Rodney Ascher’s sleep paralysis doc The Nightmare gets a release date

Last Updated on July 22, 2021

Rodney Ascher’s follow-up to ROOM 237 is the sleep paralysis documentary THE NIGHTMARE, which made its world premiere in February at the Sundance Film Festival (read our review HERE). Ascher’s film uses cinematic recreations to get the audience into the heads of everyday people suffering from sleep paralysis, a condition in which they regain consciousness but are unable to move or cry out for help. Gravitas Ventures just acquired the creepy flick and has planned a June 5th VOD/theatrical release for it.

THE NIGHTMARE’S subjects hail from different backgrounds and walks of life, but share eerily similar visions of malevolent, near-human beings that grow increasingly aggressive the longer the sleep paralysis recurs. Are these just random hallucinations or something more? Rational explanations get challenged by the similarities of the “shadow people” multiple subjects describe looming over them. Ascher, who has first hand knowledge of sleep paralysis, brings the full intensity of this experience to the screen while maintaining empathy and respect for his subjects. As the film unfolds, distinctions between the documentary and horror genres fade as do easy lines between reality and the imagination.

THE NIGHTMARE will also be screening this weekend at SXSW.