Curse of Sleeping Beauty, The (2016)
Staci Layne Wilson
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Starring Ethan Peck, India Eisley, Natalie Hall, Bruce Davison
Directed by Pearry Teo
I’m a sucker for architectural horror – The Haunting, The Legend of Hell House, Dario Argento’s Inferno, The Shining, Crawlspace, and right on up to the Toolbox Murders remake… anything with blasphemous blueprints, and I’m in. Add to that some lush visuals, and I am ready to close escrow.
In The Curse of Sleeping Beauty, Thomas Kaiser (Peck) inherits an ancestral mansion that has been in his family for generations. Cool, right? Well… not really. The inspection papers neglect to mention that Thomas has also inherited an ancient curse placed on the evil abode. Stemming back to the Crusades, this spell demands that the Kaiser family’s latest living heir act as an ever-endangered guardian to keep the evil demons dwelling in the house at bay.
Thomas has really got his hands full – while he’s busy unraveling the mystery of the house in hope of ending the curse, he’s also trying to awaken the beautiful Briar Rose (Eisley), a drowsy maiden held captive in a terrifying netherworld. The two fall in love but can never be together as they each exist in a different corporeal plane.
While The Curse of Sleeping Beauty is more dark fantasy – think Jim Henson’s Labyrinth or Terry Gilliam’s The Brothers Grimm on a tight budget when it comes to the visuals – there are some horror elements nestled into the nooks and crannies of the creepy cinematic manse. There’s also a good old-fashioned mystery when it comes to the curse, which is sure to please fans of historical adventure along the lines of The Awakening, the “Once Upon a Time” TV series, and Mother of Tears.
The cast is able, but when veteran actor and Oscar nominee Bruce Davison shows up, the story really hits its stride. He brings a certain gravitas to every movie he’s in, even when the flick itself is only adequate. Director Pearry Teo does a great job, but there is a certain unevenness to the whole thing which I can only guess is the fault of a too-low budget in opposition to ambition and not altogether wise editing choices.
In spite of its issues, The Curse of Sleeping Beauty is well worth a look for fans of dark fairy tales, malevolent mysteries, and old-fashioned storytelling.
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Film
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