The Curse of Sleeping Beauty
Is the girl of your dreams the answer when your life becomes a living nightmare? The Curse of Sleeping Beauty is a fantasy horror film about reclusive shut-in artist, Thomas Kaiser (Ethan Peck), who has reoccurring dreams of a beautiful princess named Briar Rose (India Eisley). Thomas inherits a creepy estate from his long-lost uncle Clive, and moves in with the intent of selling it, but soon after discovers that he is affected by a blood curse that prevents him from leaving the haunted house for any significant length of time. With the aid of an inquisitive realtor named Linda (Natalie Hall), Thomas tries to free himself of his burden while saving Briar Rose from her eternal slumber.
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The Curse of Sleeping Beauty takes the basic premise of the fable of "Little Briar Rose" (a.k.a. "Sleeping Beauty") by the Brothers Grimm and transplants it into modern times. Thomas envisions himself in the role of "Prince Charming", longing to end his despair over the death of his fiancée to cancel three years prior. He visits psychologists, who claim that he using his fantasy of an ethereal, undying princess who can only be "saved" by his love as a way to avoid looking for love elsewhere. The thought of Briar Rose preys on his broken heart, appearing before Thomas and leading him into peril by charging him alone with her salvation. The ornately decorated maiden appears ominously surrounded by monolithic sentinels or cradled in a nest deep within a swamp, under the bleached bough of a tree. Despite Thomas's grief, he is not delusional; it isn't until he uncovers his uncle's secret journal--passed down through his accursed bloodline--that he becomes convinced that he must rescue the literal girl of his dreams. But Thomas's perspective on reality has become warped through a combination of influences, including his sorrow and his curse. He spends all of his time within his dim apartment even before he moves to Kaiser Gardens, painting images of sleeping girls, and having his groceries brought to him by a friend. This "Prince Charming" suffers disturbing dreams which only worsen when he moves away--dreams of a monstrous demon creeping into his bedroom, and drooling blood over him. Thomas has a sleepy quality to him, muttering as though he were always on the verge of narcolepsy. Unlike the stereotypical dashing prince, Thomas is fairly introverted, and even fumbles a romantic moment with Linda when the opportunity arises, willing to remain faithful to a girl who may not even exist rather than accept Linda's advances. His late uncle advises him through a letter of the legacy awaiting him, which he describes as a "curse and a blessing", although whatever that blessing may be is unclear. Kaiser Gardens has cultivated a legend of infamy; dozens of people have gone missing in and around the property. Linda's brother is one of these, which motivated her into becoming a secret authority on the place, hoping to infiltrate the house and get justice for her brother, who is presumed dead.
The Curse of Sleeping Beauty feels like a creepy hodge-podge of the story of Briar Rose with elements from various other myths peppered throughout. Thomas and Linda discover that Kaiser Gardens is actually haunted after finding a secret vault in the basement, and are subsequently set upon by a squadron of unruly mannequins--the house is lousy with them. When Thomas is introduced to Linda's occult ally, Richard (Bruce Davison), he informs them that the house is host to "djinn", supernatural entities that have free will, and are surrogates for the shadowy demons lurking in the dark recesses of his new home. And after Linda introduces them to her arrogant, code-breaking would-be boyfriend, Daniel (James Adam Lim), his translation of the Kaiser journal suggests that Thomas's ancestor made some terrible bargain with a demon called "Iblis"--interchangeably described as "Azazel" or "Satan". The journal is emblazoned with the image of a sewing machine, which is used by a horned hag with flayed skin called "The Veiled Demon"; she is the primary force that controls Kaiser Gardens, and slays any who would encroach into her domain. The Curse of Sleeping Beauty combines these disparate myths as though it were introducing a world in which the fantastic is as real as our own--mythologies blur together and interweave over the millennia, similar to popular fantasy shows like "Once Upon a Time". The film also borrows from other contemporary horror films; the opening credits bear a strong resemblance to David Fincher's Se7en, while the house that conceals unsettling secrets hinting at a covenant with the devil--as well as The Veiled Demon--recalls Clive Barker's Hellraiser. Although the film features fantasy characters that have been popularized by Disney animation, The Curse of Sleeping Beauty is a horror film, with copious jump-out moments, and booming sounds meant to rattle the audience at regular intervals.
Recommended for: Fans of a film that dresses up "Grimm's Fairy Tales" with creepy horror movie tropes. Characters are painted with broad strokes and their behavior is often just to move the story along. Yet the combination of unsettling monsters, dark hallways, and familiar horror movie pacing and sensibility makes The Curse of Sleeping Beauty fit comfortably into the niche of campy, midnight movie fare, entertaining without any substantial investment.
The Curse of Sleeping Beauty feels like a creepy hodge-podge of the story of Briar Rose with elements from various other myths peppered throughout. Thomas and Linda discover that Kaiser Gardens is actually haunted after finding a secret vault in the basement, and are subsequently set upon by a squadron of unruly mannequins--the house is lousy with them. When Thomas is introduced to Linda's occult ally, Richard (Bruce Davison), he informs them that the house is host to "djinn", supernatural entities that have free will, and are surrogates for the shadowy demons lurking in the dark recesses of his new home. And after Linda introduces them to her arrogant, code-breaking would-be boyfriend, Daniel (James Adam Lim), his translation of the Kaiser journal suggests that Thomas's ancestor made some terrible bargain with a demon called "Iblis"--interchangeably described as "Azazel" or "Satan". The journal is emblazoned with the image of a sewing machine, which is used by a horned hag with flayed skin called "The Veiled Demon"; she is the primary force that controls Kaiser Gardens, and slays any who would encroach into her domain. The Curse of Sleeping Beauty combines these disparate myths as though it were introducing a world in which the fantastic is as real as our own--mythologies blur together and interweave over the millennia, similar to popular fantasy shows like "Once Upon a Time". The film also borrows from other contemporary horror films; the opening credits bear a strong resemblance to David Fincher's Se7en, while the house that conceals unsettling secrets hinting at a covenant with the devil--as well as The Veiled Demon--recalls Clive Barker's Hellraiser. Although the film features fantasy characters that have been popularized by Disney animation, The Curse of Sleeping Beauty is a horror film, with copious jump-out moments, and booming sounds meant to rattle the audience at regular intervals.
Recommended for: Fans of a film that dresses up "Grimm's Fairy Tales" with creepy horror movie tropes. Characters are painted with broad strokes and their behavior is often just to move the story along. Yet the combination of unsettling monsters, dark hallways, and familiar horror movie pacing and sensibility makes The Curse of Sleeping Beauty fit comfortably into the niche of campy, midnight movie fare, entertaining without any substantial investment.