You Won’t Want to Sleep (FANTASTIC) on this Solid Korean Horror Film

Title: Sleep

First Non-Festival Release: September 6, 2023 (Theatrical Release)

Director: Jason Yu

Writer: Jason Yu

Runtime: 95 Minutes

Starring: Lee Sun-kyun, Jung Yu-mi, Yoon Kyung-ho

Where to Watch: Check out where to find it here

This film’s review was written after its screening at the Fantastic Film Festival in 2023.

Everyone knows that to some degree they will need to sacrifice their rest and energy if they choose to bring a child into this world. The entire process of pregnancy to birth to raising a toddler can drain the energy even from the liveliest person you know. Imagine a ghost screwing up your already messed up night schedule on top of this?

Cue Sleep, a Korean horror film that centers on young couple Soo-jin (Jung Yu-mi) and Hyun-su (Lee Sun-kyun). When Hyun-su begins exhibiting some worrying bouts of sleepwalking that lead to dangerous activities, the couple consults a doctor for an explanation. Despite medical intervention, the episodes only worsen. Soon, the couple begin considering alternative explanations for their nocturnal troubles, and they are right to do so.

A reliably fun and sufficiently different approach to nightmare-based horror, Sleep is yet another win for South Korean cinema.

Beneath the surface, Sleep offers a unique take on the paranormal parasomnia subgenre of horror that hides behind its rather typical initial approach. The first act builds up the happy couple as thoroughly loving and excited for their future together. As the action continues, their child is prioritized both in pregnancy and birth, with both showing how much they will sacrifice to make it work. Soo-jin and Hyun-su must grapple with different challenges while battling the same supernatural force. Both make for easy-to-root-for characters even when they make bizarre, but not bad, decisions to keep things together. Sleep stays true to the conventions of familial horror while allowing the journey to feel leagues different.

Whenever Sleep veers into familiar territory, Jung Yu-mi and Lee Sun-kyun elevate the film by showing a more three-dimensional view of the couple. Their relationship isn’t perfect, but what makes Soo-jin and Hyun-su so captivating is the palpable chemistry of Jung and Lee. Their transformation together over the course of their long journey in Sleep leads to both giving powerful performances in the off-kilter finale. Both Lee and Jung get the opportunity to shock the audience in different ways as they fight off the paranormal presence terrorizing their characters’ lives.

Perhaps the most underrated aspect of Sleep is its strategically placed and unexpected comedic elements. Ensuring it remains a horror first with plenty of mystery surrounding its paranormal happenings, Sleep manages to integrate comedy seamlessly into its story. A lack of sleep can lead to many unexpected feelings and situations, and both Soo-jin and Hyun-su find themselves doing and experiencing the horrors in a myriad of ways, while also being on the receiving end of some great punchlines.

Despite its welcome additions to the cannon, Sleep does find itself falling victim to several tired tropes from the subgenre. For the first two acts, most of the scares follow an easy-to-spot formula gleaned from the subgenre’s playbook. Sleepwalking is scary, of course, but when you see the same few ideas played out: consuming raw food, walking with purpose in a trance-like state, and saying a few shocking things, it loses its novelty quickly. The pacing of the film helps in this regard, as it keeps the action moving quickly without sacrificing story. Unfortunately, the “been there, done that” attitude that permeates throughout its first two acts makes it hard to forget, even in its wild finale.  

Sleep is an evenly paced, insomnia-based horror that brings out unexpected moments of paranormal hijinx and well-received humor against the parental drama. Two excellent leading performers and a third act reveal bring out the best in this Korean sleeper hit. Some familiarity in the first two thirds aside, Sleep engenders good will by keeping the action consistent and reminding the audiences what the stakes are for failure. The States should anticipate staying up all night, the day that Sleep is finally released domestically and celebrate accordingly.

Overall Score? 7/10