In My Sleep

NOW ON PRIME! A man is forced to investigate a murder he may have committed in Allen Wolf’s feature, In My Sleep (updated 2024 director’s cut of the 2010 film). Marcus (Philip Winchester) is a player. It doesn’t help that he’s good-looking and a ladies’ man, but his playboy lifestyle is slowly spiraling out of control forcing him to attend sex addiction meetings. If that wasn’t bad enough, Marcus suffers from a severe case of sleepwalking and often wakes up with a strange woman lying next to him and with no memory of ever meeting the woman.

One night, the unthinkable happens when Marcus wakes up next to Ann (Kelly Overton), the wife of his best friend Justin (Tim Draxl). Marcus has no memory of the events leading up to the encounter. The two promise never to speak of it again, but things get complicated when Ann goes missing after Marcus’ birthday party, and he wakes up the next day with a bloody knife and the cops knocking at his door.

Made in 2010 and now remastered, In My Sleep harkens back to the straightforward psychological thrillers from the 90s. Though the production values are nothing to write home about, what’s cool is that the movie stars a gaggle of now-known television and movie stars. Fans of Law & Order will recognize lead Philip Winchester. ER‘s Amy Aquino stars as Detective Curwin. Tony Hale plays a goofy co-worker. Then there’s Abigail Spencer as Marcus’ unwitting date, and Lacey Chabert as his neighbor, Becky.

“Marcus is forced to find the murderer, even if he is the actual killer.”

My only criticism of the film is that the orchestral soundtrack is too much. It overwhelms the drama and draws attention to itself. At the same time, I liked the little lesson we got about sleepwalking and sex addiction. Whether true or not, it plays right into the drama.

With stars in place, In My Sleep tells an intriguing tale of a man who can’t believe he committed a murder and several physical assaults while he was sleepwalking. The film presents an interesting dynamic. Marcus is forced to find the murderer, even if he is the actual killer. He can only evade Detective Curwen for so long because, as innocent as he thinks he is, Marcus sure looks guilty.

I had a lot of fun with this indie thriller, In My Sleep. Sure, I figured out who did it around the second act, but that’s the fun, as Wolf’s tale throws in a few red herrings here and there to keep us engaged. The 2024 cut is a new edit with new color grading, additional footage, and more. This is the kind of film my wife and I would pull up on the television to watch on a Friday night. In My Sleep is absolutely worth checking out.