Sleepwalkers Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.0

Sleepwalkers Blu-ray Movie Review

Taking a break from his duties as one of the most popular authors in the history of literature, Stephen King banged out the screenplay for 1992’s “Sleepwalkers,” making a rare appearance on film credits that didn’t list his books as dramatic inspiration. While he’s written scripts before, King’s sole command of the project was a rare event, giving director Mick Garris an unusual chance to make a horror picture with the undivided creative attention of the maestro. The results are very strange, as “Sleepwalkers” toys with incest, ancient feline demonry, and teenage lust to create a comfortably macabre creature feature that hits all the expectations from genre entertainment. Garris doesn’t always show command over the endeavor, struggling with a few broad performances and the movie’s mid-stream move to wacky comedy, but he mostly understands what King is hunting for, tearing open Americana to expose some highly entertaining scenes of menace and unease packed into a tight effort that doesn’t overstay its welcome.

Sleepwalkers Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

"Sleepwalkers" was first issued on Blu-ray back in 2012, and now Shout Factory puts the title back into circulation, hoping to reignite interest in a cult title. Unfortunately, a fresh scan wasn't ordered for the new disc, keeping the visual appearance of the AVC encoded image (1.85:1 aspect ratio) presentation slightly underwhelming. Some mild brightening has been utilized to spruce up the viewing experience, but age is apparent, along with some slightly blocky grain structure at times and a soft image overall. Sharpness is lacking, but details do emerge with patience, capturing the gruesomeness of the monsters on the loose, giving some texture to gore shots. Colors are acceptable, with slight surges of red on occasion, wrestling with a warmer palette that includes sunny days and candlelit interiors. Skintones are natural. Delineation is acceptable, never losing frame information. Source is in decent shape, lacking major areas of damage.

Sleepwalkers Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 5.1 DTS-HD MA sound mix handles acceptably, with soundtrack selections emerging as the most engaging aspect of the track, filling the surrounds with deep synth for Enya's contribution. Dialogue exchanges are crisp and compelling, securing surges of panic when violence breaks out, never slipping into distortive extremes. Seductive whispers are also managed with accuracy. Scoring selections are defined, with strong instrumentation giving horror strings some authority. Low-end is simple, never really rumbling along, but weight is appreciated during attack sequences. Sound effects are crisp, capturing snapped limps and sharp gun shots. Surrounds aren't powerful, but atmospherics are understood, and cat community bustle is identified.

Sleepwalkers Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary features director Mick Garris and actors Brian Krause and Madchen Amick.

• "Feline Trouble" (18:34, HD) sits down with Garris to discuss the making of "Sleepwalkers," which offered the young director a chance to work with a major studio on a prioritized production. However, Garris shares his rocky road of employment, with Columbia Pictures choosing another helmer to take the gig, only to lose faith in the mystery man's vision, returning to their first choice for help. Garris is honest about the studio system, dealing with layers of management, while casting was largely driven by contractual needs, though Garris made sure to keep his horror cameos, paying tributes to heroes and contemporaries. BTS footage is spread throughout the featurette, backing up the subject's tales of managing feline performances and working out the particulars of a car chase, and there's a celebration of technical personnel, though Garris remains ambivalent about the final creature designs. There's talk of reshoots to get the ending in order, with Garris quickly adding a prologue featuring Mark Hamill to the workload. And the film's reception is recounted, with negative reviews welcoming a movie that debuted on the top of the box office charts.

• "When Charles Met Tanya" (15:25, HD) reunites Amick and Krause, who recall their initial impressions of the screenplay, realizing the Stephen King brand was quite special. The duo discusses acting challenges, with Amick looking to keep up her screaming demands while Krause had to deal with makeup application, going a little insane at times. The horror cameos are celebrated, with Amick too in-character to mingle with the men. Hilariously, Krause shares where he was when "Sleepwalkers" opened in April, 1992: jail. Unable to enjoy the moment, the actor recounts how such an event was treated behind bars. First reactions to the finished film are recalled, and Krause and Amick playfully toss around ideas for a sequel.

• "Mother and More" (15:49, HD) settles in with Alice Krige, who goes into extreme detail about her character work, taking the "Sleepwalkers" job very seriously, and she admits surprise when she saw the film for the first time, unnerved by its unexpected comedy content. The actress talks about her work in genre entertainment, and how these stories permit her to go big with performances, also examining technique to help give the roles special life. Krige recalls working with prosthetics and watching the production deal with the movement of cats. There's also a discussion of the feature's lasting legacy.

• "Creatures and Cats" (15:38, HD) is a conversation about creature effects with designers Tony Gardner and Mike Smithson. Gardner is featured more predominately, sharing his thoughts on the shortcomings of the "Sleepwalkers" production schedule, identifying the film as an "abbreviated version" of his original vision for creature feature hellraising. BTS footage is returned to, showcasing deleted moments from the picture's climax that Gardner worked hard on, and he recounts the pleasant vibe from the stunt performers, who were tasked with making stiff rubber suits come alive. Gardner shares his memories of the cast and all the cat herding, and offers his reaction to the finished product.

• Behind the Scenes Footage (6:53, SD) highlights the picture's climax, with stunt performers in creature suits dealing with movement and fire. However, the best moments from this brief tape showcase the wranglers dealing with the feline stars, creating a sort of symphony of beeping noises and voice calls to motivate the cats into action.

• Still Gallery (3:52) includes poster art, publicity snaps, BTS photos, and lobby cards.

• T.V. Spots (1:52, SD) provide four commercials for "Sleepwalkers."

• And a Theatrical Trailer (1:53, SD) is included.

Sleepwalkers Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Garris finds a style for "Sleepwalkers," committing to the small-town location and reusing the Enya tune "Boadicea," which provides instant, delicious horror atmosphere with a fat synth punch. Again, there's no reason for the material to become silly with feline-inspired monsters, finding King getting a little carried away in his quest to fulfil marketplace expectations, but the illusion of perversion is unusual, well-blended with elements of magic to drive the suspense. Garris is dealing with a rather mysterious set of monster movie rules and history, but he goes for it, trying to make the most engaging effort possible with missing puzzle pieces and, again, a few performances that play to the back row. "Sleepwalkers" isn't refined but there's a push to do something bizarre, and dated-but-charming morphing visual effects attempt to add some technological surprise to the mix. It works for the most part, at least if you like your family relationships filled with sex, first dates erupting into attempted murder, and cats realized as the ultimate sources of evil and heroism.