Movie: "Sleepwalkers"
Year: 1992
Rated: R
Genre: Horror
Directed by: Mick Garris
Writing credits: Stephen King

Reviewer: -RoG-
Posted: 10/26/2009

Plot: Mary and Charles Brady, a mother and son who happen to be shapeshifters, move into town and crave the life energy of young women.

Review: Despite the title, Sleepwalkers really has nothing to do with that subject, and instead focuses on a mother and son pair of shapeshifters (who want to suck the life right out of a girl named Tanya (played by Mädchen Amick, who many of you probably remember from one of my all-time favorite shows, Twin Peaks). You see, the mother and son need this life force to stay young and healthy, so despite being hideous monsters, they have to shift into human forms and charm Tanya. But there's more to the movie than just a mother and son chasing after the energy of a young girl. There's also cats.

Yes, I said cats. For whatever reason, cats hate these two, and they constantly hang around their home. The mother, who I might add is the most memorable cast member and carries most of the movie on her shoulders (played by the amazing Alice Krige), is constantly setting traps in the yard to try and kill the cats that won't leave her alone. Despite that she and her son are big monsters, cats are their weakness. Cats can scratch and even kill them.

Cats are also the only creatures that can see these two sleepwalkers when they go "dim". You see, in addition to shapeshifting, they can actually render themselves invisible to the rest of the world. Only problem is, this requires a lot of energy, hence the reason they need the life force of young Tanya. In all honesty, they have more than enough chances to take Tanya in the film, so these Shapeshifters aren't all that bright if you ask me. I mean, all they'd need to do is take her and then go dim and nobody would know what the hell happened.

If you're into cameos, this movie has plenty of 'em too. Stephen King (who wrote the story), John Landis, Joe Dante, Clive Barker, Tobe Hooper, and even Mark Hamill are all in the film with quick cameos. You'll also see Ron Perlman in one of his earlier roles as a cocky police officer.

Oh, did I mention there's a creepy incestuous thing going on with Charles and his mom? Yep, there's that too.

It's a fairly ridiculous movies with cats, car chases, monsters, more cats, incest, Glenn Shadix (Otho from Beetlejuice) getting his hand ripped off, Alice Krige going on a cop-killing rampage, a police cat named Clovis, and even more cats. If you can take a step back from how absurd it all sounds and just enjoy it as a campy horror flick with elements of comedy, I think you'll have a good time with it. Also, did I mention the movie involves cats? Yeah, it also helps if you like cats.

Overall rating:
(Scored on a 0.5 - 5 pickles rating: 0.5 being the worst and 5 being the best)