The Sleeper
The Sleeper
| 31 January 2012 (USA)
The Sleeper Trailers

It's 1981 and the girls of Alpha Gamma Theta sorority are having a party. As the new pledges arrive, so does an uninvited guest. Little do the sisters know someone is watching them in the shadows. As the girls shower, study, eat and sleep the stalker studies the girls. One by one he finds the girls at their most vulnerable and murders them. The police hunt for the missing girls and their killer, but will they find them in time? Or will the girls be forced to fight for their lives..

Reviews
Bluesman

THE SLEEPER is a low-budget horror movie with a very basic plot about a serial killer who stalks a bunch of (female) college students. Yes, there are hundreds of movies with plots just like that but the fact that the movie is set in the 1980s is unusual for a low-budget production. The movie is actually not as bad as many of the negative reviews might suggest, but you have to keep in mind that this is a $30,000 production with mostly unexperienced actors. I guess most people who rated this movie low had their expectations set too high. They probably expected more of a plot, which is not really that important of an element in this movie. It's the way the story is presented effectively and evocatively on a very limited budget and with a cast of amateur actors that is intriguing.Director Justin Russell and his crew did get a lot of things right to make this look like a typical 1980s horror flick. The pre-credit scenes and the opening titles in particular look like they could be straight out of a vintage slasher. The look of the rest of the movie falls short in a way, though, which can be attributed to the fact that it wasn't shot on film. THE SLEEPER could probably pretty much look like a movie from the decade it tries to recreate if they had shot it on real film stock instead of digital cameras. Ti West shot THE HOUSE OF THE DEVIL (2009), which also takes place in the early 1980s, on 16 mm film and he managed to make it look exactly like a film from that period. If the producers of THE SLEEPER could have afforded to shoot on film, this movie would look a lot better and the vibe would be completely different. This digital footage just looks too clean and not film- like, which is not right for the time period. Therefore, you never really can fully appreciate the images shown in this movie because the look of the digital footage is quite distracting in many scenes. Nevertheless, they did the best they could with the very limited budget, I guess. Maybe the look could have been improved with the right filters, but I don't know about that.A number actors from the cast are quite good even though they seem to be amateurs who do not pursue acting as a career. It's nice to see real-looking people in a movie for a change. I'd like to see more acting performances from these people, but for many of them this is the only movie they've done so far. I especially liked Jenna Fournier's performance. She is mainly a musician and painter, it seems, but I think she should act more. She has talent.All in all, this is an enjoyable movie for fans of 1980s slasher movies. It has a good cast and most of the killing scenes are quite inventive and well done with nice practical effects. Yes, the movie is lacking an elaborate plot, and, yes, the movie should have a different, more film-like look, but if you can see over those issues and keep the limitations of low-budget productions in mind, you have an ambitious horror movie that was clearly made by fans of the genre for fans of the genre.

... View More
Jason Marsh

OK, I get it, this director likes 80's slasher flicks. So do I, to some extent. But that's not enough to keep an audience watching. This movie is a carbon copy of every late 70's/early 80's slasher film, so from the get go you know exactly what you're in for. That could have been a good thing. But here, it is not thanks in large part to inconsistent period details, really sub par acting and super amateur sound editing. The movie reminds you of its budget limitations every few minutes. Can I forgive some things? Sure, but I've seen movies made in the same budget range that keep quality and acting talent a priority, so it's tough. For one thing, not once did I feel transported back to my youth, the 1980s, the only prop they had was a rotary phone and they thought that was enough I guess. The clothing and hair styles were all wrong. The dialog was all wrong (for the time period, the delivery of said dialog was all wrong, too). This director's vision far outweighed the film's budget and it shows. Kind of like a recent flick out of Rhode Island that attempted to do the "80's" thing, Murder University. But at least MU had actors who could act, a director that could direct and fairly consistent sound throughout. I'm not going to get in depth on the story since it is intentionally bad in The Sleeper, I guess that was supposed to be cool because the old movies have bad stories, too... I just call that a lame excuse for lazy screen writing. It's not as if The Sleeper was going to come out and make a big profit like the in the 80's, the least they could so is assemble a decent screenplay. I say PASS on The Sleeper, just gather together all your favorite 80's slashers and have a blast from the past instead, you'll enjoy the experience a lot more.

