Parasomnia – Movie Review | Shudder (3/5)

PARASOMNIA on Shudder is a creepy supernatural horror movie about night terrors, a demonic entity, and the line between nightmares and reality. Read our full Parasomnia movie review here!

PARASOMNIA is a supernatural horror movie that follows a young woman tormented by night terrors and a past filled with unresolved tragedy. When her best friend becomes the latest person to disappear, she begins to suspect that the demonic figure lurking in her nightmares may have crossed over into the real world.

Fans of A Nightmare on Elm Street and horror movies that blur the line between dreams and reality should give this one a shot.

Read more in our review of Parasomnia, coming out on Shudder on September 4, 2026.

A nightmare that refuses to stay in your dreams

Parasomnia follows Riley, whose life is already marked by tragedy. After losing her parents, she grew up in the same group home as David, her best friend from childhood. Now, when David suddenly disappears, Riley begins to wonder whether the demonic presence that has been haunting her sleep could somehow be responsible.

What follows is a disturbing journey between nightmares and reality as Riley tries to understand what is happening around her.

One of the things I really liked about the movie is the friendship between Riley and David. They have known each other since childhood, and their relationship feels genuine. All without the story constantly hinting at a romantic connection.

It’s refreshing to see a close friendship between a man and a woman that is simply allowed to be a friendship. The movie also does a good job of shifting between Riley’s nightmares and the events happening in the real world. This creates some effective moments of uncertainty about what is actually happening.

A promising supernatural horror feature debut

Parasomnia is written and directed by James Ross II, who describes his goal as bringing “a fresh perspective” to the frightening aspects of sleep. He does this by creating an immersive experience that stays with the audience. While his feature debut is not without its faults, I think Ross does a good job of bringing that idea to life.

The movie understands that nightmares can be frightening precisely because they don’t follow the rules of reality. 

The screenplay is also kept fairly tight, with a runtime of just 85 minutes. That works well for this type of horror movie, as the story doesn’t have too much time to wander.

There are a few rough edges that keep Parasomnia from being truly scary throughout. However, overall, it makes for a solid feature debut. If you’re in need of a scary nightmare movie for a Friday night, this new Shudder addition should work well for most horror fans.

PARASOMNIA is streaming on Shudder from September 4, 2026.

Details

Director: James Ross II
Writer: James Ross II
Cast: Jasmine Mathews, RJ Brown, Sally Stewart, Stephen Barrington, Danny Brown, Simon Longnight