Good concept, poorly executed.

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

If you like to be scared, if you like to laugh, and if you like to learn a thing or two at the movies, this absolutely cannot be missed.

Mostly, the movie is committed to the value of a good time.

Title of this review sez it all, folks. Sweet, thoughtful, somewhat thrilling two thirds of a film that ends with illogical whimper.

Question 1: Please tell me why a child that size drowned in the bathtub?? Sit up kid. Question 2: Why is no one investigating her missing husband? Meanwhile she's doing "research" like most typical horror films trying to get to the bottom of it! Question 3: Does she even care that her husbands gone?? Nope. Doesn't seem to bothered by it. Question 4: Why were they so angry with her for giving him a sleeping pill only to hold him down to give him a shot??? Question 5: Why was the front door to the orphanage unlocked??? I think that's it. But I'm still pretty confused by the whole thing. Could have been great, but didn't quite get there.

I read nothing about this movie, but it kept "haunting" me on my Netflix recommendations. It looked like a forgettable b-movie, but boy was I in for a treat when I finally decided to watch this.The story is about parents who have lost their son in an accident and who adopt an 8 year old boy whose dreams manifest as real things. You can't really figure out whether it's a movie worth watching by reading the synopsis really, you're just better off watching it. Not the most logical movie ever made and you can probably find a plot hole galore, it's even a bit slow to start with, but in the end this was one of the most beautiful and at the same time one of the scariest movies I've seen in a while.Only now coming to IMDB I found out that this movie was directed by the same guy who did Oculus and Ouija: Origin of Evil, some of the better horror movies I've seen lately. Count me as a Mike Flanagan fan. I probably need to watch Gerald's Game now too, which I had zero intention to watch, but I saw it's also directed by him.Before I Wake is a very well made movie. Well shot, acted and directed. Highly recommended. It has zero gore and blood, but is scary as hell at times and is also very touching. Some strange stylistic choices like making Thomas Jane look like Chad Kroeger of Nickelback, but once you get over that it's a great great movie.

It's nice to see a horror movie in this day and age that doesn't rely on jumpscares with a loud music stinger. The acting isn't the best, but the mood and atmosphere make up for it. The creepiest moments for me are when you briefly glimpse the Canker Man in the background or in shadow. I also like that they explain the origin of the monster at the end.Overall, it was a very enjoyable experience and a breath of fresh air for a modern horror movie.