Dream Catcher (2020)

Directed by: Kerry Harris | 85 minutes | horror, thriller | Actors: Radha Mitchell, Henry Thomas, Finlay Wojtak-Hissong, Lin Shaye, Jules Willcox, Joseph Bishara, Duncan Foster-Allen, J. Christian Ingvordsen, Bella Marie Fucile, Cullen Riera, Finnegan Riera

The dreamcatcher is an object that originally comes from the culture of the Objiwe, a North American Indian people. But since the late twentieth century, the talisman has also been popular within the New Age movement. A dream catcher is said to ward off bad dreams and is therefore often hung above a baby’s bed or carrycot.

The dreamcatcher in ‘Dreamkatcher’, however, is a less benevolent object. In fact, it is an instance that houses an extremely evil entity. In the first act of the film, we are introduced to Gail, her new boyfriend and his son Josh. The trio move into a vacation home in the mountains to bond and come to terms with Josh’s mother’s death. He died in the same house. When Josh steals a talisman from a mysterious neighbor, he has sinister dreams about his mother. The dream apparition instructs Josh to kill Gail. The suspicion arises that the boy is possessed by an ancient and bloodthirsty ghost.

A family or group of friends that is besieged far from civilization by a mysterious evil; it’s a theme that often crops up in horror movies and is well developed in gems like ‘The Evil Dead’, ‘Evil Dead II’, ‘Evil Dead’ and ‘The Lodge’. ‘Dreamkatcher’ unfortunately remains in mediocrity. Most scenes are filmed and edited by the book: many menacing and classic scares that seem to work towards an exciting and eerie climax. That expected apotheosis, however, does not materialize. The last act is rather an anticlimax, which disappoints both in terms of narrative and horror.

Radha Mitchell, an actress who isn’t devoid of talent, yet who doesn’t seem to get much further than modest roles in major productions or major roles in less appealing movies, tries her best to take the film to the next level, but succeeds. only slightly in. ‘Dreamkatcher’ largely lacks the substance and camera work needed to make this supernatural horror work rise above the gray mediocrity.