Sleepwalker (2026)

Sleepwalker is a horror thriller written and directed by Brandon Auman, who quickly reminds us why his career has primarily been in television rather than feature films. Writing for children's television can sometimes get away with simplistic dialogue and storytelling, but those weaknesses become glaring when stretched into a feature-length horror movie. The screenplay is filled with clunky dialogue and predictable horror beats, while the jump scares rarely land. Instead of creating tension, the film repeatedly left me sighing in boredom.

Hayden Panettiere delivers a strong performance despite the material she's been given. It's clear that many of her lines weren't written with much care, but she does what she can to make the character feel believable. Knowing this is her final film makes the performance bittersweet, especially because she deserved a much better script to go out on. Fortunately, her performance here doesn't diminish the work she's done in better roles throughout her career.

Justin Chatwin, known for Dragonball Evolution, reminds us why he hasn't appeared in much since that infamous adaptation. He immediately starts yelling excessively in his first scene, bringing back memories of the overacting that plagued some of his earlier work. Thankfully, he becomes much more restrained in some later scenes, but not all, making his performance more tolerable. Beverly D'Angelo, known for National Lampoon's Vacation and Coal Miner's Daughter, is also in the film but mostly seems to be going through the motions. There's little in the role that allows her to make much of an impression.

Overall, Sleepwalker is a disappointing horror film that squanders what could have been a fitting final appearance for Hayden Panettiere. The writing is weak, the jump scares don't work, and the performances are inconsistent. Brandon Auman may have experience writing television, but that experience doesn't translate effectively to feature filmmaking here. It's unfortunate that this is Panettiere's final movie, but I'll choose to remember her for the much better roles she gave us throughout her career. Result: D

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