NIGHT TERROR (2025)

3 stars

Signature Entertainment. Digital. 14th July

Aka Eye for an Eye

Mr Sandman is real – on screen graphic informs us. A dream monster that gives nightmares to bullies – if they don’t reconsider their ways he takes their eyeballs and eats them. The film opens with a victim of Mr Sandman, in the past, losing her eyes.

Cut to Present day. Anna (Whitney Peak) pulls up at an old house. She has come to live with her blind grandmother May Roberts (S. Epatha Merkerson), who she has never met (and is the girl from the opening). Anna is grieving the death of her parents and has moved from New York to this small community in Florida.

Her slightly creepy grandmother shows the youngster around. May likes her privacy and keeps her bedroom locked. The house and its contents are antique with weird stuffed animals and old photos.

Anna feels rather isolated. She meets her Aunt Patti (Golda Rosheuvel) who brings the groceries – but she rushes off, seemingly scared.

The house is situated in the woods – which May warns her against wandering into. Of course Anna ignores her and decides to explore. She meets layabout locals Julie (Laken Giles) and Shawn (Finn Bennett) and hangs out with them as they seem friendly enough.

As she continues to spend time with Shawn and Julie, much to Anna’s consternation, he show his true colours when he bullies a young boy Conner (Carson Minniear), who ends up badly injured.

They keep what has happened secret – then the nightmares start… as Mr Sandman comes to visit the trio, after Conner has invoked him by carving their names on a tree in the bayou.

Whilst the idea of some kind of monster that visits in your dreams isn’t exactly original, this is well made and the scary night visions are suitably eerie and disturbing. This is based on graphic novel Mr Sandman by Elisa Victoria

It makes effective and atmospheric use of the wooded bayou area and has an eerie soundscape. The creature itself, which is eventually shown, is a creepy and emaciated boogeyman. Director Colin Tilley best known for helming music videos, so the dream sequences are well rendered visually. There is an interesting animated interlude just over an hour in that gives back story to the creation of Sandman. Peak is strong in her role – you may recognise her from the TV show THE CHILLING ADVENTURES OF SABRINA. This is effectively made if not especially scary and owes a debt to a certain Wes Craven…

Steve Kirkham