I've been a fan of Stephen King's works since I was a kid, devouring his novels and enjoying most of the adaptations of his books and short stories. I even have some affection for a couple of the worst movies to come from his works, one being Maximum Overdrive, and the other being Sleepwalkers. I'm going to get this out of the way right away. This is a terrible movie. But it's also one of those terrible movies that is so out there, so bonkers that if watched in the right spirit, is pretty damn awesome.
Charles Brady (played by Brian Krause) has moved to a small town in Indiana with his mother Mary (played by Alice Krige). The two share a close relationship, a very close relationship if you catch my drift. Turns out they are not even human, but immortal beings known as Sleepwalkers, shapeshifters that feed on the life-force of virgins, travelling from town to town. The male sleepwalker, Charles in this case, is the one that seduces and steals the life-force from the female virgin and then feeds it to the female Sleepwalker during lovemaking. Since Charles and Mary are apparently the only two left, this has left them with a rather incestuous relationship. Charles' latest mark is Tanya Robertson (played by Madchen Amick), a student at the local high school. As he begins courting Tanya, he also has to try his best to cover his own tracks when suspicions from his past come calling.
What makes Sleepwalkers such a memorable viewing experience is the wildly varying tone that screenwriter Stephen King and Director Mick Garris maintain throughout the film. It can go from a cute meet cute scene between Charles and Tanya at the local movie theater to a completely insane one where Charles turns cat boy monster, rips a threatening man's hand off, gives it back to the guy and tells him, "You're right, people should keep their hands to themselves. Here's yours." It's that sort of dichotomy through out the film as it yo-yos from this sort of small town Americana to completely batshit crazy throughout the film and changes on a dime each time. Normally a movie with such a lack of consistency would drive me crazy, but somehow it works here. That being said, throughout the movie you're more likely to burst out laughing than be scared.
The performances here are actually good. Brian Krause really nails both sides of his role, the charming boy next door and then the vicious monster spouting wisecracks that would make Freddy Krueger grimace. Alice Krige is great as Mary, finding that right balance between sweet and creepy that she does so well. Madchen Amick does well as Tanya, giving her character that great girl next door vibe while also proving to be more resourceful than she might seem. It was fun to see Lyman Ward and Cindy Pickett, best known as Ferris Bueller's parents, reunite here as Tanya's parents. The film is also stuffed with cameos from the likes of Stephen King, Joe Dante, Clive Barker, Tobe Hooper, John Landis, Mark Hamill and Ron Perlman all finding their moment to chew the scenery a little (Stephen King's cameo with his character nervously announcing, "I ain't taking the wrap for this" is particularly amusing given the quality of the film).
Whether or not someone would enjoy this movie will depend greatly on whether or not they can appreciate a movie that is so bad it's good. Because this movie definitely falls into that category with it's gonzo plot and wildly diverging tone. But, with a few friends to help make fun of it and perhaps a couple of beers it can be a hilariously fun time.
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