Incendiary Features, an Austin-based production company led by producer James LaMarr and director Phillip Guzman, has just purchased the rights to Dead Awake, the new sleep paralysis project by Final Destination creator Jeffrey Reddick, sources exclusively tell Bloody Disgusting. We’re told it was purchased in a six-figure deal.
The screenplay follows a young woman, investigating a mysterious death in her family, who must fight to save herself and her friends from an ancient evil that stalks its victims through the real-life phenomena of sleep paralysis.
Guzman is set to direct with production slated for this fall in central Texas.
Sleep paralysis is a phenomenon in which people, either when falling asleep or wakening, temporarily experience an inability to move. It is a transition state between wakefulness and rest characterized by complete muscle atonia (muscle weakness). It can occur at sleep onset or upon awakening, and it is often associated with terrifying visions, such as an intruder in the room, to which one is unable to react due to paralysis. – Wiki
“Sleep paralysis is a terrifying and universal phenomenon with a rich mythology that dates back to biblical times,” Reddick tells us. “It’s an original and mature horror story. I know Phillip’s directing style and strong vision will give people nightmares for years to come. He adds: “This script has been a passion project for a long time.”
Guzman adds: “I am thrilled about making a horror film that has never been done. Once I read Jeffrey’s skillfully crafted story, I made it my personal mission to make this movie. It’s a serious tale based on a chilling actual condition, but still has all the excitement and scares you’d expect from a genre picture.”
LaMarr promises that the film will feature a “strong female character that anchors this movie.”
Another interesting note out of Wiki is that the original definition of sleep paralysis was codified by Samuel Johnson in his A Dictionary of the English Language as nightmare, a term that evolved into our modern definition. Such sleep paralysis was widely considered the work of demons, and more specifically incubi, which were thought to sit on the chests of sleepers.
Photo source: Wiki