A conventional found footage horror movie gets a creepy Lovecraftian twist in Dream Eater. Co-written and co-directed by Jay Drakulic, Mallory Drumm, and Alex Lee Williams and starring Williams and Drumm, the familiar Paranormal Activity-like setup takes a while to find its footing, but ultimately brings enough chills just in time for Halloween.
Dream Eater follows a couple, Alex and Mallory, as they embark on a weekend trip to an isolated cabin mid-winter to help Alex recover from a horrific accident caused by his bizarre parasomnia and further document his ongoing sleep issues. Instead of recovery, though, the new terrain only seems to exacerbate his disturbing nightly terrors, causing Mallory to suspect something more nefarious at play.
There’s a methodical layering of mythology in Dream Eater‘s first half, one that will ultimately pay off but nearly gets overcrowded by the standard pitfalls of the found footage format, namely in establishing rootworthy characters and plausible stakes. Alex and Mallory get introduced already after Alex’s parasomnia issues have caused physical harm, prompting documentarian Mallory to perpetually wield a camera to chronicle her boyfriend’s unraveling.
That means that, like Paranormal Activity‘s Micah and Katie, the couple is prone to constant friction and bickering that leaves them stuck in place until the horror begins in earnest. Mallory, the calm but way too supportive girlfriend, works hard to find the root cause of Alex’s parasomnia, but Alex proves too prickly and combative a character to fully invest in his plight. To be fair, Alex is rapidly succumbing to eerie disturbances from the outset, but we never really get a sense of who this couple was before their nightmare began to fully buy into Mallory’s unwavering loyalty.
Luckily, Williams is much more adept at instilling terror than sympathy. Dream Eater shines brightest when night falls and supernatural machinations drive Alex to terrorize his girlfriend in chilling ways. The directing trio makes excellent use of the cozy cabin setting to maximize creative scares, and Williams nails Alex’s unhinged and unfocused boogeyman tendencies.
Even better is that Drakulic, Drumm, and Williams save the best for last, with a third-act climax that delivers a string of potent scares and strong imagery that sticks with you. The mythology takes proper shape, revealing fascinating Lovecraftian lore tied to Alex’s issues, without ever getting too complicated or heavy-handed with it.
Dream Eater plays by the found footage rules, for better and worse. Characterization and setup are hampered by the format’s limitations, and, while catchy, the non-diegetic score adds a bit too much polish to the proceedings. It also doesn’t help that we’re trapped with another dysfunctional couple who bicker over filming, though the directing trio at least find smart ways to incorporate the camera. That entails some eerie night vision POV shots that bring atmospheric menace.
Ultimately, though, Dream Eater more than meets its goal, which is to unsettle and terrify. The back half offers nightmare fuel over a series of nightly freakouts, handled with clever staging and technical work. What it lacks in originality, Dream Eater makes up for in eerie style and intriguing mythos. Turn the lights down low for this familiar but suitably creepy found footage frightfest.
Dream Eater releases in theaters on October 24, 2025.
