DVD Corner

Sleep Tight Blu-ray Review

“Sleep Tight” is a creepy, underrated horror-thriller.

The plot: A depressed, mentally disturbed, and sadistic apartment concierge (César) makes it his mission to make everyone in the apartment complex as miserable as he is. More specifically, however, he has his sights set on making a sexy young woman named Clara miserable. Clara, who always seems cheery and optimistic, makes César ill and he wants nothing more than to wipe the smile off of her face. With mind games, cockroaches, and other means of physical and mental damage that I won’t spoil, César is out to try and ruin Clara’s life. Will César’s sick games get him caught or will he manage to escape scot-free?

Director Jaume Balaguero, best known for his work on horror hits such as “[Rec]” 1 and 2, has crafted a truly disturbing little psychological chiller that gets under your skin more and more as the film progresses. Unlike many cinematic psychos who make it their goal to kill those in their path, César is of a different breed which is what makes “Sleep Tight” so memorable. César is more concerned with inflicting misery on his unsuspecting victims. He feels that everyone should be as miserable as he is and he wants to break people’s happy spirits. I could go into more details about his actions, but the film works better if you know very little about it. César’s shockingly demented acts are what drive the film. You will be hard pressed to stop watching because you have to see what he will do next (or if he will get away with it).

On the subject of César, Luis Tosar deserves much praise for his performance here. His quiet, creepy demeanor makes the performance all the more convincing. The character never seems outlandish or fake thanks to Tosar’s grounded portrayal of this character.  

Video/Audio:

The film, which is presented in 2.35:1 1080p, looks a little too grainy for my taste, but the colors certainly pop here.

The Spanish 5.1 DTS-HD track (with English subtitles) is a little soft, but sufficient. This is primarily a dialogue driven film so there’s not a ton going on sound wise.

Extras:
* “Sleep Tight” and other Dark Sky Films trailers.
* 9 deleted scenes.
* “Sleep Tight: Cesar’s World” is an in-depth featurette that contains film clips, cast/crew interviews, script and character discussions, set footage, etc.

Summary: I’m surprised “Sleep Tight” has gone under the radar because it really is an impressive horror-thriller. Recommended (if you can stomach it).

February 9, 2013 - Posted by nicklyons1 | Blu-Ray review | Jaume Balaguero, Luis Tosar, Sleep Tight Blu-ray Review