‘Evil never dies… it only waits to be reborn.’
SleepStalker is a 1995 horror film about a serial killer who is resurrected by a Voodoo priest into a body made of sand. To keep his new body, he must track down and kill the one victim who escaped him seventeen years before. Aka Sleep Stalker
Directed by Turi Meyer from a screenplay co-written with Alfredo Septién Turi Meyer. The film features horror genre star Ken Foree in a cameo role as a police detective.
Plot:
Seventeen years after slaughtering all but one member of a family, “The Sandman (Michael Harris)” is pending execution. Before his execution the jailers allow a minister (Michael D. Roberts) to visit him. The minister is a voodoo priest and an ally of the prisoner which the jailers did not realise.
A hex is placed onto The Sandman so when his execution is over his soul can travel to a new body made of sand. The Sandman then plots to kill a young man named Griffin (Jay Underwood), who was the last survivor of the family he attempted to slaughter.
Reviews:
” …there’s a big surprise as to why he’s going after this one kid. And why is The Sandman himself so nutty? Well, as a young boy his father sewed his lips shut to keep him from screaming when beaten. The film, of course, neglects to explain how the young Sandman ate, but that’s neither here nor there. There are some pretty decent special effects of sand flowing through ventilation tubes and through cracks in walls, and more.” Absolute Horror
This is a low-budget film, but it has its strong points. Some of the set decor and lighting are admirably expressionistic, as though inspired by 1920s German expressionism […] I admired the use of primary colored lights in the coffee shop at night, those bright reds and greens coming from some unknown source.” Communist Vampires
“Those determined to track down and endure every last slasher derivative will already either have Sleepstalker on their radar or may even have suffered through it. Everyone else can safely keep it very near the bottom of that “must-watch” list – there are far better films of a similar ilk to get through first. Though few will feature a villain made of CGI sand who creaks like old floorboards when he moves and comes with his own annoying lullaby theme song.” The EOFFTV Review
“We are treated to some inventive kills, mostly due to The Sandman’s gimmick–you know, he’s made of sand–but the movie is about as slasher as slasher gets. We’re introduced to a bevy of stock characters who die before we really get to know them, there’s a flashback origin story (that, to be honest, is really f*cking creepy), and we even get a blind, voodoo-practising psychic black man!” Horror News
Cast and characters:
Michael Harris … The Sandman
Vincent Berry … Griffin, age 7
Caryn Richman … Mom
Marc McClure … Dad
William Lucking … Detective Bronson Worth
Michael D. Roberts … The Preacher
Jay Underwood … Griffin Davis
Angel Ashley … Cheryl
Kathryn Morris … Megan
Kathleen McMartin … Dana
A.J. Glassman … Kenny
Barry Lynch … Pierson
David O’Shea … Prison Guard
Gabriel Carrier … Witness
Peter Vasquez … Dog Sanchez (as Peter Mark Vasquez)
Ken Foree … Detective Rolands
Lenore van Camp … Julia
Lillian Hurst … Old Woman
Carmen Mormino … Officer
Christopher Boyer … Detective Garcia
Brett Gathrid … Crack Addict
Michael Faella … Sandman’s Father
Giuseppe Andrews … Young Sandman (as Joey Andrews)
Barry Lynch … Pierson
Ten Nightmare on Elm Street Clones:
