Mark Mohn’s ‘Sleep!’ is a nerve-shredding dive into the horrors of sleep paralysis, where reality and nightmare blend into a single, suffocating experience. Stripped of dialogue yet bursting with tension, this thriller/horror short is a credit to what low-budget filmmaking can achieve with sharp direction, respectable cinematography, and a single, paralyzing premise. Mohn understands that true terror doesn’t need elaborate setups or excessive exposition – just the unbearable weight of helplessness.
Will Steckman carries the film with a haunting performance. As a young man who wakes up trapped inside his own body, unable to move or scream, his silent dread is palpable. His bedroom, a familiar and seemingly safe space, becomes a prison of psychological terror. The horror creeps in gradually – from the unsettling presence of a teddy bear that feels just a little too menacing to the gut-wrenching moment when a stranger enters the room. Mohn weaponizes stillness and vulnerability, ensuring that every moment drips with unease.
Visually, ‘Sleep!’ is restrained yet effective. The cinematography is deliberate, capturing the claustrophobic paralysis with an eerie, voyeuristic precision. The sound design is equally commendable, replacing dialogue with an oppressive, creeping atmosphere that tightens like a noose. It’s a film that thrives on what it withholds – answers, movement, escape – forcing the audience to experience the protagonist’s terror firsthand.
This is a brief but potent exercise in fear, proving that horror doesn’t need spectacle to be deeply unsettling. Mohn keeps it lean and ruthless, letting the silence and suspense do the heavy lifting.