Sleep paralysis and the appearance of shadow people are some of the most notoriously terrifying phenomenon known to man. Whether or not you believe the paranormal is involved with these occurrences doesn’t necessarily make them any less frightening, which makes them perfect horror movie material. Even so, there are remarkably few films on the subject, though Drew Gabreski is attempting to change that with his supernatural thriller Be Afraid.

Starring Brian Krause as Doctor John Chambers, Be Afraid chronicles the struggles of a divided family attempting to settle into their new home in a small Pennsylvania town. Unfortunately, Dr. Chambers is routinely stalked by otherworldly forces during the night, as he deals with the horrific effects of sleep paralysis. As these unexplainable episodes become more frequent, he’ll soon discover that the town’s dark history is somehow involved and that these wicked forces are after something – or someone – from his family.

Sadly, the story does feel more like a routine thriller instead of a horrifying exploration of these alleged real life incidents. That doesn’t necessarily make this a bad movie, but it is slightly dismaying to see the film focus on story elements that we’ve seen so many times before in haunted-house/ghost movies, instead of the much more interesting source material that the script is supposedly based on. That being said, mulling over what a film might have been doing really reflect on its present quality.

Nevertheless, Be Afraid is still a mostly compelling story about loss and family, and it owes a lot of its effectiveness to its competent cast. From Krause’s portrayal of a well-intentioned father to Jared Abrahamson’s role as a wayward son, these characters all feel extremely believable. Decent protagonists are often neglected in horror films, so at the very least we’re presented with relatable people to root for when things go sideways. This obviously masks many of the film’s flaws, though it doesn’t actually fix any of the script’s problems.

This leads us to one of Be Afraid’s most disappointing features: the lack of quality scares. Gabreski’s direction does a lot to keep the film visually interesting, but he struggles to maintain tension during some of the feature’s most pivotal scenes. He’s not entirely to blame, however, as the “creature” design is also quite lacking. Some more consistent scares could have compensated for the film’s issues in other departments, which make this doubly disappointing.

Despite these flaws, Be Afraid does manage to shine every now and again. Some of the more intimate family scenes are genuinely touching, and some of the paralysis sequences are at least somewhat frightening. It’s still unfortunate that the film doesn’t really do much with its creative premise, but I imagine we’ll be seeing more movies touch on this subject matter in the near future. As it stands, Be Afraid is a competent thriller with some entertaining moments, but it lacks some much-needed depth.

Be Afraid will be available on most VOD platforms on June 1st!