The Man in the Shadows Explores the Terrifying World of Sleep Paralysis
Todd Rigney
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For those who have experienced it, sleep paralysis is no laughing matter. The sheer, unadulterated terror that engulfs you is indescribable and pales in comparison to any horror movie in existence. However, writer Adam Tomlinson and director Joshua Fraiman will attempt to channel that unrelenting fear in their upcoming horror/thriller The Man in the Shadows.
Not to be confused with the documentary The Nightmare, the flick tells the story of one woman’s struggle with sleep paralysis. During these horrifying experiences, she sees a mysterious man in a hat. Although her husband believes this is nothing more than a hallucination brought on by her condition, she soon learns that the man in the hat is possibly all too real.
The official synopsis puts a finer point on the story.
Rachel Darwin (Sarah Louise Jurgens, “Covert Affairs”) is pregnant, shackled, giving birth to something terrible, attended to by a dark man in a brimmed hat. She struggles to wake, opens her eyes, and he is there. The next day she finds out she’s not alone; many others see that Hat Man too. Her husband, Scott (Nick Baillie, “The Dead Zone”), believes her but thinks there is a scientific explanation. Sleep paralysis. Electromagnetically induced hallucinations. Rachel speaks of the Hat Man at group therapy. The addicts and loners reject her, except for William (“Scare Tactics’” Adam Tomlinson, also making his debut as producer). He believes her more than she believes herself – he believes in multidimensional beings, shadows that feed upon human souls.
Scott’s frustration builds as Rachel’s sanity slips. She slips into an intoxicated dream confronted by horrors of her past. The nightmares are getting worse. It becomes harder to know what is real and what is not, and that includes the Hat Man.
If you’re interested in checking out The Man in the Shadows and are attending the Dances with Films Festival in Los Angeles next month, be sure to swing by and catch the film on the big screen. The flick’s showing is presently scheduled for June 1st.
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