Mientras duermes / Sleep Tight [2011]

Spanish directors and scriptwriters have been pushing out some of the best horror on the market. The work of Jaume Balagueró i Bernat of the ‘REC’ series, has always been worth tracking down.

His ‘Sleep Tight’ (2011) is a horror film of rare grace. It is like a throw back to a time of cinema that rarely seems to exist any more. It has a increasing hand crank pace that allows for a truly uncomfortable and disturbing watch.

The film centers on apartment concierge Cesar, though outwardly happy and helpful to the residents of his building. Cesar has a secret, one that is the core of the film and the reveal to much would do this film a terrible injustice. It is enough to let its tagline do the talking.

“You wake day after day to the comfort and security of your home. But how safe is it really?”

The film begins a slow march of creepy that gradually crosses into the skin crawling and deeply unsettling. With echoes of Hitchcock and Polanski — the tension is ratcheted up to a painful degree and nothing is ever forgiven — by the end, as the credits roll, you may feel like you’ve just been molested — just a little bit — just enough to make it stick in your memory.

Does your female friend live alone? Then this is the film to watch with her.

Originally published at 4/06/2013