You are here:

Don't Fall Asleep

Name: Don't Fall Asleep
Director: Brent Roske
Released: 2010
Duration: 72 min

Representation Score

3.5/10

Limited

2010

TV-MA

Director

Brent Roske

Runtime

72 minutes

Average Rating

No ratings yet

New Showbiz Analysis

Don't Fall Asleep is a conventional psychological horror film that prioritizes genre clichés over social critique. While it touches on non-straight history and psychological instability, these elements function as plot devices to fuel suspense rather than as meaningful explorations of identity. The film largely reinforces traditional cinematic norms. It utilizes the 'unreliable female protagonist' cliché and treats neurological conditions as sources of terror, limiting its depth regarding disability and gender representation. Ultimately, the production lacks the intentionality needed to disrupt social hierarchies. It remains a localized, homogeneous story that avoids broader perspectives on diversity.

Watch this, not that →

Category Breakdown

Does Don't Fall Asleep have LGBTQ+ representation?

Limited

A historical subplot involves a woman killing her husband and his lover, introducing a non-straight relationship. However, this element mainly serves as a catalyst for jealousy rather than providing nuanced character development.

How does Don't Fall Asleep portray gender?

Fair

The film focuses on a female protagonist's psychological fragmentation and instability. It relies on the 'hysterical woman' cliché, which may reinforce traditional anxieties about female mental autonomy and control.

How racially and ethnically diverse is Don't Fall Asleep?

Minimal

The cast lacks significant racial or ethnic diversity. The setting is a domestic, homogeneous environment without evidence of multicultural casting or non-white protagonists.

How does Don't Fall Asleep represent religion and culture?

Limited

The narrative adheres to conventional Western horror structures, focusing on localized folklore and individual trauma. It avoids broader critiques of systemic institutions or moral relativism.

Does Don't Fall Asleep include disability representation?

Limited

The protagonist's sleepwalking and dissociative symptoms drive the plot. These neurological conditions are framed through a lens of horror and suspense, rather than nuanced representation.

Present on Screen

Includes a historical subplot involving a non-straight relationship.
Centers the narrative on a female protagonist's psychological journey.

Limited or Absent

Avoid using psychological or neurological conditions as mere tools for horror.
Incorporate more racial and ethnic diversity within the cast and setting.
Move beyond the 'hysterical woman' cliché to provide more female control over the story.
Develop LGBTQ+ characters with more nuance beyond being plot catalysts.

Official Synopsis

Janice and Sam have moved into their first house. Neighbors tell them stories about Isabelle, a former owner, who flew into a jealous rage and killed her husband and his lover in the house. Now, 50 years later, Janice has started sleep-walking and having visions of a wild German woman and blood, lots of blood. Janice can't remember what she does when she sleepwalks. Is she responsible for new murders in the area? What other secrets does the house hold?

How are these scores produced? →