Real Life is the Nightmare in Shudder’s Latest Acquisition: Sleep Horror Parasomnia (OVERLOOK)

Title: Parasomnia

First Non-Festival Release: TBD

Director: James Ross II

Writer: James Ross II

Runtime: 85 Minutes

Starring: Jasine Mathews, RJ Brown, Sally Stewart

Where to Watch: Check out where to find it here

This film’s review was written after its screening at the Overlook Film Festival in 2026.

They say we’ll spend one third of our lives sleeping, assuming you get the recommended eight hours a night. For many, sleep is an arduous experience. Insomnia, sleep apnea, sleep paralysis are all brutal conditions that can take a toll on the body. Night terrors are a specific type of phenomena brought on by a variety of factors making these dreams far scarier than a standard nightmare.

After years of suffering debilitating night terrors that mysteriously align with tragic events in her personal life, Riley (Jasmine Mathews) has crafted her sleep schedule to minimize intrusions. Almost a ritual in of itself, she refuses to rest until everyone else has fallen asleep. When a surprise birthday visit coordinated by her boyfriend Cam (RJ Brown) brings someone from her past back into her life, it sets off a terrifying chain of events that are linked to her night terrors and the various deaths that always seem to follow her.

A familiar sojourn into the horrors of sleep, Parasomnia is a capable indie supernatural horror film with a few neat ideas.

Kickstarting the horror quickly, Parasomnia gets most of the necessary backstory out of the way before forcing Riley to confront her fears and trauma head on. From there, Parasomnia follows Riley and Cam and how their stories intertwine as she faces off against the monster battling for her soul. It takes on a decidedly southern gothic edge the closer it nears to its finale, letting the sulking willows and harsh sunlight add as much to the atmosphere as its dark descent into the deepest parts of Riley’s mind.

Both tragic and empowering, the character of Riley reflects the ways Black women are used as cannon fodder for other people’s benefit. Relegated to a vessel rather than human, Riley’s worth in the eyes of others is how she can deliver for them. Despite suffering debilitating night terrors and intentionally isolating herself to keep others safe, little consideration is given to Riley throughout Parasomnia, even though she is the one most threatened by the entity.

A central plot point is Riley’s tears. Steadfast in her refusal not to show a pointless emotion, like sadness or grief, Riley bottles up her emotions. Trained from a lifetime of great personal tragedy, her sadness is sought after like a precious metal. It’s when Riley gains the necessary knowledge from understanding her life that she is able to fight back and stand up for herself in the face of evil, regaining the power she rightfully deserves. Black women, like Riley, shouldn’t have to shoulder such burdens. Riley serves as a powerful reminder of the complexity and humanity of Black women, regardless of who intentionally forgets.

Parasomnia’s approach to horror is familiar in its bump-in-night supernatural threats but is largely fine. The demon is appropriately unsettling, despite some occasional silly makeup usage, and the tension slowly builds over time. Startling imagery lines the hallways of the endless maze in Riley’s mind while the humans that surround her during the day signal a different kind of danger. It’s a delicate dynamic that works off and on throughout the narrative but adds to the complicated relationships of a deeply traumatized woman whose humanity is often disregarded.

What sets Parasomnia apart from the crowd is its dream sequences, produced in a low-fi, almost found footage presentation. When Riley is sent to the bowels of her inner mind to contend with the Seer’s demonic claim on her soul, she is thrust directly into his terrifying world. Dark, grainy, and with flashes of bright red flickering lights, this nightmare realm is equal parts haunting and visceral in the ways it continues torturing the Seer’s victims. Used sparingly, these moments account for much of the film’s atmosphere and scares, especially when it gets more complicated in its third act.

A solid directorial debut and a unique slice of Black horror, Parasomnia holds multiple interesting intersections in telling its demonic tale of sleep terror. Good performances, an intentionally disjointed narrative structure, and creepy visuals bring the horror to life. It might be a familiar story, but James Ross II takes care to add just enough flair to the story to make this nightmare worth visiting.

Overall Score? 6/10