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Doctor Sleep (2002)
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Overview
User Rating:
Release Date:
16 August 2002 (Israel) moreTagline:
The deeper the sleep. The darker the fear. moreAwards:
5 wins & 2 nominations moreNewsDesk:
(2 articles)
Dierks Bentley: Feel That Fire (From PasteMagazine. 4 February 2009, 6:01 AM, PST)
Clarkson: 'Song Leak Sucked'
(From WENN. 7 April 2008, 5:11 AM, PDT)
User Comments:
Intriguing horror-thriller with creepy moments amidst the silliness. moreCast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| Shirley Henderson | ... | Janet Losey | |
| Goran Visnjic | ... | Michael Strother | |
| Miranda Otto | ... | Clara Strother | |
| Sophie Stuckey | ... | Heather | |
| Josh Richards | ... | Keith | |
| John Rogan | ... | Francis Paladine | |
| Claire Rushbrook | ... | Grace | |
| Lauren Gabrielle Volpert | ... | Martha Strother | |
| Sarah Woodward | ... | Police Inspector Hilary Ash | |
| Corin Redgrave | ... | Chief Inspector Clements | |
| Paddy Considine | ... | Elliot Spruggs | |
| Madison Smartt Bell | ... | Hypnosis Patient | |
| Stevie Nye | ... | Young Boy 1 | |
| Joshua McGowan | ... | Young Boy 2 | |
| Andrew French | ... | Police Detective |
Additional Details
MPAA:
Rated R for violence and language.Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parentsRuntime:
USA:108 minCountry:
UKColor:
ColorAspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 moreSound Mix:
Dolby DigitalCertification:
Iceland:16 | Netherlands:16 | Australia:MA | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | USA:R | Italy:TFun Stuff
Trivia:
Goran Visnjic lived in a rented flat above a pub off Trafalgar Square for three months while filming this movie. moreSoundtrack:
Imagination moreFAQ
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A fairly intriguing horror-thriller which plays like a hybrid of Jonathan Demme's The Silence Of The Lambs and Gregory's Hoblit's Fallen, Doctor Sleep (aka "Close Your Eyes") has a fair few effective moments. Some reviewers here on the IMDb have complained that the film is poorly directed, but I don't see where they're coming from. The film is unfussily directed, but to use the word "poor" is somewhat harsh. The plot - while fundamentally rather silly and hard-to-swallow - is at least quite unusual, and helps the film to come across as a reasonably original and unpredictable piece of hokum.
A psychiatrist with unusual telepathic powers, Dr Michael Strother (Goran Visnjic), moves from Seattle to London after his treatment results in the death of a patient and a subsequent witch-hunt by the American media. Once in London, he inadvertently gets drawn into the plight of a young girl, Heather (Sophie Stuckey - an excellent child actress), who recently escaped from the clutches of a wanted serial killer known to police as the Tattoo Murderer. Since her ordeal, Heather hasn't spoken a word, but ambitious policewoman Janet Losey (Shirley Henderson) hopes that Michael can find a way to get her to open up.... and maybe reveal a clue as to the killer's whereabouts. An internet geek with interests in occult history, Elliot Spruggs (Paddy Considine), is called upon to help and he gradually figures out that the killer seems to be following the methods of a 500 year old cult, the fundamental belief of which is that life can be prolonged and transferred from body to body, via a gruesome ritual involving blood transfusions (it is for these transfusions that the children have been taken by the Tattoo Murderer).
Doctor Sleep has some very creepy moments in spite of its unlikely premise. Visnjic plays the doctor quite well (he has a great, soothing voice which makes his psychiatric scenes particularly believable), though Shirley Henderson as the police lady doesn't register too strongly. The shocks are simple but effective, and the film generates an eerie atmosphere without resorting to full-on gore, nor falling back on the slasher movie mentality that seems to permeate too many recent horror flicks. There is a very chilling twist ending (which has been called confusing in several reviews and message board postings on this site - though in actual fact it is rather clever, not to mention disturbing, if you've paid close attention during the film). On the whole, Doctor Sleep is a solid, workmanlike chiller which achieves its modest aims with a degree of success.