Nightmares Become Reality in ‘Before I Wake’

Dyan James

After a lengthy delay, horror film “Before I Wake” will finally hit theaters April 8 and is destined to haunt the sleep of those brave enough to see it. “Before I Wake” (previously titled “Somnia”) is about married couple Jessie (Kate Bosworth) and Mark (Thomas Jane) who, shortly after suffering the loss of their own son, adopt an 8-year-old orphaned boy named Cody (Jacob Tremblay). Aside from his aversion to and fear of falling asleep, Cody is a seemingly normal boy who adapts well to his new parents, and they to him. Jessie and Mark assume his erratic and volatile past is the reason for his anxiety about sleeping, and they’re prepared to deal with it as any good parents would. All is harmonious until it’s not…Cody’s new parents soon discover he has the uncanny ability to manifest his dreams and turn them into reality. Cody is a victim of his nightmares that are filled with evil he can’t escape.

“In one moment they experience the incredible wonder of Cody’s imagination, and in the next, the horrific nature of his night terrors,” said the film’s official synopsis. The couple’s comfortable, peaceful world is rocked when Cody’s night terrors come to life and terrify them, causing the family to launch their quest to expose the truth behind them.

No stranger to the horror genre, Director Mike Flanagan earned kudos for “Oculus,” a 2005 short film that eventually inspired a feature in 2013. Prior to that, he also drew praise for scary flick “Absentia.” Connoisseurs of the horror genre expect Flanagan’s latest won’t disappoint, despite its PG-13 rating. Originally scheduled for a May 2015 release, “Before I Wake” was taken off the schedule thanks to the bankruptcy filing of its distributor, Relativity Media. The company’s new, post-bankruptcy schedule allows for the film’s April 8 release.

This is Bosworth’s first spin in the horror genre; meanwhile, Jane took a scary turn in 2016’s “The Veil” as well as many thrillers. Annabeth Gish and Scottie Thompson also star.

“Before I Wake“ is slated for national release Sept. 2.