Movie spotlight
Sleepstalker
Seventeen years after slaughtering all but one member of a family, a vicious serial killer known only as "The Sandman" awaits execution. But first, his jailers allow a minister to visit the killer to give him last rites, unaware that the minister is a voodoo priest and an ally of the condemned prisoner. The priest places a hex on the Sandman so that when he is executed, his soul migrates into a new body made of sand. To sever his ties with his former life and achieve absolute power, the sandman must find and kill a man named Griffin, the sole survivor of the last family murdered by the killer
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Plot Summary
A detective is haunted by the ghost of a serial killer he apprehended, who continues to commit murders from beyond the grave. The killer's spirit manipulates a psychotic former cellmate to carry out his bloody deeds, forcing the detective to confront his own demons and the killer's spectral influence.
Critical Reception
Sleepstalker was met with largely negative reviews from critics, who often cited its derivative plot, uneven pacing, and reliance on gore over substance. Audience reception was similarly lukewarm, with many finding it to be a forgettable entry in the horror genre of the mid-90s.
What Reviewers Say
Relies heavily on supernatural horror tropes without much originality.
The performances are often seen as uninspired, with little character development.
Despite a promising premise, the execution is widely considered flawed and unengaging.
Google audience: Information regarding specific Google user reviews and their sentiment is not readily available for this film.
Fun Fact
While T.J. Scott is known for his extensive work in music videos and television directing, Sleepstalker remains one of his few feature film directorial efforts.
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