Common Sense Media Review
By Jeffrey M. Anderson
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Irritating dud of a horror movie has violence, language.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
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Where to Watch
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Dreamkatcher
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
In DREAMKATCHER, musician/widower Luke (Henry Thomas) decides to move with his young son, Josh (Finlay Wojtak-Hissong), and his child psychologist girlfriend, Gail (Radha Mitchell), to the remote house where Luke's wife drowned in a nearby lake. Soon, Luke is called away to the city for work, leaving Gail behind with the troubled Josh, who's suffering terrible nightmares in which he's visited by evil visions of his dead mother. On a hike, Gail and Josh run into a strange shop, run by the unusual Ruth (Lin Shaye), that sells "dreamcatchers." Josh asks for one, but Gail doesn't believe in them and refuses. So Josh steals one from a barn. Unfortunately, it turns out to be a "dreamkatcher" -- an evil, twisted version of the more familiar kind. Soon, Josh's nightmares grow worse, and a real-life threat looms.
Is It Any Good?
The majority of what's wrong with this awful horror movie lies with the constantly frustrating characters, who make inexplicably poor decisions and behave in ways that have nothing to do with reality. While Mitchell and Thomas at least appear to be trying, it makes no sense that Luke would move his family back to a death house, and it's never explained. And why would he leave his girlfriend and son behind in a remote place with no car and no cellphone service? That's bad enough, but Gail never once acts like a proper child psychologist, frequently losing her temper and snapping at Josh and otherwise refusing to do things that might make sense.
But Dreamkatcher doesn't stop there. Despite being played by legendary horror character actor Shaye, Ruth is unnecessarily weird, and she also seemingly has the power to abruptly teleport into scenes. And for a scary movie, Dreamkatcher isn't actually scary, relying exclusively on creaky old genre staples: predictable sound effects, creepy child's drawings, dreams-within-dreams, and fake-looking digital blood. Still, all of that is secondary to the fact that the characters are impossible to care about: There's nobody to be scared for. Tack on the irritating non-ending, and this one is a true dud. The only saving grace is another good, creepy music score by composer Joseph Bishara (The Conjuring), who also briefly appears as a monster.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Dreamkatcher's violence. Does it feel more shocking with a young boy involved? Why or why not?
What's the appeal of scary movies? Why is it sometimes fun to be scared?
What's the relationship like between Josh and Gail? Why do you think it might be hard for kids to accept their parent having a new partner?
Why do you think the psychologist character doesn't believe in the idea of dreamcatchers?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming : April 28, 2020
- Cast : Henry Thomas , Radha Mitchell , Lin Shaye
- Director : Kerry Harris
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Lionsgate Home Entertainment
- Genre : Horror
- Run time : 86 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : disturbing violent content, and language
- Last updated : July 20, 2022
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