There are some films that I like that I’m obviously not qualified to fully dive into analysis of. This feels like one of those films.
I think I get where it’s coming from, but what I think only matters in a tangential way, because the meaning I’m seeing is deeply rooted in a lot of culture I’m not a part of. I have little doubt that many Black Americans may get a lot more out of this–or get it differently–than I do. (The writer/director and the entire principle cast are Black, and the themes at play here are very much in line with a lot of other Black cinema, especially the recent boom it’s seeing in the horror genre, that I’ve seen.)
I can say that Parasomnia is a solid examination of bother generational trauma and the weight that a single individual can be forced to carry. That’s a level of meaning that I think we can all relate to… and it’s a set of themes played out very, very well on screen.
The performances are excellent, especially as things escalate and turn in on themselves. The layers of emotion and stress, then the pains of realization and, eventually, release are all deeply palpable and moving.
Those performances are accentuated and punctuated by a creative and pretty unique usage of first-person immersive scenes for certain situations. The stylized lighting/post-processing of the visuals, plus the added stress of hand-held camera work and the idea of actually seeing the blips of darkness as the person who’s point of view we’re watching through blinks is riviting.
While this is a bit of a slow burn at first, once it takes of it really doesn’t stop for the back third of the film. All the secrets get revealed and there is a cathartic, but tragic, payout for all of it.
This has a few aspects that subvert or otherwise twist up a number of typical horror tropes. There’s definitely a take on the “Final Girl” idea. And the whole setup is an inversion of Nightmare on Elm Street‘s idea of a killer stalking someone’s dreams… here the “killer” is brough into the world when one person dreams. And then, ultimately, we get a bit of a twist on how people become monsters… and how those monsters sew the seeds of their own defeat.
Personally, I’m very glad we’re getting a lot of films like this. Ones that clearly work on multiple levels, depending on the audience. I like it for the same reason I like a bunch of the foreign (especially non-European) horror films I’ve seen. The different perspectives, different aspects of cultural struggles and norms, and the emphasis on different aspects than we usually get in horror films is eye opening.
And, well, if you watch this movie, you’ll know how important eyes can be… open or closed.
- Earth vs The Spider – October 3, 2026
- Parasomnia – October 2, 2026
- Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark – October 1, 2026
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