PARASOMNIA

Parasomnia (2025) is a straight-up spine-chiller that dives deep into the messed-up headspace of Riley (Jasmine Mathews), a young woman whose relentless night terrors are haunted by a demonic figure that’s way too creepy to be just a dream.

When her best friend goes missing under super shady circumstances, Riley starts to suspect this shadowy stalker is crossing over into the real world, turning her life into a waking nightmare. With a killer cast—RJ Brown, Sally Stewart, and Stephen Barrington—bringing the emotional heat, the film mixes raw psychological dread with gut-punch scares as Riley digs into her own traumatic past to figure out if this demon is all in her head or a real-deal threat.

Director Ross, only 25 and already a Gotham Award winner for his short Don’t Blink, crafts a vibe where sleep isn’t a safe zone but a freaky threshold where terror sneaks through, making every shadow feel like it’s watching you.

Ross pours his lifelong love for horror into his first feature, and it shows—Parasomnia feels like a fresh twist on the genre, dodging the usual jump-scare overload for something more unsettling and real. A film school grad, Ross has talked about how vulnerable we are when we drift off to sleep, and he uses that to crank up the fear, making every creepy moment hit hard.

The film’s supported by first-time producers Gabrielle Chapman and Pacey Hansen, both Florida State University alums who were all-in on turning something as everyday as sleep into a total horror show. Chapman’s drawn to the idea of making the ordinary terrifying, while Hansen pushed for a story that skips overplayed tropes, aiming for a vibe that’s both inventive and grounded.

Together, they’ve built a team that’s all about delivering a horror flick with heart, backed by executive producers Tabitha Shick, Dan Clifton, and Jijo Reed, whose collaborative energy gives the project its scrappy, passionate soul.