Plot: What’s it about?
The residents of a small town trailer park are used to unusual events, since the park is home to a host of rather strange folks. But now a darkness looms over the park, as its residents are turning up dead with no logical explanation. The sole link between the deaths is that the victims died in their sleep, no evidence of foul play or forced entry, just dead bodies. Of course, the odds of a chain of natural cause related deaths in the same trailer parks are astronomical, but no other answers have been uncovered. One resident thinks he has an idea however, as romance novelist Gary (A.J. Richards) claims he knows the truth. Gary has been plagued by intense insomnia and late one night, he swears he saw a monster of some kind in his girlfriend’s room in the next trailer over, while she was fast asleep. Since he hasn’t been sleeping a wink, the others laugh him off and tell him he needs to catch some shuteye, if only to clear his mind. Gary is insistent however, to the point where even his friends start to think his mind has cracked. But as he delves deeper into the mysterious deaths, he fears the time when he will be able to sleep, not knowing if he would ever wake up again.
I am a big fan of Tempe Video, with its catalog loaded with low rent, but high entertainment horror flicks. I haven’t been able to check out their work for a while, but I was quite pleased to check out The Sandman, from the label’s main man, J.R. Bookwalter. Even back in 1995, Bookwalter’s skill is obvious and even with a miniscule budget, he delivers on the fundamentals. As usual, the production values seem better than they should be, thanks to J.R.’s knack for making a lot out of a little. When a movie is photographed well and it seems like the folks involved cared enough to put in a serious effort, it shows on screen. While The Sandman isn’t one of Bookwalter’s better features, his passion shines through and elevates the material. The movie is a basic creature feature, but also has some moments that stand out. I really enjoyed the dream sequences, for example, as they were quite creative. Now I have to admit, I was let down by the lack of violence and gore, but even without it, I was never bored here. The pace is on the slow side however, so combine that with minimal blood and some horror fans are sure to be disappointed. But I still found The Sandman to be well made and enjoyable, so if you’re interested, give this release a shot.
Video: How does it look?
The Sandman is presented in full frame, as intended. Tempe has worked wonders with their low budget releases, with full digital restorations in some cases. This is one such release, as the print has been restored and looks all shiny as a result. This is still a low budget flick and I mean low budget for real, not Hollywood’s twisted opinion on low budget. The film was shot on VHS-C and that limits the transfer from the start, but for what it is, the film looks quite good here. If you’ve seen these kind of films before, you’ll be pleased, as few movies of this ilk wind up with this kind of presentation. You’ll see some flaws, mainly softness, but that is the fault of the source, not this impressive visual transfer.
Audio: How does it sound?
The included Dolby Digital 5.1 track is a little much at times, but it is eons better than most low budget horror movie soundtracks. The surrounds are used often and to good ends, with atmospheric presence and of course, screams and such. But this is where my main complaint comes in, as it seems like the rear channels have mixed too loudly, as they sometimes overpower the other elements. This usually results in having to strain to understand dialogue, but it is not usually bad, though it is worth a mention here. Even so, you have to commend Tempe for putting so much effort into the audio here, solid overall work.
Supplements: What are the extras?
The highlight here is an informative commentary from Bookwalter, who is joined by line producer James L. Edwards. I’ve heard several of Bookwalter’s commentaries and while it has become a cliche, he does offer a sort of “film school in a box,” though aimed at those interested in low budget productions. There is no lack of humor or production insight here, a great overall session. This disc also includes a ten minute featurette, a music video, and some deleted scenes.
