Dream Eater – Movie Review (3/5)

DREAM EATER is a new horror movie in the found-footage niche. It reminded me of several iconic movies in the subgenre – including Blair Witch and Paranormal Activity, though with its own plot and twists. Read our full Dream Eater movie review here!

DREAM EATER is a found footage horror movie. This is also the second theatrical release from Eli Roth’s new studio, The Horror Section. While some have long tired of the found footage subgenre, it’s still good when done right.

With Dream Eater, we’re once again back on track. A movie that doesn’t rely exclusively on the found footage element but rather focuses on having a good story. One that deals with the horror of nightmares taking over.

Continue reading our Dream Eater horror movie review below.

Setting: A Cabin in the Woods

If there’s one thing you know not to do when things are bad, it’s to head out to a cabin in the woods. And yet, in order to get some much-needed time to be together and relax, this is exactly where our two main characters are headed.

Mallory and her boyfriend Alex are going on a holiday, which means most of Dream Eater plays out in this very remote cabin in the woods. Also, yes, there will be snow. And lots of it.

Alex has been dealing with a particularly violent form of parasomnia, which means he’s sleepwalking and has started lashing out while asleep.

Could something more sinister than a fairly common sleep disorder be the culprit? Well, this is a horror movie, so obviously, we will be going down that particular brutal path.

As it turns out, there is something in Alex’s past that might influence his present. He is about to turn 30 years old, which is part of the reason why they went on this holiday together, but was this really the ideal move?!

I’m sure you can guess the answer to this – and that’s exactly why you’ll want to watch Dream Eater.

Found Footage done right!

When found footage works, it can hit so much harder than “conventional” horror filmmaking. This is thanks to the simple notion that you could have recorded the horror yourself.

By blending the POV and narrating known from documentary filmmaking (or even social media videos), it gives it an air of being real as opposed to fiction.

Of course, Dream Eater is fiction just like some of the more iconic movies of found-footage fame. I’m thinking of mega hits such as The Blair Witch Project and Paranormal Activity.

This one, however, has a storyline that feels more like something from A Nightmare on Elm Street due to its nightmare plot. However, again, we see it from the POV of someone on the outside of this experience.

An element that lends a different kind of horror to the experience.

Watch Dream Eater in theaters this October

Dream Eater was co-written and co-directed by Jay Drakulic, Mallory Drumm, and Alex Lee Williams. The latter two also star in the movie as the two main characters.

This horror movie feels like a passion project, which is confirmed by this trio making and starring in the movie. Together, all the Canadian genre trio make up Blind Luck Pictures.

As already mentioned, the movie comes from Eli Roth’s new studio, The Horror Section. This is a fan-owned 360 media company attempting to build a library of intellectual property. The goal is to create the world’s premier horror brand.

This found footage movie is being released in theaters just in time for Halloween, so you can plan to enjoy this as part of your Halloween horror movie adventure of 2025.

Dream Eater will be out in Theaters on October 24, 2025.

Details

Directors: Jay Drakulic, Mallory Drumm, Alex Lee Williams
Writers: Jay Drakulic, Mallory Drumm, Alex Lee Williams
Cast: Mallory Drumm, Alex Lee Williams