MISTER SANDMAN explores the idea that nightmares, even in the form of fearsome monsters, may be one way our subconscious helps us deal with real life fears, especially when we are faced with tragedy or lose someone close. - Chad Costen (Writer/Director)

MISTER SANDMAN is a feature-length Dark Fantasy film set at an abandoned summer camp where we confront our worst nightmares in the form of fearsome and frightening monsters while we fight our way through the five stages of grief. It is a dark adventure, a mystery, and a survival tale that slides something sinister into our unconscious.

 

SIMPLE SYNOPSIS

A mother-daughter road trip down memory lane turns into a nightmarish fight for survival as the pair teams up with an oddball group of former summer-camp misfits to confront MISTER SANDMAN, the author of their greatest fears.

 

MONSTER MASH-UP!

Conjuring nerve-wracking night-terrors like those in A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET, and playing with the paralyzing fear of FIRE IN THE SKY, we will relive some of the most macabre moments from the last 20 years of fantastic filmmaking. The goal is to re-capture some of the classic 80's & 90's monster-movie magic.

Facing their personal nightmares, our cast of characters will take on a host of murderous monsters inspired by insidious icons introduced in films like ALIEN & PUMPKINHEAD, as well as more recent creatures seen in HELLBOY and in CABIN IN THE WOODS.

 

THE MYTHOLOGY

The story of Mister Sandman spans centuries. In fact, its origins may stretch back even further than our literary history can tell us. Which means it is possible that anyone who has encountered the elusive being may have mistaken it as one of hundreds of mythological creatures throughout time.

From the early aboriginal cave drawings of ‘star-people’, to the baroque illustrations of the incubus, there are countless similarities between these mythological creatures across all cultures. The fairy-tale version of an entity created by Hans Christian Andersen in the 1800’s describes a being who weaves our dreams and crafts our nightmares, while Morpheus from Greek mythology sends human-like shapes to unsuspecting sleepers. 

Extraordinary similarities also exist between the familiar folktale figure of Mister Sandman and present-day alien abductions. Pat Ballard’s original lyrics for the famous song Mr. Sandman read: “Please turn on your magic beam... Mr. Sandman, bring me a dream”, which uncannily evokes similar imagery to the thousands of victims who experience beams of light during their abduction experiences - and the use of a needle-like wand to put them to sleep.

So what if it were possible? What if we are all seeing only what we have been conditioned to see by our belief systems and culture? What if no single story of a dark, twilight traveller is true, but in fact ALL of them are true — and they are all one in the same?

 

THE STORY

Izabel “IZZY” Endormi is in the passenger seat when she wakes, screaming, from a horrible dream. Although she can’t remember it clearly, she knows that this was no ordinary nightmare. OLIVIA, her mother, informs Izzy that they are out of gas, and the two continue on foot until they happen across an empty summer camp. The mom-and-daughter duo then begin a trip down memory lane that quickly turns into a fight for survival, as they team up with a small band of former summer camp misfits to overcome a mysterious monster that preys on us all when we sleep.

Izzy soon discovers that they have all been led to CAMP SOMNI by impossibly coincidental circumstances, and one by one the group encounters their greatest childhood fears as they face tailor-made incarnations of MISTER SANDMAN. As the night progresses, the newfound friends continue to fall victim to the dream creature's tricks, and while the chameleon-like monster toys with their minds, imaginatons and memories, he pits them against one another in a battle for their very souls.

Eventually the camp-mates confront their fears to overcome a shared childhood trauma, and together they draw MISTER SANDMAN out into the real world, where Izzy has discovered a way to destroy him once and for all. But despite their collective relief, something isn't right. After venturing into a realm where such a baleful being is the artist of illusion and master of memory, they can’t help but ask...

“Where do the nightmares end and our waking lives begin?"

 

THE STYLE

MISTER SANDMAN will be deliciously dark, both literally and figuratively. We will be favouring the dramatic lighting of EVIL DEAD, with heavy contrast and noticable backlights. We want this film to be SCARY, but fun!

If successful, this film should remind us of cinematographer Peter Deming’s efforts on Cabin in the Woods & Evil Dead, utilizing cool, desaturated forests and stark shadows. Andrew Dunn’s work on Practical Magic is also a distinct bit of inspiration - utilizing countless accent lights and competing hues in interior locations for that palpable magic-like quality. There will also be a few intentionally over-dramatic moments where we tumble into a Tim Burton film with extreme, playful colours - as the wicked weirdness runs amok.

 

THE MONSTER

MISTER SANDMAN is a chameleon-like creature as old as time itself. It is a relentlessly thirsty monster that dwells in the “In-between”, a dream-like reality that exists as a tether between our waking world and the unconscious spirit-realm of the dead. It relies on sleeping souls for survival, draining our unconscious energy each night, and although it tends to draw most heavily from children (with their pure and imaginative spirits), it is a living, breathing creature that hunts and waits for us all in our darkened closets and within the shadows under our beds.

 

THE CHARACTERS

Each of our main characters represent one of the five stages of grief:

DENIAL

IZABEL “IZZY” ENDORMI | AGE: 22 - Izzy is the embodiment of the unexpected. Part nurturer, part neurotic bookworm, and ALL Ash vs. The Evil Dead. She fancies herself a psychological sleuth, loves puzzles, and is obsessed with Flamingos.

BIGGEST FEAR: Losing her mother... and THE TRUTH.

 

ANGER

SAMSON | AGE: 30 - Samson is small-town cop with a true-blue sense of morality, but his grip on reality is tested by a long history of epileptic seizures. Loyalty to the badge keeps him more or less sane - though moonlights as a UFO researcher.

BIGGEST FEAR: A lack of control... and ALIENS.

 

BARGAINING

NOLAN | AGE: 23 - A priest-in-training, Nolan does his best to read God's signs and follow the righteous path to a holier life, but in a world of mortal temptation even the most pious person might stray for the sake of love - or lust.

BIGGEST FEAR: Going to Hell for his sinful thoughts... and VAMPIRES.

 

DEPRESSION

MAUDE | AGE: 24 - A victim of childhood bullying, Matilda re-named herself “Maude” after her parents passed and left her Camp Somni - making her the camp director. This is where she has spent most of her life's cruel summers.

BIGGEST FEAR: Anyone discovering her depressing lack of self-worth ... and GOBLINS.

 

ACCEPTANCE

OLIVIA ENDORMI | AGE: 44  - Olly is Izzy’s mother and often struggles to act like it. She attempts to win Izzy's love and respect by being her best friend, but needs to let go. As a single parent / school teacher, everyone is one of her kids.

BIGGEST FEAR: Losing her DAUGHTER.

 

THANK YOU!

We really appreciate the time you took to read about Mister Sandman!

And we understand that not everybody is able to contribute, so if you can help spread the word, that would mean the world to us. It doesn't matter whether it's on your favourite social media channel, by sending an email out to friends & family, or simply by shouting it out from the rooftops! ...Every bit helps.

If you have any questions, want some pictures and videos to share, or just want to chat with us about movies, please don't hesitate to drop an email to our super-producer Timo at [email protected], or ping us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

Oh, but before you go, we gotta ask... "What do your NIGHTMARES look like?"