Parents' Guide to Eli Roth Presents: Dream Eater

This found-footage horror movie is one of those in which the characters really don't have much reason to keep the camera going, nor any excuse for their continuously ill-advised behavior. It's difficult to describe Eli Roth Presents: Dream Eater without it sounding ridiculous. In what world would this couple think that spending 10 days together in a remote cabin in the snow would do anything good for Alex's sleepwalking? They keep talking about how they can't afford anything else, but a nice weekend someplace else would have cost about the same as 10 days in a cabin, wouldn't it? They're just inviting trouble. And their doctor urges Mallory to "keep the camera rolling! It is vital that you capture as much footage as possible!" even if there's no real purpose for this. Then, after several nights in which Mallory is awakened by Alex's alarming sleepwalking activity, she announces that she's going to get drunk! Wouldn't she be worried about not being able to keep an eye on him?

The characters frequently argue, but they don't really seem to know how to communicate with each other ("don't be like that!"), and it's frustrating. The movie uses every "found footage" cliché imaginable, from a character disappearing into a crawlspace for just a beat too long ("Alex? Alex?") and then jumping out for a "boo!" scare, to characters standing and creepily facing a wall. Eli Roth Presents: Dream Eater is an admirable attempt at a decent horror, and the two stars seem game for anything, but it doesn't seem to have had much thought put into it.