Dream Eater, a found-footage horror movie created by the team of Justin Hewitt-Drakulic, Mallory Drumm, and Alex Lee Williams, is one of those in which the characters really don't have much reason to keep the camera going, nor any excuses for their continuous, ill-advised behavior.
Mallory (co-director Drumm) and Alex (co-director Williams) are a couple struggling financially to get by. Alex is out of work and has been having increasingly dangerous sleepwalking episodes. So, for Alex's thirtieth birthday, they decide to rent a remote cabin in the snow for ten days of rest and relaxation.
Their doctor, Dr. Snape (Dainty Smith), recommends that Mallory film the sleepwalking episodes, but she decides to film everything. His sleepwalking incidents grow more and more startling, and then more and more dangerous, until Alex doesn't even seem like himself.
Mallory begins researching Alex's family, looking for history of the condition. She finds a clue to Alex's past, as well as to something truly horrifying.
It's difficult to describe Dream Eater without it sounding ridiculous. In what world would this couple think that ten 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 ten days in a cabin, wouldn't it? They're just inviting trouble.
Their doctor, who, for some reason, is named "Dr. Snape," 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 one night 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" trope 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.
Dream Eater was an admirable attempt at a decent horror, and the two performers seem game for anything, but it doesn't seem to have had much thought put into it.
Note: Eli Roth "presented" the movie in theaters, and some sources have it titled as Eli Roth Presents: Dream Eater.
Alliance Entertainment released the film on Blu-ray. Bonuses include a commentary track with directors Justin Hewitt-Drakulic, Mallory Drumm, and Alex Lee Williams, a featurette hosted by Eli Roth (26:37), a photo gallery, and three different trailers. Audio is mastered in 5.1 DTS-HD and there are optional English subtitles. A bonus DVD is included with all the same bonuses. There's also a mini-poster including in the packaging.
