By Melissa Antoinette Garza
After the untimely death of their eldest daughter Jennifer (Kristin Cumming), Laura (Valerie Harper) and Phillip (Dennis Weaver) start new by moving into a different house with their two other children and Valerie’s mother Bernice (Ruth Gordon). The family attempts to move on and overcome their grief which is difficult because nearly everyone blames themselves. Less than a year before, at a Christmas party held by Bernice, Phillip drinks too much. He tries to leave on several occasions, but Laura encourages him to stay longer. Bernice keeps providing him liquor. By the time they actually leave Phillip is a little more than tipsy and he gets into a car accident. Everyone manages to escape except Jennifer who dies as the car explodes.
Soon, strange things begin to occur within the new house. First, their daughter Mary’s (Robin Ignico) bed catches on fire while she’s in it. Phillip runs to her rescue and finds a lamp frayed plug is to blame. A few nights later, Mary crawls underneath her bed out of fear only to find her dead sister smiling. She screams and her parents come rushing in. She tells them the truth but they don’t believe her. They think she was just dreaming and encourage her to go back to sleep.
The next day, Jennifer appears again. She explains to Mary that no one else truly loves or misses her. Mary tries to defend the family, but becomes so happy to see her sister she is quickly won over. The play for awhile but quickly the motives of the ghost become sinister. Jennifer insists that Mary kill Bernice. When she complies the target then becomes their brother Kevin (Oliver Robins). Mary does whatever Jennifer asks. Her parents realize that something isn’t right and insist she seeks the help of a psychiatrist. Jennifer tells Mary what to say beforehand. Once again, Mary does as she is told and when Dr. Cole (Robert Webber) asks about Jennifer, Mary quickly states that she knows her sister is dead.
DON’T GO TO SLEEP is one of the best made-for-TV films ever made. As a child it was my favorite movie, and as an adult I still hold it in the highest esteem. First let’s begin with the casting. Ruth Gordon who shines in absolutely everything she is in, once again perfects her role. Bernice is a grandmother who has lost her favorite grandchild, and Gordon expresses both the soft side that she felt for Jennifer and harder side she showed everyone else, wonderfully. Gordon was one of the most versatile actresses that ever graced the screen. Whether it be “Harold and Maude,” ROSEMARY’S BABY (1968) or DON’T GO TO SLEEP Gordon steals every scene she is in and DON’T GO TO SLEEP was a greater movie for having cast her.
That said, Valerie Harper and Dennis Weaver did marvelous in their roles as the grieving parents who continuously have their lives torn apart. In one of the greatest scenes in the film, Phillip keeps downing liquor as he attempts to feed his son’s lizard. He’s angry with the world and blames himself for the deaths that surround him. Laura finds him and instead of falling into the role of supporting wife, instead has a breakdown that is so realistic that it demands sympathy from the audience. Laura calls Phillip under the rug for putting the weight of the world on her shoulders even though she was just as in mourning as him. This is what movies are supposed to be about! Each character pulls you in and makes you believe in what you are watching. This is the difference between casting actors and the models that continue to be placed in movies nowadays. Harper and Weaver illicit real emotion from their audiences.
Robert Webber as Dr. Cole was another magnificent choice. Webber who played Juror #12 in arguably the greatest movie of all time, 12 ANGRY MEN (1957) captivates in the few scenes that he is in.
Another notable mention is that the children were cast extremely well. Many times, kids can hinder a production. They can be annoying or the acting may be unbelievable. Here however that is not the case. All three children did wonderfully. Oliver Robins is better known as Robbie Freeling in POLTERGEIST (1982) which came out the same year. Robins brings the same level of genuineness to Kevin.
The plot of the production is as good as the cast within it. There are moments that will send chills down the spine of those that have seen it all. “Don’t Go to Sleep” is a timeless classic and one that should be seen by every horror fan.
Scared Stiff Rating: 8/10