Dead Awake

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2:15

Dead Awake

2017

1h 39m

Horror

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

11%

Tomatometer

9 Reviews

17%

Popcornmeter

100+ Ratings

Kate Bowman is a by-the-books social worker who is investigating a series of mysterious deaths. Each victim suffered from sleep paralysis, a frightening ailment that immobilizes its victims as they dream. Kate is approached by an unorthodox doctor who warns of an evil entity that haunts people in their sleep. She brushes aside his admonition, but when a terrifying entity begins to haunt Kate's friends and loved ones, she must fight to stay awake to stop the nightmare she's unleashed.

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John DeFore

The Hollywood Reporter

May 16, 2017

Most likely to frighten viewers who begin nodding off and fear they'll be unable to rouse themselves to leave the theater.

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Jen Yamato

Los Angeles Times

May 11, 2017

Despite Donahue's best efforts in a grand finale sleep session with life-or-death stakes, the premise never lives up to its promise.

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Rob Staeger

Village Voice

May 11, 2017

The whole affair plods along in by-the-numbers fashion, and the characters are all types, displaying little evidence of interior lives.

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Joey Keogh

Wicked Horror

Oct 7, 2019

7/10

Dead Awake is slight but scary, simple but tough and, at times, crawlingly creepy. Fear your bed.

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Josh Goller

Spectrum Culture

Jul 20, 2019

1/5

With absolutely nothing new to offer, Dead Awake is content to coast on a flimsy premise involving a scary-sounding medical condition turned malevolently paranormal.

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Kat Hughes

THN

Aug 29, 2018

2/5

Given this is one of the first movies that we can think of that covers sleep-paralysis in such detail, it should be fresh and invigorate the genre, instead it plods along ticking off all the expected, but uninteresting, boxes.

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Melissa L

@Agent99 Apr 20, 2026

I have suffered from nightmares/night terrors since I was a child. I thought this movie pretty scary. The end seemed open-ended, although I don't think a sequel was ever made. I recommend it.

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Kenneth S

@RT34448678 Mar 10, 2025

It’s like a Deja vu movie, I don’t remember the names of the other movies I watched but it’s pretty much the same story but worth watching once. I fell asleep about half way through and rewatched it again and it wasn’t terrible. I’ve definitely watched worse lol.

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Sep 11, 2020

This movie is garbage, I literally laughed the entire time because of the ridiculous this film can be.

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Feb 14, 2018

It's perfect to fall sleep in the theater

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Jan 4, 2018

WARNING ⚠ You won't die from fear watching this movie, just boredom ⚠

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Nov 22, 2017

"Sleep paralysis that can kill you isn't real...psych!" -Dr. Sykes Also, documentary? Heck to the yeah.

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Phillip Guzman

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Jocelin Donahue

Kate

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Dead Awake: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

Kate Bowman is a by-the-books social worker who is investigating a series of mysterious deaths. Each victim suffered from sleep paralysis, a frightening ailment that immobilizes its victims as they dream. Kate is approached by an unorthodox doctor who warns of an evil entity that haunts people in their sleep. She brushes aside his admonition, but when a terrifying entity begins to haunt Kate's friends and loved ones, she must fight to stay awake to stop the nightmare she's unleashed.

Director: Phillip Guzman
Producer: Phillip Guzman, James LaMarr, Philip Marlatt, Derek Lee Nixon, Kurt Wehner
Screenwriter: Jeffrey Reddick
Distributor: FilmRise
Production Co: Aristar Entertainment
Genre: Horror, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): May 12, 2017, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): May 12, 2017
Runtime: 1h 39m

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