Directed by Mick (CRITTERS 2) Garris, written by Stephen King, starring Brian (BEYOND LOCH NESS) Krause, Mädchen (THE BORROWER) Amick, Alice (STAR TREK: FIRST CONTACT) Krige, Jim Haynie, Cindy Pickett, Mark (STAR WARS) Hamill and Ron (HELLBOY) Perlman.
Also known as STEPHEN KING’S SLEEPWALKERS, this is a fun, cheesy tale about a mother & son who are the last of their kind: a shapeshifting species originating in ancient Egypt that feed on the life energy of virgins and, for some reason, are afraid of (and can be killed by) pet cats!
At the beginning of the film we see Charles Brady, the Sleepwalker son, start a new school, where he is charming and friendly, so that nobody guesses he’s actually a werecreature who has regular sex with his mom!
The premise is interesting, but some stuff isn’t explained: why can Charles take the life force from victims but his mother can’t? How on earth can Charles make himself and his car invisible? Why does the previously charming & subtle Charles suddenly become a wise-cracking, campy, cartoony villain halfway through the film?
But there’s definitely stuff to enjoy: the full-body werecat creature suits, the goofy early 90s ‘morphing’ special effects, the moments of blood-squirting fun, and the cameos from Clive Barker, Stephen King, Joe Dante, Tobe Hooper and John Landis.
Supposedly Stephen King’s wife Tabitha wrote a treatment for a SLEEPWALKERS sequel, which would have featured a women’s basketball team, but the project never progressed beyond treatment stage.
If you are happy watching a movie featuring a cheese-tastic, not-too-deep tale of incestuous werecat beings seeking out virgins in modern America… you won’t be disappointed.
Here are some posters…
Some lobby cards…
A publicity shot…
One more look at those old school morphing effects…
Monster Zone 