one made with a parent's curiosity and concern for a child's point of view.

Rated: B

Jan 5, 2018

Full Review

Brian Tallerico

RogerEbert.com

A flawed film, but there are elements that really work, especially the lead performance and some of Flanagan's gifts with composition.

Rated: 2.5/4

Jan 5, 2018

Full Review

Chuck Bowen

Slant Magazine

Before I Wake's images have a pleasing straightforwardness that parallels the openness of the young protagonist's longing for love.

Rated: 3/4

Dec 22, 2017

Full Review

Jason Adams

My New Plaid Pants

Before I Wake is the ten millionth horror movie about parents mourning a dead child but it actually manages to grab ahold of that horror with two hands and shake the guts out of it at times

Jul 2, 2021

Full Review

Emma Wolfe

SpookyAstronauts

It was a really surprising mix of being super emotional and super freaky.

Rated: 8/10

Apr 30, 2021

Full Review

Alix Turner

Ready Steady Cut

An atmospheric fantasy thriller about a young boy whose dreams come to life.

Rated: 3.5/5

Jan 27, 2021

Full Review

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Synopsis

Foster parents Mark and Jessie welcome 8-year-old Cody into their home. The boy tells Jessie that he's terrified to fall asleep, but she assumes it's just a natural fear for any young child. The couple become startled when their dead biological son suddenly appears in their living room. To their surprise, Cody's dreams can magically become real but so can his nightmares. Mark and Jessie must now uncover the truth behind Cody's mysterious ability before his imagination harms them all.

Director: Mike Flanagan
Executive Producer: Dale Armin Johnson, David S. Greathouse, Ryan Kavanaugh, Tucker Tooley, D. Scott Lumpkin, Mali Elfman
Screenwriter: Mike Flanagan, Jeff Howard
Rating: PG-13 (Violent Content|Terror|Disturbing Images)
Genre: Horror, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 5, 2018

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