... View More
culmo80

Look, I appreciate anyone who puts themselves out there to make something, but this was just terrible.We all know that 80's slasher movies are notoriously absurd...the only way you can successfully "pay homage" to them is as a parody, which this is not. This attempts to be a serious horror/slasher flick but it just doesn't add up.Okay, so in 1979, a random girl is killed at the same sorority house where the present-day (1981) action takes place. No mention of that murder is ever mentioned and actually adds nothing to the plot line.Then a random girl just gets invited to a sorority party for pledges...as a sophomore. I may be wrong about this but don't most sororities only look for freshmen girls as pledges? And where were the other pledges at the party? That was some party though, haha...all 8 of them! I get it, extras are hard to come by, but if this was shot on or near a college campus, it couldn't have been that hard to get "free" labor out of college kids who would get a kick out of being in a movie. Anyway, the main girl and her roommate (apparently a goth girl in 1981...) go and like the place.Meanwhile, "The Sleeper" sneaks in through an unlocked door and waits until everyone leaves or goes to sleep and then kills one of the girls who had recently had sex with her boyfriend. Though when the hammer hits her in the head, her had had magically transformed into an obvious rubber mask...Oh yeah, and he called the house before, crying and saying she would be first.Over the period of the film, the sorority girls are killed in various ways, but its never a surprise. You follow one girl who goes off on her own and we know she is going to get killed. A few other people get killed as well.The ending is just dumb:If you are "securing" a house, wouldn't you lock the doors as your first order of business?And are there really only 4 cops for this town/college? There was no suspense in this film. The part where she is hiding in the auditorium was boring, not suspenseful. You knew exactly when someone was going to be killed. The special effects were amateurish at best.The acting was bad.The nudity was silly. The girl was nice looking but if you are going to have a girl go topless for the obligatory nude scene for an 80's slasher homage, then get someone better. Plus the whole scene was absurd. She takes off her top to make out with the guy for a while and then decides to leave him in the pool to "get dressed." What? Plus there was ZERO discussion of the killer. Who was he? Why was he stalking those girls? How did he elude being spotted when he lived in a basement of a much-used academic building easily accessible by a well- lit staircase? Why did he cry when he called to say who was next? What was up with his eyes?I wanted to be entertained by this movie, but when I'm laughing more than cringing, you know its bad.Watch this ONLY if you have seen everything else...and even then, reading a book or cutting the grass may be better options.

... View More
vacantskies00

Justin Russell, after providing us with the 70's grindhouse throwback Death Stop Holocaust, has now popped up in the 80's with the slasher throwback, The Sleeper. Now, I was able to acquire the box set featuring a VHS copy. You might ask, was this basically the DVD release only now I have to rewind it? The answer my friends, is absolutely NOT! The VHS version was the way this film is meant to be watched. Dark, grainy, with the occasional white static pop, I was taken back to my childhood. That's a rare thing.The film itself is a simple one. Sorority sisters and frat guys get picked off by a mysterious, milky eyed stalker. OK. Now you're prepared! Now, sit and enjoy yourself! That's the way our beloved 80's slashers were meant to be viewed, so why should this film be any different?! Don't over think it! It's OK to have fun! The cinematography is spot-on, never venturing into "too dark" territory. This leads me to the lighting. Very practical lighting was used and this totally ups the atmosphere. No over the top, technical lens flairs... Simple, effective light sources. The music is top notch, never being too much. Several times, the best music was when there was none! Mr. Russell understood this and used the music where it was best suited for the scene. Just watch the auditorium scene...The Sleeper is not a perfect film, but then again, tell me an 80's slasher that ever was! That's the beauty of a film like this. Justin Russell set out to make a fun, 80's slasher and in my opinion, he succeeded. I'll take The Sleeper over any half-assed, 10 million dollar star-studded remake any day of the week.If you are a fan of 80's slashers, you will enjoy this film. This is your opportunity to kick your feet up, relax, and have a good time. Be sure to bring your friends...For fans of: HALLOWEEN, PROM NIGHT, HE KNOWS YOU'RE ALONE, THE PROWLER, BLACK Christmas, THE HOUSE ON SORORITY ROW, and THE INITIATION.

... View More
You May Also Like