The Sleeper Review

The slasher genre is not what it used to be. It is not getting as many releases as it once did, but they are still out there. In fact, if you look below the mainstream, you will find that there are a lot of options to select from, and some that aren’t even that old. Today, we look at one such film, which is none other than “The Sleeper”. 

“The Sleeper” will immediately catch you off guard, it looks like it was filmed in the 1970s or 1980s. The film grain is such that it definitely lends itself to a different era of cinema, and it follows through the entire movie. It also shares a lot in common with other horror movies in that it immediately throws you into the scares, with a kill happening right away. We are introduced to the villain and his hammer. He immediately goes after someone at a sorority house, and then we get to the crux of the film. There are prank phone calls that come through the sorority house on a night where they will have a party. They continue to move forward with a party, including a pretty lame sex scene, and each new victim is called out. 

As far as slasher movies are concerned, this is one that is standard. It features your killer that is faster than most, the weapon which is a hammer, and the milky eyes that you see here and there. What caught me was the use of “Giallo” elements. You get that throughout with the focus on black gloves and the hammer. The camera follows the black gloves a lot, and you don’t see the face of the killer a lot, even though it happens. 

The movie is not without criticism. There is some slow pacing here and there, the killers motives are never revealed nor his back story at all, and we just get straight forward nonsense. The Joe Bob Briggs cameo was good though, but the overall sense of dread and slashings are trumped up and you get some gore effects here and there. 

“The Sleeper” is soaked in nostalgia. From the way it is filmed, to the way it is paced, to the kill spots and even ending. There is something for those that love that era here, meanwhile nothing for the modern horror fan. I did not find this to be updated in anyway, but that doesn’t mean it is a bad movie. In fact, I liked it a lot. It is a throwback, and it’s one that takes a little getting used to, considering we are in modern times. Filmed in 2012 from Gamma Knife Films, this is one movie that really goes for the gusto at times, and works well in the frame of nostalgic slashers. Outside of that, I’m not sure it works or holds up well, but maybe it doesn’t have to. It’s a fine film to check out, especially when you’re out of ideas on what to watch via streaming.