People are at their most vulnerable when they are asleep, and that vulnerability is the cornerstone of creeping dread in Jason Yu’s new horror Sleep. Starring Parasite‘s Lee Sun-kyun and Train To Busan‘s Jung Yu-mi, this Korean chiller follows a young couple just as they are making headway in their respective careers, and months away from starting a family. Life is a struggle but they tackle their problems together….including a deadly serious sleeping disorder that threatens to tear the life they’ve been building to pieces.
Without warning Hyun-su‘ (Lee Sun-kyun) begins sleepwalking, but this isn’t your run-of-the-mill somnambulism (thank you, as always, Dr. Caligari for expanding my vocabulary by exactly one weird word that no one knows). Hyun-su”s disorder has him scratching his face until it bleeds, eating raw meats, and chasing their adorable puppy through the apartment. Hyun-su‘ has no memory of any of this bizarre behavior but it’s become a living nightmare for Soo-jin (Jung Yu-mi) who witnesses this madness firsthand. Her husband turns into a monster every night and he only seems to be getting worse the closer she gets to her due date.
“A methodical slow build of simmering scares”
Jason Yu’s Sleep is built like William Friedkin’s The Exorcist. Something shocking but presumed manageable invades the lives of an unsuspecting and otherwise healthy family; All medical avenues are explored to explain and manage this shocking new development; Its scares aren’t as monumentally terrifying but the danger Soo-jin faces every night is deeply unsettling, and the subtly of some of those scares is its sharpest edge. In earlier scenes, we’re left to explore the aftermath of Hyun-su‘s nightly rampages, following bloody footprints through the apartment like creepy little breadcrumbs for Soo-jin to investigate.
After common sense and doctors’ orders are all exhausted, there’s no other worldy explanation for what has overtaken Hyun-su. And let’s not forget that once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth. It’s a brilliantly constructed story and one that feels as high stakes as you can get, despite being mostly confined to their small one-bedroom apartment. What keeps you hooked are Soo-jin & Hyun-su themselves (+ bonus points for their cute Pomeranian). They’re adorably sweet, they love each other unconditionally, and thanks to a duo of dynamic performances from Jung Yu-mi and Lee Sun-kyun, you’re immediately rooting for them to win….whatever the cost.
“Jason Yu knows how to craft a good late-night scare”
Divided into 3 separate chapters, Sleep is a methodical slow build of simmering scares. The source of the horror remains hidden for a long stretch of the film, like a guessing game of gruesome outcomes. It eventually circles two very clear options but before staking a claim in the ground, it’s as likely a supernatural horror story as it is an unfortunate medical nightmare. The push-and-pull of those equally scary options is what makes space for great character work from two compelling leads who are the heart and soul of this confined creeper. It would be cliche to say “Sleep will give you nightmares!” but very clearly the goal and it’s undeniable that Jason Yu knows how to craft a good late-night scare.
Jason Yu’s Sleep, a Magnet release, hits theaters and digital on September 27. Let us know what you think of this Korean nightmare (and if you have any spooky sleepwalking stories yourself) over in the official Nightmare on Film Street Discord!
