Excl Images: Mike Flanagan’s Nightmares Come Alive in Before I Wake

Formerly titled Somnia, Before I Wake is the latest, eagerly anticipated work from Mike Flanagan, a filmmaker many were introduced to by the terrific, atmospheric indie Absentia. Last year, Flanagan’s tight grasp on off-kilter dread went wide in accursed mirror movie, Oculus. He’s back this May with a tale of nightmares manifested, and what sounds to be another destabilizing work which easily slips into unreality. Shock Till You Drop presents an exclusive look at photos from Before I Wake below, and you can find the new trailer underneath!

In this intense and heart pounding supernatural thriller, Jessie (Kate Bosworth) and Mark (Thomas Jane) decide to take in a sweet and loving 8-year-old boy, Cody. Unbeknownst to them, Cody is terrified of falling asleep. At first, they assume his previous unstable homes caused his aversion to sleep, but soon discover why: Cody’s dreams manifest in reality as he sleeps. In one moment they experience the incredible wonder of Cody’s imagination, and in the next, the horrific nature of his night terrors. To save their new family, Jessie and Mark embark on a dangerous hunt to uncover the truth behind Cody’s nightmares.

Of Before I Wake, Flanagan previously told Shock Till You Drop: “I would describe the movie as beautiful horror… Visually, it’s the most ambitious thing I tried to do with a dreamscape quality to it. It’s a very different animal from Oculus and horror, I think, because I can’t think of too many things to compare it to, so I think that’s cool.”

Before I Wake is in theaters from Relativity on September 25th.