Sleepwalkers (1992)
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A mother and son who are nomadic shapeshifting energy vampires must hunt for human life force in a small Indiana town.
The story
Charles and Mary Brady are nomadic shapeshifting energy vampires who feed on the lifeforce of virgin women. They have recently fled California and settled in Travis, a small Indiana town. Charles attends the local high school, where he feigns romantic interest in a girl named Tanya Robertson to secure a food source for himself and his starving mother. However, their predatory existence is threatened by their natural enemies: domestic cats. As Charles attempts to lure Tanya, he must navigate the suspicions of a local teacher and the constant threat of the feline predators that can see through their illusions.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Charles and Mary Brady are 'Sleepwalkers,' nomadic shapeshifting energy vampires who can transform into bipedal werecats. They feed on the lifeforce of virgin women and possess powers of telekinesis and illusion. After fleeing California, they settle in Travis, Indiana. Charles joins the local high school and targets Tanya Robertson. After Charles kills a suspicious teacher who attempted to blackmail him, he takes Tanya to a cemetery for a date. During the encounter, Tanya fights back, and a deputy sheriff is killed. The deputy's cat, Clovis, attacks Charles, leaving him mortally wounded. Mary uses her powers to make them 'dim' to evade the police. Desperate to save her son, Mary attacks the Robertson household, kills several officers, and kidnaps Tanya. Mary revives Charles, but during a final attempt to feed, Tanya stabs Charles in the eyes, killing him. Tanya escapes with the help of Sheriff Ira Stevens, whom Mary later impales. Finally, a pack of cats led by Clovis attacks the house, burning Mary to death as she dies crying out for her son.
- Original title
- Stephen King's Sleepwalkers
- First release year
- 1992
- Runtime (minutes)
- 89
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Mick Garris
- Writers
- Stephen King · writer
- Cast and characters
- Brian Krause · Charles Brady; Mädchen Amick · Tanya Robertson; Alice Krige · Mary Brady
- Genres
- horror; fantasy; science fiction
- Themes
- mother-son relationship; incest; predation
- Tone and mood
- grim; sensual; campy
- Premise and plot tags
- vampire; shapeshifting; telekinesis; invisibility
- Content notes
- violence; sexuality
- Reception
- The film received generally unfavorable reviews, described by Variety as an 'idiotic horror potboiler' and criticized for being 'absurdly unscary and confusingly dull' by some critics, though it was a commercial success.
- Production trivia
- It was the first time Stephen King wrote a screenplay intended for the screen first.; The film was shot in Franklin Canyon Park in Los Angeles, California.; The film had to be submitted five times before the MPAA would award an R-rating.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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