Don't Go to Sleep (1982)

"You're getting weird, Mary!" - Kevin

A young girl starts seeing the ghost of her dead sister.
Starring: Dennis Weaver, Robin Ignico, Valerie Harper, Oliver Robins, Ruth Gordon

Link to IMDB

Mary

A family is moving to a new home for two reasons; one is to live with the Grandmother, and the other is because they're dealing with the recent loss of their oldest daughter, Jennifer. The Mom and Dad have two kids now, Mary and Kevin.

Once they are settled into the new house, Mary starts hearing strange voices and having nightmares every night. She becomes afraid to sleep, and gets increasingly disturbed by her fear. Then Jennifer's ghost appears to Mary, and although she comes across as friendly, the ghost seems to be have a malicious intent to harm the family.
There's a good atmosphere of creepiness established, aided by the uncertainty of what Jennifer's intentions are, but things are going to get weirder!


Bizarre accidents begin occurring, and some even prove to be deadly for the family members. The mystery is that we aren't sure who is responsible for the tragedies. Has Mary gone insane, or is it Jennifer's ghost seeking revenge, or is there some other evil force haunting the house?
Or is it the family's pet lizard? Wait, what?

     Dad                             Mom                                Grandma                              Kevin

This is where the movie becomes more bonkers than spooky, but it really adds to its charm. For no explainable reason, we are constantly getting close-ups of the lizard, as though it's somehow connected to all the haunting. There's even a scene where the lizard appears to be flying (or carried by a ghost,) and although it makes no sense it sure is funny.

Setting aside that silly business, this made-for-TV movie is actually pretty good. The actors all do a solid job of creating a realistic family that is under a lot of stress and being torn apart by grief and depression. It feels a lot like Poltergeist at times, but with less obvious paranormal elements.

I really enjoyed the ambiguity of what was going on with Mary. You're never really sure if the ghost of Jennifer is real, or just in her imagination. And despite being made-for-TV, it does deliver some quality unsettling suspense.

It may not be very original and suffers from dull moments, but it's weird and creepy enough to not be forgotten.


Does the movie deliver on the Don't...
5 out 10
Mary's afraid to sleep for the first half, but it eventually stops being an issue.

Be sure not to miss:
- Their address is 13666.
- "The kid shouldn't have been smoking in bed."
- The pizza cutter scene.
- Take a drink every time the lizard gets a close-up.

Internet review:
"A key film in the sub-genre of small screen horrors." - Amanda@Night

Should I watch it?
Do it.

Where can I find it?
Here on YouTube.

Don't go to Sleep gets...