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Film: Unspeakable: Beyond The Wall of Sleep
Year: 2024
Director: Chad Ferrin
Writer: Chad Ferrin
Starring: Edward Furlong, Susan Priver and Robert Miano
Review:
This is a film that I got the chance to see thanks to Lauren from Breaking Glass Pictures. She sent over the press release of the films that were available from writer/director Chad Ferrin that were picked up. Now I was on the Dreadcast when Ferrin joined. Hearing his approach to filmmaking was interesting and made me curious to check out his work. Since I was able to get a screener copy for this, I decided to check it out as a Foray through the Fours.
Synopsis: renowned oneirologist Ambrose London (Edward Furlong) is requested to appear at Arkham Asylum to study the strange case of dissociative identity disorder in patient James Fhelleps/Joe Slater (Robert Miano).
The events began back in 1998. It is a prison where James Fhelleps is brought. The inmates are excited, including his new roommate. He asks if James likes Shakespeare. The response is odd. Things get weird when the roommate expects fellatio. James seems to agree but in reality, he bites off the member. He then attacks the other man. The guards come in to break it up when James raises his hands over his head. A bright light is there and it freaks everyone out.
Things then shift 25 years into the present. Ambrose is asked to come to this asylum by Dr. Barnard (Susan Priver). She was asked to take over this project by her predecessor, Dr. Willet (Steve Railsback). He was treating James, who had been kept and studied here for a long time. The information provided to Ambrose is odd. He at first thinks that James has dissociative identity disorder. Dr. Barnard points out that it appears he has two different people in the same body, as the DNA changes when there’s a shift. There is no documented case of this.
Oneirologist Ambrose was recruited by Dr. Willet to assist James using his dream-recording invention. Although the technology is imperfect, it provides visual insight into the patient's subconscious. The case is complicated by James's alternate personality, Joe, a violent offender. James was institutionalized following horrific nightmares regarding his family, whose survival he refused to acknowledge even during legal proceedings.
There is something that is going on here. Neville (Jerry Irons) is left with James and we see the true form within him. It is a monster and it attacks the orderly. He then is brainwashed, helping infect the other patients that are here. Ambrose is also having nightmares involving James. He wants to help, but it might be too late as this infection continues to spread.
That is where I’ll leave my recap and introduction to the characters. Where I want to start is by bringing up the subtitle here, Beyond the Wall of Sleep, is a H.P. Lovecraft story. I read this a few years ago, but it has been a while. I did read through a cliff note on it and it appears that the through story is what was used. Ferrin then expanded out elements for what we got here. I do tend to think that makes for a stronger film, when using the bones of a good story.
The cosmic horror elements are the main draw. Dream flashbacks echo Lovecraft's "The Color Out of Space" to explain James's condition. The film also draws inspiration from John Carpenter’s In the Mouth of Madness and David Cronenberg's Rabid. I enjoyed this unique zombie variation where minds are overtaken, and the Arkham Asylum setting is a great nod to the source material.
Something else to credit is what Ambrose is known for. Dreams are something that even to this day we don’t fully understand. I did like that in the tale; Lovecraft was exploring pseudo-science. He also loved playing with the idea that there’s a different dimension on just the other side of ours. There are elements of that here as well. Something to say is that I thought Furlong was solid in his role. I’m glad to see that he’s gotten clean, or that’s what it seems from what I saw.
Key themes include cosmic nihilism and fragmented identity, reflecting our insignificance while exploring mental erosion through possession. This corruption begins with Jeff and Joe before spreading. The film also highlights the hubris of science, as Ambrose meddles with forbidden knowledge to help Jeff. Ultimately, I appreciate how Ferrin ramps up body horror to expand on these reserved concepts.
Where I’ll then go would be the acting performances. This is a lower budget film, so no one was outstanding. I do think that Furlong was good in our lead role. He shows good fear, as well as determination in helping James. Priver is solid as the doctor who starts everyone down this path. I did like Miano in his odd role. He gets to play the same character, slightly different and that worked. Other than that, cameos by Ginger Lynn, Lew Temple and Bai Ling. I do think that the acting is fine for a film like this so credit there.
The filmmaking is generally effective for its budget. Fine cinematography and framing capture the asylum's claustrophobic atmosphere. The dream sequences are necessary given the subject matter, successfully blurring the lines of reality. Practical effects work well, though the CGI is less impressive. While the soundtrack is adequate, the film's pacing plods in the middle, despite a strong beginning and end.
In conclusion, this successfully utilizes the bones of Lovecraft's original story to explore profound themes of fragmented identity, cosmic nihilism, and the hubris of science. While this low-budget production features effective cinematography, a claustrophobic Arkham Asylum setting, and impressive practical effects, it is somewhat hampered by uneven pacing and less-than-stellar CGI.
My Rating: 5.5 out of 10