Based on the original folklore which created the term, nightMARE, a sleep doctor knows the science behind sleep paralysis but is confronted by his patient’s experiences as well as his own.

Director’s Statement

(aka creepy personal story about this project)

When I was growing up, there was a photo in my parents house with my great grandmother as a child and a woman dressed in black standing next to her. For years I was terrified of this photo and always wondered who was the lady in black. Mystery is usually worse that reality so a couple years ago I decide to find out. My wife and I were visiting my parents for Thanksgiving and I took the opportunity to asked my mother if she knew. She said she didn’t know but told me to ask my grandmother, who was there as well. I remember sitting at the Thanksgiving table and pointing to the photo on the wall (yes, it’s still there) and asking my grandmother about the photo. I felt a cold chill run down my spine when I found out no one in the family knows who she is. It was a complete mystery.

I called upon this photo after experiencing a sleep paralysis episode for the first time ( I didn’t know what it was at the time,) to explore what made this woman so scary and to communicate how she ignited my imagination as a child. I learned a lot making this film but the thing that scares me the most is seeing this photo in the film (yes, it’s in the movie) and knowing that I will never know the origin of this lady in black.