Dead Awake(2016)
2016 · Phillip Guzman · 99 min
Kate Bowman (Jocelin Donahue) is an average social worker who, after the sudden death of her twin sister, is investigating the mysterious deaths of other people who died in their sleep. Shortly before their deaths, the victims all reported a supernatural force that appeared to them while they were suffering from sleep paralysis. When Kate investigates further into the case, she opens herself up to the creature's wrath and soon finds herself and her family suffering from an ancient evil.
Horror · Thriller
5.2161 votes
TMDB score
2/5
Intensity
1/5
Gore
1/5
Stays with you
How Dead Awake scares
There's a heavy, sluggish dread to it, built around the fear of closing your eyes and not being in control of what happens next. The pacing leans on jump scares and sudden shocks rather than a slow simmer, with the sleep paralysis premise used mostly to set up quick frights. Blood and gore are kept light, and the threat is a spooky, otherworldly creature rather than anything human. It plays more like a forgettable rental than something that will really stick with you, decent for a casual scare with low expectations.
On The Horror Database's 0–5 scare profile, Dead Awake rates psychological 3/5, visceral 2/5, gore 1/5, lingering effect 1/5, and overall intensity 2/5.
- Psychological: 3 of 5
- Visceral: 2 of 5
- Gore: 1 of 5
- Lingering: 1 of 5
- Intensity: 2 of 5
Slow burn vs Jump scares: 70 of 100 — leans Jump scares
Supernatural vs Real-world: 10 of 100 — leans Supernatural
Fun-scary vs Disturbing: 40 of 100 — leans Fun-scary
Intensity over runtime
Shape only — no eventsReveal pacing shapeHide pacing shapeHidden by default — shows where the tension peaks and lets up.
A slow-building creeper that eases in with dread, then leans into sharper scares as it edges toward a tense, chaotic finish before a quick wind-down.
Intensity across the runtime, 0 to 100: 1, 1, 2, 2, 3, 2, 3, 3, 4, 4, 5, 3.
How scary is Dead Awake?
On The Horror Database's 0–5 intensity scale, Dead Awake rates 2/5 — moderately scary, delivering its fear through jump scares more than lingering dread. It works on both fronts, unsettling the mind while going for the body. Expect it to be restrained with gore and fun-first. The dread fades once the credits roll.
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