Before I Wake | Rotten Tomatoes (2024)

67% Tomatometer 36 Reviews 48% Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings

Foster parents Mark and Jessie welcome 8-year-old Cody into their home. The boy tells Jessie that he's terrified to fall asleep, but she assumes it's just a natural fear for any young child. The couple become startled when their dead biological son suddenly appears in their living room. To their surprise, Cody's dreams can magically become real but so can his nightmares. Mark and Jessie must now uncover the truth behind Cody's mysterious ability before his imagination harms them all.

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Before I Wake

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Critics Consensus

Beware this waking nightmare: Before I Wake isn't always lucid enough to escape its wobbly story, but crafts a neat horror landscape of grief.

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Critics Reviews

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Before I Wake | Rotten Tomatoes (1) Ignatiy Vishnevetsky AV Club Horror movies that exploit broad childhood phobias about bedtime lights-outs and basement chores are a dime a dozen, but it's really refreshing to find one made with a parent's curiosity and concern for a child's point of view. Rated: B Jan 5, 2018 Full Review Before I Wake | Rotten Tomatoes (2) Brian Tallerico RogerEbert.com A flawed film, but there are elements that really work, especially the lead performance and some of Flanagan's gifts with composition. Rated: 2.5/4 Jan 5, 2018 Full Review Before I Wake | Rotten Tomatoes (3) Chuck Bowen Slant Magazine Before I Wake's images have a pleasing straightforwardness that parallels the openness of the young protagonist's longing for love. Rated: 3/4 Dec 22, 2017 Full Review Before I Wake | Rotten Tomatoes (4) Jason Adams My New Plaid Pants Before I Wake is the ten millionth horror movie about parents mourning a dead child but it actually manages to grab ahold of that horror with two hands and shake the guts out of it at times Jul 2, 2021 Full Review Before I Wake | Rotten Tomatoes (5) Emma Wolfe SpookyAstronauts It was a really surprising mix of being super emotional and super freaky. Rated: 8/10 Apr 30, 2021 Full Review Before I Wake | Rotten Tomatoes (6) Alix Turner Ready Steady Cut An atmospheric fantasy thriller about a young boy whose dreams come to life. Rated: 3.5/5 Jan 27, 2021 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Jeffrey P No wonder their first kid died; they’re letting this new kid take stimulants and wash them down with sodas in the middle of the night. Butterflies and rhyme, but no reason or frights. Rated 1.5/5 Stars • Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 08/27/24 Full Review James F Before I Wake is a movie I didn't like upon release. But over the years as I watch more of Mike Flanagan's filmography I have learned to appreciate his writing, editing, and directing style more than the jumpscare. So if you approach this film as typical supernatural Horror movie you won't get that. It has flaws and takes a concept that's been done before but with a much better approach and execution. Rated 3.5/5 Stars • Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 08/04/24 Full Review Thomas P Some elements are cool but as whole falls short of being a "horror" movie. Rated 0.5/5 Stars • Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 07/27/24 Full Review Maureen M This movie was ridiculous, incredibly boring and drawn out. Save your time. Horrible Rated 0.5/5 Stars • Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 04/20/24 Full Review Raincloud M I have been searching sense the age of 10 for a horror movie that can actually scare me. Before I wake does not only this, but adds a truly beautiful and unique aspect to something I never even thought of as life threatening. Beautiful animation, thoughtful and accurate acting, and scenes that made a desensitized horror fan like me want to run when they did! This is easily one of my favorite movies of all time, and tells a touching story of broken hearts, love, and the effects of perseverance vs. running from your problems. All in one fell swoop, I wished I had this in my life and revered it all in the same. The canker man is genius. Such an exquisite way to put an actual child's perception and twist of the young imagination into a genuinely terrifying monster, all while keeping it just vague enough that I was truly surprised by the reality of the story, as well as touched. This may not be your cup of tea if you believe gore, screaming, and severely underdeveloped characters means horror. But to true horror fans like me, this is a masterpiece and I'd watch it a thousand times before I ever watched another slasher. Thank you writers, animators, editors, and actors! I felt this movie lacked in none of these areas Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/08/24 Full Review Alec B The movie nearly collapses beneath the weight of its heavy handed metaphors, that said I do like how what could easily be a conventional horror narrative is undermined in some interesting ways. Rated 3/5 Stars • Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/05/24 Full Review Read all reviews

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Cast & Crew

Mike Flanagan Director Kate Bosworth Jessie Thomas Jane Mark Annabeth Gish Natalie Dash Mihok Whelan Jacob Tremblay Cody
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Synopsis Foster parents Mark and Jessie welcome 8-year-old Cody into their home. The boy tells Jessie that he's terrified to fall asleep, but she assumes it's just a natural fear for any young child. The couple become startled when their dead biological son suddenly appears in their living room. To their surprise, Cody's dreams can magically become real but so can his nightmares. Mark and Jessie must now uncover the truth behind Cody's mysterious ability before his imagination harms them all.

Director
Mike Flanagan

Producer
Trevor Macy, Sam Englebardt, William D. Johnson

Screenwriter
Mike Flanagan, Jeff Howard

Production Co
Demarest Films, Intrepid Pictures, MICA Entertainment

Rating
PG-13 (Violent Content|Terror|Disturbing Images)

Genre
Horror, Mystery & Thriller

Original Language
English

Release Date (Streaming)
Jan 5, 2018

Runtime
1h 37m
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